Help start a bike shop

Action bikes also closed down in Wimbledon, competition with the massive Evans 5 minutes uptown didn't help.

Edwardes is pretty unique, shitty hybrids, kids BMX and Pinarello for dayz in the same shop just doesn't happen

Just like Halfords then.

I like Edwardes, they are a good bunch.

I think you have to ask yourself: where do you want your shop to be? Where's home to you? Where do you want to contribute to it being more welcoming, more of a spot?

As well as: Where's the money?

Right?

Agreed on Edwardes. Excellent, no snobbery there.

I'm always pleased by how good Fitzrovia has been over recent years. Always got the stuff I want.

Fitz is my fav too. Kinda ideal location. If I could find a spot like that I'd be laughing. East is home but I know its saturated.

There's an empty shop here, https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/London/@51.5279224,-0.1236223,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x47d8a00baf21de75:0x52963a5addd52a99?hl=en corner of Tonbridge and Cromer.

Loads of nodder commuter traffic through there heading for whidborne and then to play with the busses outside Kings X.

I think its part tapping the market who needs/wants a shop in proximity (might seem invisible that demographic) and part creating a market .. for both scenarios you need a place which seems like a desert.

Of course there is risk involved but then would you do anything else but bikes? I think the best part is you have got the rarest commodity sorted which is the 'vibe'.

^...and our support, for what it's worth.

I was thinking about you having a look around King's X - Pentonville too. Perhaps south Caledonian Road, Pentonville Road , Penton St, or the north end of Gray's Inn Road.

Not sure its been mentioned but the top end of kentish town/bottom of highgate, near swains lane has hundreds of cyclists going through on their commutes as well as the swains lane traffic but doesn't have a decent workshop type bike shop until you get to camden. The coffee shop at the bottom there always has 5 or 6 cyclists stopping in. Rents could be pricey round there though.

I think you should basically disregard 'training traffic' when thinking about a bike-shop. Swains, for example, is only a hotspot for a small niche of roadies, and most of them will have well-maintained bikes and be happy to shop around for internet deals. I'd bet money that even Richmond takes more residential / commuting customers than park warriors.

TBH, I think you could do something good in East still. There are a good few bike shops, but none really doing something amazing. Pretorious is alright, and Mosquito, but apart from a few ratty LBS's there is nothing stand-out decent in Dalston. Lots of commuting traffic, lots of residential and it's right near home.

Plonk it as close as possible to Dalston Junction* for maximum through traffic + overground + visibility and make it look rad as fuck.

*slight bias, that's where my new flat is.

There's the Red Bicycle and Micycle nearby

Its an embarrassment to hipsterdom that there isnt a bike cafe in Dalston - make it happen

I've only just seen this. Anyone who says that Hackney has reached 'peak bike shop' doesn't know what they're talking about. :) Plenty of bike shop deserts left here. And, funnily enough, jv, we're currently plotting to perhaps facilitate a bike café in Dalston--all still up in the air but I'm happy to start rumours. SKULLS, if you want to know anything about Hackney, PM me your number and I'll give you a call. I take it that when you say you've bought the workshop you mean you've bought the equipment and you're not limited to one location?

Ha yeah woodfire pizza craft beer and custom bikes hipster triple word score.
Kings cross could be good that one on cromer st is out of our budget.

sounds good lets have a chat

MiCycle east is goodt, but borderline 'east' I suppose.

I am biased, obvs, but I like the shop, and they have good people.

Tricky that one. There's a massive Evans opening there soon.

wheres the evans going in?

Not 100% sure, but talk suggests it'll be on Pentonville with a lot of floorspace. Opening at some point in the next couple of months. Alarmingly enough, it also coincides with Cycle Republic prepping quite a few stores for opening around central too.

Yeah I heard about the cycle republic stores. gross.

And Cycle Surgery too.

Wow, really! I reckon they should all be given pedal spanners each and the last one standing is allowed 1 location.