Firstly, good staff, people who will spend 10 mins having a chat (if they're not busy), who are riders themselves, can give advice and actually want to look after the customers.

Secondly enough bling to aspire to but enough mid priced stuff that I can afford.

Lots of "replaceables", tubes, brake pads, chains, grips, etc. The kind of things that I need at 9am on a Saturday morning when I realise I have no pads left and I’m leaving on a ride in 30 mins. I know you can’t stock everything but having something of most things is very useful.

Clothes and shoes to try on, I am a big bloke with strange feet so can’t buy cloths and shoes of t’internet, lots of stock and somewhere to try it on would go down very well.

Late hours and Sunday opening. I work long hours during the week, if it was open at 7pm I would pop in for a tube instead of going to Halfords. I would also go in on Sunday and buy stuff when being dragged around town by the missus so as to avoid going to Morrison’s.

Nice workshop at the front of the shop that will do the odd quick repair if they are quiet and will happily let you watch them working.

I think that will do, it would certainly be a good start.

as samuri – if you've got the right staff, the rest looks after itself. good opening hours for people who work (i.e. the people who will actually be buying stuff from you, yes I could wait till the weekend, but i'd rather be riding then and it's quicker for me to order online). cheap consumables and i'd be in and out regularly enough that i'd be buying more expensive stuff from you. do me little deals to keep me coming back – like if i'm paying full whack for say a headset, don't charge me your full service price for fitting it. do it free of half price or something.

I dont know if it is possible, but i agree with samuri. Something that often irritates me is, i try to spend my money at a shop, only to be told 'you'll have to wait a week for that to come in', and so i just go and buy said item on chain reaction the next day…

Is there a way to make that quicker? Oh, and staff who

a) know what they are talking about
b)DOnt try to sell me a whole now wheel just because my free hub has failed ( i wont be using that shop agian)

Late opening on a Tuesday, that way I can remember what I've broken/need to replace from the weekend and see if you have it – if not I've time to order from CRC, if you have late night opening on a Thursday say, I'll buy from CRC and ask you to fit it (or fit it myself).

If your servicing a bike get my number – get me to write it down (my fault if it's wrong) and then call it in front of me (to make sure you can read it correctly) to make sure it's correct (local place to me dishes out keyfobs with a barcode on it – all my details are linked to the barcode and then a sticker with a copy of the barcode can be placed onto the bike with the job to be done in the system, makes control much easier.

If something crops up (ie won't be ready/new part required) call me to explain, I'm not too fussed about new gear that is required but I hate travelling to find that actually, no my bike isn't ready despite being told it will be (I do have to commute for an hour or so to get to my LBS though).

A4 sheets with local routes on, NWMTB had these when I popped back home the other year, cost a coupla quid I think and were great, meant I could go out and potter on some new stuff.

I'd also be happy with a 2 tier system of servicing.

Ie – premium, 24 hour turnaround or less (if possible) 1.5x rate say.

Normal 3-4 working days to complete.

Online booking would be good to, spesh if you get a choice of dates/times (but make it clear that only work booked in will be performed to stop people booking a BB in and expecting their brakes to be fitted too say). I work in a lab servicing 7 chemical planets, we have lead times for all the tests (+5% overage) so we can give a pretty good estimation of when something will be completed running a similar system.

Club associated with the shop or discounts to a specfic club.

Limited opening Sunday morning (til 11am for town centre say), although as a shop – whats wrong with all day Sunday and tickover/closed during the week.

epicyclo – I don't think I do contradict myself, its not as if those tights could not be sold on easily enough, and an item that may fit for one manufacturer will not necessarily fit for another manufacturer which is why said item was returned. I have returned items from internet shops due to them not fitting correctly, whats the problem with that?

lyons…

wait a week for that to come in', and so i just go and buy said item on chain reaction the next day…

Is there a way to make that quicker? Oh, and staff who

That could/would mean given todays postage/carriage prices that a shop may have to give you a "part" at a loss. How do they then make any money to pay themselves and all the super staff that all the other poster want?

New shops as I understand it have to build up lines of credit, that is a supplier will only allow shopkeeper £XX amount of credit. Therefore if sadi shop is maxed out when you want/need next day delivery then you ain`t gonna get it. There are also min order amounts so that carrier charges are servicable I do believe.

Internet shops can do it because they are buying in bulk. Stock it high flog it cheap. Most if any small lbs trying to get established or otherwise cannot afford that.