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Years ago I thought I'd like to work in a bike shop, but saw sense and went and did a Proper Career instead. But I was wondering the other day, what actually are the prospects for working in, or running, a bike shop these days? I'm genuinely interested: how does one actually stay afloat and make ends meet while still being helpful, friendly etc?
I'm guessing workshops don't make a huge amount, because 80% of jobs are "10 minutes to fix my puncture", for which you can't really charge more than, what, £20? Selling bikes at RRP should cover more of the costs, but then who buys a bike at full price from their LBS these days?
I'm fascinated to hear how it works, at a time when Evans, wiggle etc have shown how tough it can be
Honestly, for some, I don't know. Round my way there a tonne of small places and they all seem to be busy doing stuff, but it's a university town and a lot of people seem to be time poor, or not inclined to fix stuff themselves.
I put myself in that category, but mainly because I know my limitations for fixing things and trust my local place to do a better job than I would, or pick up things I would have missed.
4 out of the 6 bike shops I've used in Nottingham have closed since 2004.
That leaves a specialized concept store or an Evans.
I like the idea of bike shop work. I did it for 500 hours in 2003 and got paid minimum wage, while waiting for a bonus I'd been promised. The bonus was £5, 1p per hour.
If I accidentally make a fortune somehow, perhaps I'll open one in a Terry Prattchet style - open when I want, shuffling round in carpet slippers and the like.
I guess it's very tough for independent shops selling anything.
a lot of people seem to be time poor, or not inclined to fix stuff themselves
Or, IME, they just havent got the skills to fix anything. Only yesterday I picked up a new (bare) wheel, one of my pals asked if I was able to do it myself (put on tubeless tyre, brake rotor and cassette). He had no idea how it was done.
The money is in the workshops TBH. Well it was when i was still marginally in the trade.
Stock was relatively cheap and tended not to go out of fashion, and if you had a good reputation you could charge reasonable money.
And £15-20 to fix a puncture is (usually) a good money maker, as it usually takes under 10 minutes and the tube you buy bulk for a couple of quid. Occasionally you have an utter crapshoot with some weird bike with 24.3x97TPI nuts on the axle, or a ballache e-bike. But 9 times out of 10, it's in, done, out. And i would guess that these days most (decent) shops will have a different price for e-bikes/cargo bikes/tubeless bikes and so on. Same with tyres, gear adjustment, cables, brake pads. Cheap parts, simple adjustments that people don't want to, or can't, do.
Boutique shops are something else altogether though.
Mert +1
The one most local to me is thriving as a workshop but stopped being a "bike shop" sometime after covid. The pile of bikes waiting for work is everything from niche 5 figure FS bikes to old tourers and BSO's. Seems to be the way forward as there's now a few mechanics in the area now doing similar.
Not really surprising, internet retailers made the business model of having a glass display case of expensive hope trinkets obsolete decades ago.
One of the shops near me specialise in repairs and hire scheme maintenance. They don't do walk ins for the odd puncture, it's a full service, like taking your car for a service. Seems to support several full time mechanics and they do collect and drops of bikes around the town too
Servicing and repairing e-bikes is where it’s at I reckon. Without any factual basis or source, I suspect a lot of e-bike owners, maybe the leisure end, are first time bicycle owners and can’t maybe fix gears, punctures, bleed brakes etc, that maybe a rider with a greater history of bike ownership has picked up the skills and tools to do.
Not really surprising, internet retailers made the business model of having a glass display case of expensive hope trinkets obsolete decades ago.
I expect that's pretty much it. When a mate who runs a bike servicing 'shop' sometimes buys stock (to repair bikes with - not for reselling) from online retailers because its cheaper than buying via suppliers, why would a bricks n mortar shop even try to compete?
I rarely visit a bike shop, luckily being able to do most repairs myself.
Huh, glad I asked - seems I had it all @rse backwards. For those who are/ were in the business, what's the stream of people asking to borrow tools/ if you can quickly fix something to get them back on the road for free like?
Mert +1
The one most local to me is thriving as a workshop but stopped being a "bike shop" sometime after covid. The pile of bikes waiting for work is everything from niche 5 figure FS bikes to old tourers and BSO's.
