BPA Seattle Bikes + Art

After posting my review I received multiple threatening messages from the owner «Eric Patchen». He told me if I don’t remove my review he is going to pursue legal action against me.
Make sure you take a look at the (now) 20+ «reviews that are not recommended». The owner took the time to threaten all of them and get the review surpassed to boost his ratings. They are all 1 star reviews.
Please read a few reddit threads about this felon —
If you value your life, STAY AWAY!
I will never go here again. The next time my bike is stolen i’m letting the police handle him.

Waited around all morning to try to rent a bike today, I guess 10:30 isn’t enough time in the morning for them to get to work.

These guys were great. Came in to get a tube repaired/​replaced and tire inspection and they dropped what they were doing to fix it in the spot. What started out as one thing turned into something else and instead of charging me again for the extra cost Eric just said to get me the next time I was in the neighborhood. I will definitely be back the next time I need something done.

This place is great. My wife and I were biking home from work and her dérailleur blew apart and, in an unrelated incident my front fork cracked. We walked the bikes over to BPA and they had us rolling in an hour. I had no idea how to swap the fork out, but I wanted to learn so they showed me how to find the right used part, and invited me to use their tools and showed me how to do it, while fixing my wife’s bike at the same time. Super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. This is the only place I’ll ever look for bike parts and service from now on in Seattle.

I’ve been to BPA several times in the last couple of years or so. I have always found Eric and his crew to be friendly, helpful and professional. My first experience with them was for a tune-​up. I spoke with Eric himself and since it was winter time he offered me a great deal to tune up my bike and my wife’s. They were finished on time and both bikes rode and shifted better than brand new.
More recently I’ve gone in for accessories and parts and always leave happy.
I understand that there was some kind of flap with the police a while back and someone was arrested and accused of theft. I don’t know if anyone was actually convicted or not. The fact that an arrest occurred is not enough for me stop going to a place were I am treated well.

A friend gave us a copy of Seattle Met Magazine. The journalist did an article in the October 2014 issue about what happens when your bike is stolen. It’s often parted out and the frame painted and resold. They mention how Bike Pull Apart now rebranded as Bikes Plus Art was busted by Seattle Police. Don’t understand why anyone would ever do business here? They should treat bike thieves like horse thieves in the wild west days.

I bought a bike from here before reading all the negative comments. I came here for convenience and was happy with the service. I wanted to buy a used bike to save money and I like to see the reuse of perfectly good items.
Yes I would have be concerned with the comments about a chop shop except 3 stolen items in a second hand shop isn’t as bad as it sounds in a city. And I am sure they cleaned up and it was 5 months ago without an new issue.
The staff were very helpful and let me debate what I was looking for without rushing me. After a few test rides, I got a great bike which they were happy to adjust to my tastes. Price made me happy and the ride was great.
Eric seemed like a good guy despite some other comments.

Eric and his crew have always been really helpful with all my bike needs. I’ve bought a bike and had several time ups over the past few years. As a casual/​commuter rider I appreciate the wide variety of used gear. I occasionally drop in and have a question or need advice and hardly have to wait, even when they’re busy. Also, the apparel and random items are a nice touch!
BPA brings a lot of character and great service for all things bike to Belltown!

Walked into the shop and immediately singled out the road bike I thought would be perfect. We struck a deal and within a about a week it was immaculate. Use it everyday without fail. Eric and his guys are solid bike-​smiths.

Finally, the guy running this place is behind bars (at least for the moment). BPA has long been known as a chop shop. My bike, stolen from the UW, was recovered from there last year, along with two other stolen bikes. The cops had given this guy notice to stop working with felons. Good riddance, though I don’t believe for a second that he won’t be back to his old ways as soon as he has the chance.

Boom! These guys know bikes. They built me a bike that’s the best ride i ever had. And it’s fun doing business with them, they are genuinely nice guys. Work hard, no-​nonsense pricing, reliable, and subject matter experts. You should make this place your first and last stop when you need bike built or repaired. Not a lot of crap to sell, just bikes. Cool vibe.

I’m a speed shopper — I have x amount to spend on a used mountain bike, Play It Again Sports closer to where I live had a limited selection for me personally, they helped me find one, rode it around the block to make sure it was in good condition, and off I went into the sunset!

I took my bike in for a tune up and am quite pleased with the service and the work. The owner was happy to explain the work that was completed, including what might need to be done at some point soon, and they even replaced a part at no cost. He also said I can bring it back if there are any concerns when I get to ride again.
There isn’t a great selection for accessories, but I don’t blame them since they probably couldn’t compete with REI or online retailers’ prices.
It’s always worth noting when a business doesn’t get annoying about trying to push additional sales. They did what I asked and did it well, so I’m happy.

