Help start a bike shop

Who we are: Some of you will know us as the mechanics from Tokyo Fixed and Kinoko.

What we have: Skills and very professional workshop.
When Kinoko closed I bought the entire workshop and a few thousand pounds of stock.

What we need: A space and potentially some investment.
If you or someone you know would like to invest in a small but professional bike shop get in touch with me or if you have any recommendations of people to talk to or sites in london that would make good bike shops. Small and cheap possibly sharing the rent in a cafe (ie lookma no hands, or velocult in portland)

What you would get: If your recommendation leads to us opening you would of course receive VIP treatment, free bike repairs and a great discount on parts.

Any idea where you'd like to be? I shall don the thinking cap.

Hipster spice route westwards of LMNH? Kings cross only has the big chains...

brewery road area ? close enough (just behind) Imperial works
potentially there are a few businesses with large premises and ground floor accesses who might be interested in subletting without caring too much about getting a high rent

PM Coming your way.

My friend works on brewery rd Ill have a ride past and have a look thanks @LuigiDolomite

My colleague would like to be east but I'm open to any ideas. A good ground floor space with outdoor area or a basement and good passing trade from commuters is more important to me than being in a hip area.
@Thoma

PM'd, in case CycleLove connections can help in any way.

For all the shops/spaces opening there are also closures. Those that have failed (Bike Works - Shepards Bush, someone else...I forget whom) just didn't seem to have enough passing trade to survive. Good luck finding a suitable site.

Good luck Mark. Hope it goes well.

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

Its right on a cycling commuter route.

Footfall is key, you need a location similar in nature to that of the original LMNH I would think.

Indeed - do you know anyone with access to the Strava heatmaps - might be a good way to pick a location....

Somewhere along the Tavistock way cycle track...

Thanks for the strava maps idea @danb

I've been out of London a while now but would imagine somewhere near the end of the central bridges would be ideal. Pimlico/Vauxhall springs to mind as very arterial.

I would be looking at anywhere but East if I were you - isn't Hackney at peak cycle workshop by now?

Don't stick to other people's bubbles, start your own. That's what LMNH did. They had a great site that had been a pretty decent organic cafe in its recent past, but what they did was change the atmosphere on one inhospitable stretch of Old St which was seriously lacking in anything to attract people, but lots of people passing from one nice place (Hackney) to another (West End). Now it's a little scene there, thanks to them.

Take the Old Kent Road, somewhere near Burgess Park: Many of the commuters from Peckham, Camberwell, New Cross, Lewisham, Greenwich, East Dulwich, Brockley, Sydenham, Forest Hill go through this spot going in or out of town.

Old Kent Road has lots of riders. There's not a single bikeshop on it, yet it's a main road that runs for a good three miles.

If you wanted to be nearer town, Gt Dover Street, Borough High St, Southwark Bridge Road could be good spots.

Just thinking out loud here.

Good on yer for buying the workshop kit and stock! Really hope you get your stuff together soon, wherever it happens.

Keep us posted!

I just want to back whole location thing. It will probably be the sole reason you will sink or swim, and not just the location for what part of town you are in but also what end of what street.
The building itself matters too, especially if you want anything like a cafe in there too.

There's two options really, try and be near where people live or where they work.

Hackney has now reached peak cycle shop...
However, Walthamstow is possibly ready for a good independent shop... PM if you want local advice.. The demographics are similar to Hackney 5-8 years ago and there's a strong and local club scene...

Thanks @Skülly @Sumo @Peter_Carter This is one of the main things Im not sure about. Working central we never had a lack of foot fall so I feel that being near peoples work is better than being on the way to work or near their home. Most people don't have time to stop on the way to work but can pop out for an hour at lunch to go to a bike shop. On the other hand being a "local" shop say in walthamstow appeals to me a bit more as the rent will be lower so it can be a bit less hectic more of a community vibe, and its close to the forest which is cool!

I remember you were talking about starting from scratch which is a fantastic plan to have.

I echoes @Peter_Carter's suggestion of Walthamstow, especially when they're planning on a Mini Holland approach in the near future, a perfect place to start.

Hey @edscoble
Thanks, do you think Walthamstow has enough cyclists to support a local shop? Im keen on the idea. I guess there are a lot of artists and self employed out there to keep us busy during the day?

Walthamstow is in desperate need of a bike shop. There is nothing there. Nearest is a new shop in Clapton near the roundabout or the Cycle Surgery at the Olympic Velodrome.

There is an active local club: http://www.leavalleycc.co.uk/ and there is a fairly constant stream of cyclists heading out to Epping on Leabridge Road.

No decent independent bike shops in Victoria but I can't (don't want to) imagine what the rent would be.

Walthamstow is an interesting option, as clapton is already fitted.
Though i guess it depends what type of bike shop & clients you want to be & have. like @Sumo said, it's either where people live or where they work.
I guess in terms of distance from central london and to the countryside, Cadence is a good reference for Walthamston. It's large and caters for the whole range of cyclists.

Walthamstow honestly ain't a bad idea; I know about 5-6 people who have moved there in the last few months, all cyclists.

Glad to see Castle @SKULLS is dropping the drawbridge and doing something rad.