That' describes my LBS too. He's got links to the local cycle club so they'll all take their top end road bikes to him. But he's convenient for all manner of random tat, plenty of Halfords specials, kids bikes, knackered commuter machines, he gets a couple of good quality e-cargo bikes in these days too.
He pretty much entirely stopped selling clothing (beyond basic gloves, socks etc) years ago, he's very much moved away from bikes too. Sometimes he'll get a request for a niche custom build like a nice Orbea frame built up with Dura-Ace.
I genuinely have no idea how much he earns but he's been there 20 years so it seems to be a working format for him.
I don't know how lots of shops survive, not just bike shops. When you work out costs (rent, rates, utilities) then consider value of stock, it is a miracle some are able to open at all, let alone pay someone a salary. There is a toy shop in my little town, all nice wooden toys but niche stuff, you hardly ever see anyone in there. I guess they must have to sell £1500 of stock just to cover costs, before paying anyone. I honestly have no idea how it survives unless it is a hobby for someone who has a rich partner.
My gravel bike is in with an LBS at the moment. Doesn't actually sell bikes, just parts and accessories, and makes most of their money from servicing and repairs - 3 staff, open 7 days a week, think there was a 10 day wait to book in for a slot? Everything from shopper bikes to £5+ road and MTB.
They've kept up to date and been accredited for various forks and ebike motors, but I think make most of their money from folk like me dropping off a bike for a 6 monthly service without noticing there were 6 cracks in the rear rim.....
Huh, glad I asked - seems I had it all @rse backwards. For those who are/ were in the business, what's the stream of people asking to borrow tools/ if you can quickly fix something to get them back on the road for free like?
Depends on location. If you asked a rural tourist centre shop and a cycle shop along a main commuter route into town, the answers would be very different, they're completely different markets.
I used to work in a shop that fitted that latter category - we'd open at 8 and keep one mechanic available for drop-ins. There'd almost always be someone there first thing, usually a Brompton (other folding bikes are available) with a puncture. Very much commuter central, keep the cycle commuters (and often couriers as well) rolling. They'd always pay though, we never had any issues with "can you fix it for free?"
Golden rule was that we NEVER lent out tools. They'd be lost, stolen, damaged etc in seconds (or worse, the customer would bugger up the "repair" and blame us for lending him the tool in the first place!). We kept a stash of basic tools on wires outside, that was the limit and even that was problematic - people trying to nick them or just cluttering up the pavement trying to take half their bike to bits.
My LBS often gets kids in with "can you just...?" Depending on their manner, sometimes he'll help for free, sometimes he'll tell them it'll be a fiver and they go away.
Later on I worked in a shop which was on a popular route for LEJOG and we'd routinely get at least one tourer a week in the season, it would have got 5-8 days in before the rear wheel had given up the ghost under the unequal struggle. Those sort of people are a bit of a mixed blessing. On the one hand they'll demand the repair urgently, on the other hand they're so grateful for the quick repair they'll pay whatever it takes!
This might give you a bit of insight.
My local bike shop seems to focus on bikes (Bianchi, Trek) and workshop, he carries very little in the way of parts/accessories or clothing other than some bits you might need in an emergency. I guess most buy these online and have very little mark up. I have no idea what the mark up on a bike is but I guess he is focused on selling a few high end/margin bikes vs loads of lower priced/margin parts/accessories for the same return. He is also very active in running a weekly cycling club for kids and I think he is also involved in some CX races etc.
The ones doing okay round my way tend to be one man bands offering servicing and custom builds, running out of units tucked away out of town where overheads are lower.
The ones doing okay round my way tend to be one man bands offering servicing and custom builds, running out of units tucked away out of town where overheads are lower.
I believe my LBS is only financially “viable” because they own the shop (no rent) and qualify for small business rates relief. He once remarked to me that he’d make more money renting the shop out…
I think you need to offer something that draws people to the shop. My neighbours son setup Woods cyclery in Lyndhurst and has got a community going with local forest gravel rides, coffee shop in store and harder to find hipster frames and parts which can be built up into individual bikes rather than bog standard large company offerings.
Seems to be doing okay.
When I went in my local bike shop in Milton Keynes they had virtually no stock.
I asked them if they were closing and they said no, because of the state of the bike market they hardly held any stock whereas before they had racks and racks of bikes.
apparently the 2nd hand online marketplace is very bouyant
I haveno idea what the mark up on a bike is but I guess he is focused on sellinga few high end/margin bikes vs loads of lower priced/margin parts/accessories for the same return.
