Seattle bike shops?
 

I am a British National living in the Middle East and wish to buy a new road bike when I am in Seattle in a couple of months time. Can anybody advise good bike shops stocking high-end bikes ideally, in the downtown or Greenlakes area.

You might want to try Gregg's Greenlake or Gregg's Aurora. Do you have your eye on a particular brand? My favourite bikeshop is Bothell Ski & Bike but they're a bit of a haul from Greenlake. Other good shops include Ti Cycles near University Village just north of the U-District. I recently went on one of the local bike club's Bike Shop Poker Ride and visited a whole bunch of shops. There's a nice list of shops on the webpage for that ride. Elliot Bay Bicycles and R&E Cycles are also pretty good shops.