Help start a bike shop

SO much this

Speak to Jenni at the London Bike Kitchen
http://lbk.org.uk

They are being forced to move and relocate but Jenni and her Co-op idea is open to ideas. Maybe you two could come up with something like LMNH but better. It will be in East though. More cycle traffic = a business that turns enough to stay open.

cheers will do could be good?

Have a look into jetnikoff.com/about/ in Melbourne. Not in London but a really good way of making a tiny space work as a bike shop.

Hello @Wicksie

.,

Edwardes are old school. You have to know how to deal with them. Personally I find it good fun.

^this.

If they're happy losing some sales every once in a while, so be it.

What kind of investmenty requirements might you have? Pm me if you fancy.

Regarding Pearson I have always found them really helpful - always happy to shoot the breeze and have done a few quick tweaks on the bike gratis in between jobs when I have walked in. They were also happy to recommend rims for a wheel build that were cheaper than some others I had in mind.

If space is at a premium I would agree but if you have unproductive space that could be utilised then a diversified income surely is a good thing providing its not at the expense of the core business.

You guys seriously think there is a market for a bike shop out in walthamstow? I went out there today for a couple of hours and didn't see any cyclists or bikes till I got back to hackney. maybe I was looking in the wrong area?

West London is crying out for something like this.

There's a couple of long-term empty shops on the corner of Lower Richmond Rd and Putney Bridge that I've often thought would be ideal bike shop/cafe territory. So much passing cycle traffic of all kinds there - I think Putney Bridge has the highest cycle use of any of the non-inner London bridges.

Don't need a cafe down there, all well catered for.

I'd been debating this since LMNH opened way back.
I don't think it would work in Putney.
For a few reasons, but mostly the clientele and the fact it would be almost exclusively Weekend and early/ late traffic.
Now- a spinning/ HIIT/ whatever fad exercise comes in 2015 attached to a bike shop/ cafe, and a treatment clinic all rolled into one....

There used to be a bicycle workshop on Brixton Road between Brixton and Oval tube called Cycooldelic.

Do anyone know what happen to it? they've just closed down a couple months ago despite looking decent.

Leo closed up shop and went back to Colombia, he's growing avocados for a living now... He left a year or so ago...

Best of luck with the business!!!

I agree - Putney and Richmond host a different sort of cycling clientele, and Richmond in particular has plenty of independent bike shops (albeit without caffs, save Pearson in Sheen). I was thinking more along the lines of Chiswick, Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush, Ravenscourt - north of the river but still west of town.

I was in no way suggesting Richmond or Putney as a location...

full of the worst type of cyclists.... horrible lot...

the market is saturated

@edscoble Crazy Horse is the other one I was thinking of but my experiences going way back to preinternet times was that if ever you ask for anything he doesn't have he dicks you about or suggests he will call you back and then never does.

I know I'm several pages out of date but I would like to stand up for Crazy Horse. That was my LBS for the last few years and I've found them to be really good - know their stuff, they've always had anything I've ever needed in stock or they were willing to order it for me, and they've done loads of fixes on several of my bikes gratis. They'd also send me an SMS whenever they were done with something because I asked them specifically "don't call me because I'm deaf" which doesn't really sound like much but you would not fucking believe how many people disregard that and call you anyway.

Crazy Horse <3

They'd also send me an SMS whenever they were done with something because I asked them specifically "don't call me because I'm deaf".

I love using Ascent for that reason, apart from an ex colleague using it to troll one of our customer with lots of insult before he quit.

Which doesn't really sound like much but you would not fucking believe how many people disregard that and call you anyway.

Fuckin' A, missed so many appointments due to that, Brixton Cycles is worse at that for a LBS.

my experiences going way back to preinternet times

I like to point this out as bicycle shop rarely have staff that stay for eons, usually a year or two, so your previous experiences may likely to be completely different to how it's run nowadays.

@edscoble the head mechanic/manager/guy is the son, the on paper owner is his mum, if you catch them together on a good day she will lay into him and remind him of that. I don't think he would be going anywhere soon.

I miss action bikes in streatham.