[Closed] Starting a Bike Shop/repair shop? What would you want?

Unicorn. That or a friendly welcoming smile.

Reasonable prices and staff who know their stuff and are friendly

I speculate the "The Repairshop" might business of the future

One that accepts that you buying online but need help with the actual spanner work

My worry would be what happens when people buy they wrong bits. Say they drop off the wrong size headset with their new forks?

So do you offer a supported ordering service. For a fee (or free) you'll sit with a customer and ore the bits thy need to upgrade their forks or change to a 1x11 drive train. The fee might cover re ordering if necessary and allowing the part to be sent direct to you. Although that would take alot of space an great organisation.

What stock will you carry. Surely you'd have to carry cables and inner tubes. But where do you draw the line?

As a customer I'd like to see really clear pricing ideally a fixed price for each job. All clear online

Book a service slot online

Rent a service by with all the tools

Finally service packages. Bronze, Silver Gold...

Oh and tongue in cheak bike weight lots sevice. For £100 I'll come up with costed plans for you bike e.g. £500 plans will take 0.768 Kg off

I would have a sign over the door. "We do not fit parts that you bought used online"

Thanks for the replies so far all. Some good stuff to think on there.

I think the Repair shop is the way to go, low overheads etc.

Already working in a bike shop, I have an idea about pricing etc but what would everyone else recommend? I'm already Cytech qualified so know a fair bit in regards to the mechanics of a bike etc.

Would you offer fork and shock servicing or leave this to the "big" boys?

From a repair shop i'd like a long term relationship. So say £10 a month gets me 2 services a year, no other costs. Works for my dentist, don't see why it can't for a bike shop.

I'd also like a loan bike while mine is being done.

From a bike shop, what i'd love is to be able to hire bikes. Real bikes, that I may be tempted to buy. I can hire a car, why can't I hire a bike?

I'd also like to be able to browse a bike shop without being looked at. Every time I go in someone follows me round, pretending to move things or dust or something. I'm not going to nick anything, I'm not even looking to then go and buy on the internet. I just like looking at bikes/bits. The more I can look, the more I'm likely to buy. So how about a loyalty card, get it with an rfid tag, so that when I walk in you know I'm trust worthy and just let me wonder looking for an hour or two.

I'd also like to be able to order something from you, and get it tomorrow. I can from wiggle. Fed up with bike shops saying that will take till a week next Tuesday. its not rocket science.

If you can do shocks and forks why not added it to your list biggest MUST decent coffee machine along with decent coffee get that right and you'll have a never ending supply of biscuits 😀

Payment by jaffa cakes, bread, beer and cat food instead of normal currency?

The best mechanic you can find. One that knows their stuff, can run the workshop, can be up front and honest with customers.

Expect the workshop to be as much as 80-90% of sales.

"A bike shop", IMO, to make money should just be a repair centre with a tiny, appropriate stock holding.

Payment by jaffa cakes, bread, beer and cat food instead of normal currency?

I take it you're talking about iScotland in the interim period before they've made a final decision on which of those will be their currency?

Forks and shocks. If you can't do these then you'll be spending all your days looking at bikes you couldn't give a shit about.

Actually coffee machines reminds me. Not just a coffee machine, but a cafe. Doesn't have to be grand, just offer hot drinks in the winter, cold ones in the summer and some cakes etc. Two tables and a handful of chairs. Again, the longer I'm near bike things, the more likely I am to buy.

I would expect:-

1) Know what the hell you're doing
2) Don't treat me in a condescending manner because I don't
3) Clear pricing and timescales
4) If you screw up...by honest and then fix it (it really is a great way to retain customers)
5) Fully insured in the event bike is stolen while in your possession etc
6) Be passionate about bikes and those that ride them
7) For really regular customers squeeze in the odd job when its an absolute emergency

My repair guy does all the above and I never go anywhere else (5 years now). If he doesn't charge me full price or does things in an emergency (i.e. drilling out stuck crank bolts without destroying the cranks, amen)...then a pack of beer is also given over to him as thanks.

Bigging up Ben at Venture Bikes!

Be cheaper than anywhere else, including ze Germans und internet
Lend me tools for free
Lend me demo bikes, for free.
Fit inner tubes for free.
Give me advice on things/ let me try stuff on so as I can buy it from the internet £1.72 cheaper.
Give me extra discount, cos you know, it's me, I'm a loyal customer. I bought a gel off you in 1994.

The Moon.
A stick.
Some way of combining the two.....preferably very cheaply and instantaneously.

Some kind of collect & deliver service would be grand - save folk traipsing across town and county to drop bikes off / collect them.

Not just a coffee machine, but a cafe. Doesn't have to be grand, just offer hot drinks in the winter, cold ones in the summer and some cakes etc. Two tables and a handful of chairs.

I would have thought the food hygiene regs to go that far would be prohibitive, I don't really know though.

Car parking.

Internet caff/workshop combo where you can order online and get delivered to shop, who will then fit to your bike all ready to collect 🙂

I've had two flyers through the letter box in the last month advertising one man workshops probably working out of their garages that both offered collect and return and the usual service basic repairs stuff.

Afraid I'm one of those people who can't comprehend a not bein able to do basic repairs myself so they got binned. I think to rise above the others you'll need some exceptional skills, wheel , frame building and maybe get in with a club and get a reputation for setting up top end bikes not saying that were the money is but it should increase your credibility with he person who want a new cassette on a hybrid.

Good luck

Be friendly, honest, knowledgable, have kit in stock.
Be flexible, when possible. the worst thing is hearing "I can do it in 2 weeks" when you want to ride your bike and it needs a relatively quick, minor job. My Localist bike shop got not anything from me because they failed on almost all of the above, so I bought some tools and learnt to do stuff myself. No wonder they went pop!