This shop rocks! In a sea of corporate blah, this raw edgy space popped up in Belltown several years ago and exemplifies the soulful entrepreneurial spirit of the Seattle of yesteryear. Ive taken several of my bikes to the shop for a repair or replacement part over the years. On every occasion, no matter who I deal with, I always feel like I am getting quality work at a fair price. There is always a wiliingness to do a quick adjustment on the fly if need be. Unlike some of the big box bike shops around town, I never feel like im being oversold. Do yourself and this shop a favor and support this great locally owned small business that deserves to succeed.

Walt H
Ive been dealing with BPA for about a year, and they have always handled my repairs efficiently and with cost affordable pricing. I live in south seattle but there excellent service makes it worth the commute. Heres how i got introduced to BPA i do some bicycling on the trails, and one of my long interurban trail rides led me to down town seattle my brakes were getting pretty bad so they were the first shop i made it to. I went in and asked if someone could look at my brakes after they examined them, they gave me a brake adjustment for free and with me being a new black bicyclist i thought it was going to be bell town overcharge the arm and the leg. so when they assisted me like that ive been back for all my cannon dales needs they’ve also answered all my newbie questions with patientce and knowledge id say check those guys out its definitely worth it i strongly suggest it.

BPA is my go-​to shop for all my cycling needs. Eric and Ethan are professional, skilled and knowledgable. BPA restored my old 1972 Bridgestone Kabuki and my 1980 Benotto Modelo 800. The price for each was more than reasonable and the quality of the restorations turns heads every time I ride. In addition to restorations, BPA also stocks a great variety of bikes that are for sale that range from carbon fiber racing bikes to vintage Schwinn cruisers. I enthusiastically recommend this shop.

I’ve been in this shop a few times and have been extremely underimpressed by their skills, knowledge, and got the distinct impression that they weren’t to be trusted.
Most notably, when I test rode a pedicab — it was in dangerously bad shape (no differential, one wheel just dragged in turns). The owner, Eric, told me about the fatal pedicab accident at a company he was involved in. His tone was boastful, like it made him cool. I was disgusted. Also they referred to certain bikes for sale as «30 day bikes» — forfeited, because customers had failed to pick them up. I found this highly suspect, because of their flip attitude about it.
As for the source of this review, I have over 10 years experience working as a bike messenger and in bike shops. Trust me, these guys are worth avoiding.

Certainly seems to be a lot of mixed reviews here.
I got knocked into a bad rut up on Fairview and folded my tire in half. I had never been to BPA but wandered in. The mechanic at the shop was generous with his time and put together a workable fix for the mangled back tire. It wasn’t a type A personality shop which was just fine by me and we ended up exactly where we needed to be. They told me it might be about two days… but then I got a call less than an hour later (before I even had a chance to catch a bus after my post-​accident beer) and they said it was ready.
I hopped on and rode home. A couple of folks have commented on the prices. My experience was that they were very accommodating and wanted to make sure that I felt that the agreed price was fair and reasonable. I probably could have gotten a better deal somewhere else, but I also probably could have gotten a better deal at BPA if I’d asked. I was just so happy that they jumped in and did a terrific job at a moments notice that the price seemed exceptionally fair and reasonable.
I commute all over Seattle on my bike and while my local shop will probably still get my routine business, I would have ABSOLUTELY no hesitation stopping into BPA again if the need arose or if I moved closer.

I had a great experience with Eric at BPA. I own an old Schwinn Roadmaster «Luxury Liner» (cruiser bike) which had been sitting in a garage for years and grown rusty. I searched Tacoma for a shop that would handle a bike restoration like this and most didn’t e-​mail me back; those that did unenthusiastically said they could give it a once-​over if that is what I meant. A friend referred me to BPA. I e-​mailed and Eric e-​mailed me back shortly thereafter saying he’d be delighted to restore my bike and he gave me a range of what it should cost. When I drove up to Seattle to drop off my bike Eric said the rust was actually less extensive than he had presumed and he actually lowered his estimate for me – I was already there to hand-​off my bike at the price-​range he quoted and he still lowered the price – THAT’S INTEGRITY!!!
When I returned to pick-​up the bike he had swapped out the handle bars with an extra set he had lying around his shop based on my complaint the original handle bars didn’t work well for me – he told me he still had my original handlebars if I preferred, but he thought these might work better for me. Sure enough, they worked much better, though I wasn’t especially fond of the mounting bracket they came with, so he helped me find another bracket which I liked. Did he charge me for any of this? Nope!
These guys rule! It isn’t a glitzy/​snooty high-​end shop if that is what you are looking for, it is a shop ran by bike enthusiasts who will go out of their way to get your bike dialed in just how you like it.
Ride on BPA, ride on!

I gave these guys $ 40 and my extra chopper handlebars as a trade to fix a cracked weld & adjust the seat on my OCC Stingray.
After a week of not hearing from them I stopped in and found my bike on a rack being ignored. I was than given the same seat off a different bike as a loaner & was told that «they were still waiting on there welder to come in». That was over a year ago.
Avoid them at all cost and find a more reliable bike shop.