Been tempted for a while but my salary is probably far higher (not bragging!) at the mo then I would get in the first few years of a bike shop. Would be nice to tinker with bikes all day and chat with customers (although it must be a pretty full day and the stressful part is the money comming in etc?) 🙂

I think you have a strange view of what it's really like I'm afraid!

Dya think – get sick of it? At the mo I only can get biking in by commuting to work and at the weekends (almost always a sunday!) 🙂

At the mo I only can get biking in by commuting to work and at the weekends (almost always a sunday!)

That's still more than you'll get in if you run your own shop!

Bad day at work Rich?

Just been reading this…
What about buying 2nd hand bikes, repairing them and selling on..
To buy think the bay/ gumtree etc
I live in Brighton where there is a great market for this..

I've often thought about it. Considered starting an on-line bike shop first but decided against it in the end.

So many go to the wall, plus if you want to get all you accredited maintenance qualifications done, it seems like you have to work in a bike shop before you can go on the courses. Could be wrong, but that's how I read it.

Plus, with a GF that works Monday to Friday, she's kill me if had to works Saturdays too.

I have, but these days you have to be open 7 days a week, and you'll need a strong online presence to make any real money, and that is a very competitive market, so you'll need to sell lots of product at the low prices you'll need to set to compete with the big boys. In the first couple of years at least you will need to work there to keep costs down, so riding will be very limited…

the other option is to set up as a cycle to work shop, stocking low / mid range bikes, but thats not going to be much fun, and if the rumours are true thats going to be scrapped soon anyway.

Nah quiet day neil – seems my mind drifts away – I am quite sure I have rose tinted spectacles on about owning a bike shop one_ and paddy 😉

Sorry – this was not an insult to peole in the trade – just good to hear from people who have thought about it or taken the plunge 😉

It's something I reckon I'd do if I won the lottery..

but then I don't do the lottery so there's the first problem!

Yeh I guess your right Neil – sorts the money thing out for a while but I also don't play the lottery Tax so I shaln't win 😉

My mate opened a bike shop and he was utterly sick of the sight of them after a couple of years. Personally, I'd rather keep work seperate from what I do for fun outside of work.

Often wondered if it would be a good idea to open a service/repair/wheel building centre in the Sheffield area, I reckon this would stand a good chance of making some cash as the local shops always seem fully booked for weeks, shame I have not got the skills!

Personally, I'd rather keep work seperate from what I do for fun outside of work

Yep – I think there's a lot to be said for that!

I recon it's do-able if you've got a niche, small bike shops are struggling. And no poing trying to take on CRC/Wiggle/Merlin as they'r just too big now and as people regulalry mention often sell below the trade price as they bypass importers/distributors.

If you built bikes (mercian), imported an own brand (superstar, On-one, ragley) or could find some new money making niche it could work, but otherwise its a life of fixing bike shaped objects from argos.

Hmm – maybe a part time bikeshop who is only open on a whim 🙂 A bit like my LBS – 😯

You can make a small fortune by running your own bike shop. All you need to start with is a large fortune.

business meeting on friday re: opening up a 2nd hand repair shop in aber 😀

What about buying 2nd hand bikes, repairing them and selling on..

You mean start a fixed gear meth lab? 😉

I keep thinking about it, there's an empty shop in my town/village and with chicksands a half mile down the road, might have a captive audience.

All I need is the large fortune!

Came close about 12 years ago. Had premises lined up, supply agreements sorted with Giant, Orange and Marin plus a couple of others in the wings. Got terms sorted with Madison et al and went on week long cycle mechanic course. Had a 'proper' mechanic lined up and decorators booked.

Landlord let me down at the last minute though and I ended up flogging all the stock I had bought down the local market and to other bike stores.

Just about managed to make enough to come out financially unscathed. Luckily the bikes were sale or return – though I did keep a nice Ti Frame I got at trade. Still got the business plan somewhere – probably on a floppy disk

silverpigeon – Thats a sad storey 🙁

Hey Ho – Marin and Orange both found other retailers before I could find new premises and after that I decided it wasn't worth it. Marin was a top selling brand back then, not sure if it still is now though

My mate ran a bike shop in Glossop for many years – and gradually became more bitter. His main complaints were:

people wanting the very miniumum done, on the cheap
people buying stuff on CRC etc and wanting him to fit it
distributors' prices not much less than the CRC/Wiggle retail prices

I think you'd need a very sunny and tolerant disposition (or complete ruthlessness)

Mr Agreeable – that has brightened up my day no end 😀 😀

people buying stuff on CRC etc and wanting him to fit it

Surely that's a nice little earner if you charge the going rate for the mechanic's time.

Would be nice to tinker with bikes all day and chat with customers

Nice to tinker with someone's 10 year old BSO that needs £100 worth of repairs doing that they want fixed for a tenner? The chattiest customers would happily spend an hour with you. Eventually they will get round to what they came in for and will laugh at you when they find out your price versus online. Work in a bike shop for salary? Yes. Own and run one? No way.

How do you make a million running a bike shop? Start with 5 million.

Surely that's a nice little earner if you charge the going rate for the mechanic's time.

but they expect it for free or a few quid 🙁 "But you fit the stuff you sell for nowt…"