I wonder how many folk use the LBS as a fitting room then go buy for the cheapest price on-line?

Trust me Plenty.
I would suggest that your friend reads every “what expect from a LBS” thread on here, and then well just never do what people suggest.
99.99999 % of people who buy in LBS, don’t even know STW exists. So I wouldn’t mind too much about what they says 😉

IMO he would have to go in with the right attitude ie no one owes him a living, and that CRC/Wiggle/Merlin ARE his main competitors. Once he gets over that one he should do OK.

To be honest the business model to follow is obviously Merlins. They have a shop and online business and still appear to be around.

I cant see how a shop alone can survive.

I cant see how a shop alone can survive.

There are plenty of bike shops in Cambridge which have been going for a very long time (before I was born). However, they don’t cater for STWers, as the “sell expensive bits for more than you can buy them for on CRC” model isn’t a good business plan. They mainly sell town bikes, accessories likes racks, baskets & pumps, and do servicing.

To be honest the business model to follow is obviously Merlins

To follow this business model he is going to need a LOT of capital. Containers of OE Rockshox / Shimano groupsets / Mavic wheels / whatever are quite expensive and there are almost certainly no credit terms.

He’s a dissatisfied lawyer with an uncertain future, thinking of opening up in a small town near Edinburgh.

There are satisfied lawyers???!!!!

Ask him if he’d like a partner 😉

You can’t move in Edinburgh for bike shops. Manchester centre has 2 (Evans and H Halls) + a quirky one in the northern quarter. There are not that many on the outskirts as well. I only know of 3 or 4 in south Manchester.

Cambridge must have 10+ and we only have a population of 120k.

i can think of one bike shop locally thats highly thought of by STW that panders to their needs carrying high end bling slow moving stock and heavy discounting.

how long it remains is to be seen – already one branch has closed But as long as the STW folk are happy.

As said above – work on service.

how ever youll have to work hard to beat mark at the bike chain in edinburgh – isnt my LBS as its 150 odd miles away but ive spent quite a bit in there this year and not because its cheap.

Those with bike shops who have replied to this…..

how much technical bike knowledge did you have before opening the bike shop?
Could you pretty much repair anything before setting up? Or did you go on courses/learn from a friend to get the knowledge needed?

I’m not thinking of opening a bike shop, but do have another idea at the back of my mind.
I can get by doing certain repairs currently, but also use the LBS for repairs, partly because some things I don’t know how to do, partly because I’m not spending x amount on a tool that’ll get used once.

Most bikes out there aren’t very technical but if your business is based primarily on repairs then product knowledge to make a quick diagnosis plus investment in tools to enable the work to be done quickly are essential to allow a commercially viable work rate.

Encourage him.

If he succeeds you get to be the mate who say’s I always believed in you and should it go tits up you can say at least you had the guts to try…

My own advice (as a non-shop owner) is commuters, commuters, commuters! Right now…

As already stated the premium bike buyers are not he whole market, commuting by bike is on the up right now so that’s the market to target IMO…
Good luck to your mate.

Manchester could definetely do with at least a couple more. I mean evans is ‘ok’, but i’d rather wheel my bike into an LBS

*btw, my saddle (not saddle post) actually fell off last night, while, get this, i was just riding along no BS.

My own advice (as a non-shop owner) is commuters, commuters, commuters! Right now…

Yep. There’s a tipping point though, at which your everyday commuter suddenly becomes a “I can get it cheaper on the interwebz” and leaves you, never to return.

That said, proper cycle commuting is on a massive rise at the moment in the UK, and that’s got to be good. So, there’s the best market to go after. The niche/specialist market will either be covered by a few good shops, or else will also fall in to that category (As so often shown on here!) of, “Where’s the cheapest I can get XYZ online?”.

Agreed CFH as a interwebz purchasing home spannerist I am certainly not the sort that helps an LBS stay in business so don’t chase my sort we are mercenary gits who’s money goes to the lowest bidder…. no good for your mate…

Thanks for replying to my Qs Mostly Balanced and thebikechain. Much appreciated.

Yes,It’s amazing how many people think that the majority of people that walk in to a bike shop know of crc.

I have seen this/read this quite a bit.

Not just people on here,It’s also shop owners that have convinced themselves that poor trade is because 80% of cyclists are now sitting at home buying from crc.

its best not to do anything scary in-case the thousands of imagined things happen and all that.

although its probably best not to take advice off me right now cos i just kissed a girl i have fancied for ages and turns out she kissed me back.

still bravery never got anyone anywhere 🙂

one life…you only get so many laps around the sun and no-one knows how many, so go for it, that would be my advice

It’s amazing how many people think that the majority of people that walk in to a bike shop know of crc.

the blanket advertising of wiggle and CRC during the Summer of Cycling ™ that has inspired so many people to dig out old bikes or buy new ones means this may be the case now, even if hasn’t been historically. I know a few people in my gym who are novice enough to not know which gear to be in (spinning on flat in granny) and to have saddles set at get-both-feet-flat-when-in-saddle-cycling-proficiency-test who are buying stuff from CRC and Wiggle rather than the LBS.