Help start a bike shop

If I told you I'd have to kill you.

Ealing.

Oops, I now have to kill you

yay for Walthamstow, finally a chance to have good LBS

the only proper bike shop I can think of in that area is
Ciclos Uno
37 New North Rd
Ilford IG6 2UE
6 /7 or so miles from Walthamstow depending on whereabouts you might be, built a bike for me and other mechanics jobs

Secure internal bike parking / storage if you had a basement with showers - pay a membership fee to use so if you work in the area but your employer has no facilities then you fill this need? Bike fitting? Work with an emerging UK bike builders to offer bespoke builds?

None of these, please.

What London need is a bit more bike workshop and a bit less sensational shop that end up costing more in overhead to cater for the very selected few, maybe in due time, you can add a small coffee stand to give flat white to customer.

A good bicycle workshop that cater to everyone, even if they'll likely to get mostly BSO, if you look at Balfe's Bike in Kennington, it's pretty much a small workshop that stock the necessity, and they're still doing fine.

Another good example is Bicycle Workshop in Notting Hill.

yeah thanks ed, thats it. Good workshop, the commuter necessities, you know we will order in anything you want. And there will be some cool stuff to fondle in time once were making some money.

Workshop kegs <<<<<<<<<<<<<<

;)

I think the neigbourhood you are in is important and also very important to understand demographic of your location, families, young professionals, low income, high income.

My mate Ben at Cycleworx in Southfields has it nailed. Right mix of roadie stuff, loads of cool components, but also stuff for kids and women, shed load of kit jam packed into only about 300 sqft shop. He has built his reputation by first and foremost being an absolutely fantastic mechanic. All stuff he as done for me has been solid.

I think it'd be a mistake to be somewhere that has neither (lots of) residential, or (lots of) offices in walking distance.

Where on the OKR are you going to get lots of people, all the time?

It amazes me Richmond still does not have a decent shop offering right product.

Cyclelab had terrible staff, Bicycle are quite snobbish : /

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0aBa0SO2c

@Zed Bike Lab wasn't it? And yes, they were shite.

Cyclelab is Kris's shop.

@Howard yes apologies, bike lab. they were truly awful. customer service was the pits really.

the staff had appalling social skills.

they have gone bust now though.

I wonder why.

Bicycle Richmond is pretty good but more MAMIL than commuter.

"more bike workshop and a bit less sensational shop"

@SKULLS. Wherever you decide to settle I just hope it does not become a place that ostracizes and alienates simple folk who are neither middle class nor too common, those slightly shy, warm-hearted people who don't have loads of friends and are often alone, who are not hip; they just wear straight cut jeans and jacket bought ages ago from h&m.

@skulls give me a shout if I can hep out with a shop fit :-)

Manor House? It's a sh*t hole but they're mainly knocking it down and starting again so could be cheap rents. Big crossroads, lots of cyclists and close to Finsbury Park and stoke newington.

But does anyone want to stop? And if they did, would someone steal their bike?

(I used to live on Hermitage Road).

Bicycle Richmond are so far up their own rectum it is difficult to get any decent customer service from them.

I went in to ask about the Cannondale CX range, but they only stock the more expensive models in the range. Retarded...

Too close to Push cycles; Sargent & co, Two wheels good etc. Whoever suggested Walthamstow is a genius.

@Zed if you are ok to travel a little further East Pearson Cycles is great.

I get all my stuff from Ben Thomsons Cycleworx in Southfields.

Pearson is good, but don't like any of the brands they stock. They do have some nice CX stuff tho and did give me much good advices/no BS and are generally very helpful.

The clothes line and components are nice but pricey.

H8 that place; the most snob place I've ever been to; walking distance for me but have never helped me in minor stuff like cutting the mudguard stays or going through parts bin for longer caliper nut etc. "you will have to book the workshop" .. to be fair I've never walked in with my bike in there so they dont know how much of a #buyer I am ..

Bikeworks is on Cambridge Heath Road and Halfords is in Stepney.

to be fair I've never walked in with my bike in there so they dont know how much of a #buyer I am ...

Shame that this sort of atmosphere is prevalent in some bike shops - that unsaid vibe that divides 'proper' cyclists from 'timewasters' or whatever.

Fair enough bikeshops need steady income so selling stuff is important, but the sort of 'my kind of cycling is the proper kind, everyone elses aint' attitude is not what you get at Edwardes or Brixton ... and they seem to stay open OK ...