What would you want from a bike shop?

dynee

I'm sitting here planning my future - due to leave Armed Forces in a couple of years.

I am thinking about starting my own business, the more I think about it the more starting up my own bike shop becomes more appealing.

What would you ideally like from a bike shop? What would be your perfect shop?

An idea I have had, what about a fully stocked workshop that you could hire out (with the added benefit of a mechanic close by to advise). You could order your parts and fit them yourself if you so wished.

What are your thoughts - think of it as market research....

Cheers

Dynee 8)

jay12

i like that idea very much.

delcol

a shop that actually stands by its price match promise,. and not use some crappy excuse to get off..

supersonic

We all need different things from bike shops. A beginner needs empathy, time, a good range of budget kit and a reason to come back. Too many shops I see miss this out and are a bit elitist.

The expert may only be in for good prices as he generally knows his stuff.

All shops need a good mechanic! And goes without saying a good range of stock. Provision to try stuff out too is a must.

The Hogester

Friendly staff, good prices, good service. You cant go wrong with that.

amt27

there are loads of different bike shops, small 2nd hand bike shops which will fix your heap of rusty junk through to compromised shops which sell everything but are not an expert in anything (Evans),

as this is a MTB thread, my ideal MTB shop would be a bike warehouse selling everything with 30-50 test bikes of different designs, its own test tracks and mechanics to help you set up your bike perfectly,

ratherbeintobago

amt27 wrote:

as this is a MTB thread, my ideal MTB shop would be a bike warehouse selling everything with 30-50 test bikes of different designs, its own test tracks and mechanics to help you set up your bike perfectly,

What about a bike shop near popular trails, with long-ish weekend opening hours? You'd then pick up a fair amount of business from people in need of running/get-you-home repairs.

Andy

Slow1972

How much do you rent the workshop out for? If you have a mechanic on standby how is he paid, as part of the hire cost? If people buy parts from you and then fit themselves using your tools the commercial problem is you dont get paid fully for your mechanic to fit them and nor do you sell them their own tools either

So aren't you depriving yourself of the return you would get on fully utilising your workshop with a mechanic. Nice for me as a punter, not as good for you running a profitable business imho

How about running your workshop in the usual way but offering a few workshop lessons on evenings / weekends - probably encourage people to buy various tools from you and create customer loyalty at the same time

I would imagine an lbs relies quite heavily on a steady flow of work going through its workshop at proper hourly rates to cover its overheads / making a profit

geordiefreerider

I would like to open a mountain bike friendly b+b and/or barn with sleeping benches along with workshop facilitys and parts stocks and secure storage with jetwash area and barbeque area with licensed bar ! Position it near some good natural riding and near some trail centres and build a little 4x/jump track on the land as well .............dreams dreams dreams !!!

dynee

Slow1972 - It's a working idea - the workshop is already there as is the mechanic, it's a gimic, perhaps an unsual twist. It's not the sole income, some people don't have time to tinker and still require a mechanic to fix and service bikes.

I like the idea of running classes. Would an attached coffee shop appeal to people (again perhaps working on the drop the bike and we'll fix it while you wait) What would people think to that idea?

Perhaps another service - mobile mechanic, van full of kit that can pitch up at work service bikes or even collect the bike and deliver it fixed (commuter orientated).

There are some great ideas coming through, keep them coming.....

Thanks

Dynee

GHill

Being able to have a decent demo on the bikes is v. important to me.

Having a decent mechanic fit my new purchase for me would be better than me doing it myself using the workshop. I'd certainly pay more for something in a shop if I got that for "free" relative to web prices (in fact, I already do).

supersonic

This might sound a little curt, but what experience do you have of the bike trade and bikes in geenral?

nicklouse

I would also have a close look at Insurance issues.

dynee

I have very little experience of the bike trade, which is why I am asking cycling people what they would want.

It's currently an idea, something to work on whilst I see my time out in the Forces - I have the chance to get some mechanics courses behind me, aswell as business courses.

I am looking at my options. I love cycling. I have dipped in and out of the MTB world also road cycling, in the past 3 years I have really been bitten by the bug big time and spend alot of my time cycling or tinkering (much to my wifes disguist). I would like to spend the rest of my working life doing something I'm passionate about.

As I stated before call it market research.

Thanks

Dynee

supersonic

I would recommend a few months working in a bike shop when you leave the army - get to know the ins and outs. Very valuable experience.

BlackSpur

One thing I have learned/been told from working in a shop is that the bulk of your profit comes from repairs. In theory, repairs are a constant source of income - we always have a bike in the stand all year round (unlike bike/parts saled which are very seasonal).
If you are to be successful/have a profitable business, you will want your workshop to be constantly busy - there should always be a queue of at least a couple of bikes if all goes to plan. This means that your mechanic is going to be working for most of the time and he will be absolutely flat out in peak summer.

What I am getting at is that a mechanic will not have the time to faff about helping beginners (which will invariably be a long, drawn out process) if you are to offer an effective repair service. Whilst its a nice idea in principle, IMO it will take away from the service you offer other customers and your profits.

Another major point worth noting is targeting your shop to your target market and hence the shop's surrounding area. Bikes and parts you stock should be selected accordingly. For example, we have one branch in Grantham, a small town with very little in the way of trails in the area. Most of our saules come from 100 to 250 pound MTBs and hybrids, with very few higher end bikes beng sold in comparison. When people come in for a new part it is generally because the old one is worn or broken, so we stock cheaper parts accordingly. In Lincoln, where the other branch is, there is a bigger cycling scene so there we generally have greater stock of the higher end parts.

BlackSpur

supersonic wrote:

I would recommend a few months working in a bike shop when you leave the army - get to know the ins and outs. Very valuable experience.

+1

Anonymous

i like your thinking. id love my own bike shop.

i think a cafe would be a good idea, mtb dvds playing, all of the current bike mags on display and would be ideal if you could do a while you wait service.

mechanical classes are a bril idea and as suggested, will generate income and loyalty

maybe a pick up and return service for folks bikes, basicly man with van where you could even do some of the repairs at peoples homes?

id like to be able to select all of the parts for a build there and then and take them all home to do a full build of my own, so basicly, actully stock stuff and dont just give it the old, i can get that in for you in a couple of days, you know who else can do that? the internet and for less money. this is where bike shops lose out in my opinion.

be open at the weekends, all weekend. you and your staff can go ride in the week, if i want a new thing i want it when i have broken it at the weekend so i can go riding as i have a job to do during the week and cant visit shops. this is another place local bike shops miss out.

bluechair84

+1 for a cafe
I was thinking of a coffee shop in Huddersfield that just sells good coffee, amazing carrot cake, brownies, has a load of old battered leather sofas and great music.
I think you would need a spread of services to be profitable really. But as soon as you start adding music, food, films (which would be awesome!) you'll run into all sorts of licensing and certificate issues. But what you have there is my ideal bike shop - at the end of some great trails so I can pack up on sugar and kick back for half an hour eyeing up that Hope headset that I'm sure I could be persuaded to buy...
Have a computer terminal where people can upload the days riding photos and catch their rides and faces scrowling by from time to time, or to look at trail routes. Give people lots of great reasons to sit a while in your store!

canada16

there is something everyone has not mentioned which would set a LBS ahead of eveyone else.


..............................

When you bring your bike in they give you a loaner, like a basic GT..

As some people only have one bike, car places do it, why not bikes, some are worth more than cars at 5000.00

50.00 deposit and no trail abuse, just to get you around and would not cost much.

Maybe get 3 or 4 bikes.

ratherbeintobago

I was thinking of a coffee shop in Huddersfield that just sells good coffee, amazing carrot cake, brownies, has a load of old battered leather sofas and great music.

Whereabouts in Huddersfield?

Andy

bluechair84

It's cafeevolution behind the weatherspoons in town. It fails at being a good bike stop because... it's HD1 and not near any trails. But it's the best coffee and cake in town. They do other food too.

ExeterSimon

Plenty of knowledgable staff, plenty of stock, plenty of brands, club nights..sort of like the Bike Shed in Exeter.

And they're hoping to put a cafe in once they get over all the crappy HSE bollox.

ratherbeintobago

It's cafeevolution behind the weatherspoons in town.

Thanks for that. Do they do breakfast? Town centre not far from my current place of employment, & the alternative might be a greasy spoon in Lindley/Marsh.

Andy

supersonic

It is good to have vision with an idea like this - and fresh ideas to pull the punters in, but you have walk before you can run.

I would love to be able to open a huge shop that stocked all brands but at internet prices, had mechanics who had time to teach, and a cafe. Maybe it would happen years down the line, or with massive investment. Depends on the area as Balckspur says, but I'd get the basics right first.

And I think he is correct on repairs, many small indepenmdant shops rely heavily on the repair services.

dynee

Supersonic - Yes I agree, but, I'm not looking to open a superstore with a huge range of bikes.....

What I have found using a forum for MTBers is a few gems that people want.....good mechanics full of knowledge is probably the biggest thing I'll take away.

I was looking for something that could make my business unsual the thing LBS don't currently offer, from "man in a van", to offering a courtesy bike for use whilst your bike is being repaired, or fix while you wait. There have been many workable ideas. The simplest and most effective being opening hours

The major part will be repairs as mentioned and you don't need a wharehouse to do them.....

Thanks

Dynee

canada16

Dynee wrote:

, to offering a courtesy bike for use whilst your bike is being repaired, Thanks
Dynee

Stole my idea eh! ...

stickygreen

It might have been posted already,i didnt read them all but be competetive with the interweb sites my local bike shop is crap they are so over priced i can get anything they sell at least 10% cheaper online.

supersonic

Just 10%? That is very good! Compare the overhead differences, the fact that web stores bulk buy at greater discounts, you can view the product and chat to the staff about it, and maybe even have it fitted free!

If you don't need all that - buy online ;-)

BlackSpur

Dynee wrote:

I was looking for something that could make my business unsual the thing LBS don't currently offer, from "man in a van", to offering a courtesy bike for use whilst your bike is being repaired, or fix while you wait. There have been many workable ideas. The simplest and most effective being opening hours

Hmm, you'd have to have a mahoosive fleet of courtesy bikes! But I understand what you are trying to do. I still think that if you want to do something different you have to first look for a location where it will work, where there is a biking community that it will appeal to.

naefearjustbeer

10% sounds ok for the personal service that a good shop can give, After all they do have overheads that a webstore dont and they also dont have the volume of sales to allow them to slash profit margins to increase turnover. I dont mind paying a bit more for stuff if it is in a local store with good service. However some shops do take the piss with prices and then dont even have a good service. They can go bankrupt for all I care but a good local store with decent prices is worth its weight in gold.