I've sometimes thought that the idea of a (higher end) local 'bike shop' should have died out in the 80's when they stopped frame building and anyhting non-custom was from either the Holdsworthy or Raleigh companies. It's like buying a car, a Trek / Specialized / Giant / Merida / Cannondale "dealership" makes sense just like every region probably has a Peugeot / Citroen /Ford / Fiat / Vauxhall / Skoda etc dealership. But I can't imagine the kind of person spending ~£2k on a bike often walks into a shop and just buys what the shop happens to have on the floor?
Most towns have a Kwickfit, and an independent garage or 10. But you don't go to Kwickfit and buy a Ferrari, in the same way I wonder why some small town LBS will have a £7k Pinarello in the window.
^^^ on that point, one of my favourite reasonably local shops is PedalPower in West Calder, where i have bought 2 fairly high end bikes in the last few years. They are in the middle of the Central Belt but also in the 'middle of nowhere' on a small town high street with poor parking.
They have recently invested a fortune in their high end bike and kit shop sales/gathering area, lots of very high end Pinarello/Rapha, which coupled with a social feel, weekly shop rides etc seems to be a winning formula for them. There are probably not many potential customers local to West Calder but clearly many thousands within a 45 min drive.
in the same way I wonder why some small town LBS will have a £7k Pinarello in the window.
Catch the eye. The expensive / flashy bike goes in the window. 🤷🏻♂️
There's a Ford dealership in small town Leicestershire that has a £300,000 supercar (can't remember what, not interested) in the front window of the showroom. Most of what they sell is Focus level stuff.
But I can't imagine the kind of person spending ~£2k on a bike often walks into a shop and just buys what the shop happens to have on the floor?
Maybe not now with better info, the internet, video reviews etc but in my bike shop days (before widespread internet and certainly before smartphones), people would routinely try a Specialized, Trek, Kona, Cannondale and then decide. Sometimes based on ride feel or spec level, quite often based on what looked nicest!
I have 5 near me which seems a lot, but they are all different and have all been running for quite a long time. One is a traditional old school sort of bike shop. Sells everything, fixes anything and is jammed packed with new and second-hand stock of all sorts. Seems busy most of the time. 2 others are local chains, selling medium to higher end stuff, and bike to work. Good staff and good workshops. Ideal for wheel builds etc. Also stockists for big brands like specialized and scott. Also seem busy. Another is repairs only mostly and having had a chat to them, it's almost entirely repairs or warranty work on e-bikes. Then the final one is the high media profile, world-cup rider supporting, local shredder race team shop. Custom builds, high end stuff, handy fast riders too in all disciplines.
So a big range, but they are all bricks and mortar shops seemingly doing ok, and I hope they all stay that way.
in the same way I wonder why some small town LBS will have a £7k Pinarello in the window.
When I worked in London Bridge, On Your Bike was just round the corner, and they always had an old-school Pace frame (box section full suspension IIRC, no clue what model it was), and some Maverick SC32 forks on the wall, clearly for sale but never actually sold. I occasionally wondered about saving up the pennies for the forks; I guess more than anything it made me think it was a good LBS, staffed by people who really liked MTBs
^^^ on that point, one of my favourite reasonably local shops is PedalPower in West Calder, where i have bought 2 fairly high end bikes in the last few years. They are in the middle of the Central Belt but also in the 'middle of nowhere' on a small town high street with poor parking.
That makes sense though if they're the de-facto Pinarello dealer for the central belt because there's obviously a market for Pinarellos. People then come from Glasgow / Edinburgh to buy their Pinarellos there. Just like I bet there's a Ferrari dealer somewhere in the region.
It's the shops where they'll have a L Specialized Enduro, a M Trek Fuel-EX, an XL Cannondale Super-X, and a small Atomlab Trailpimp gathering dust. Those are the ones I question how they manage to keep afloat.
Does the tall guy just get told that gravel racing is for him? His short ladyfriend should take up dirt jumping and their kid is clearly a trail rider? I know they can order in something else the right size etc, but so can I from my phone in 5 minutes and probably cheaper 🤷
My hairs going grey and I've just realized the closest I've been to actually buying a bike in a bike-shop was getting my first MTB from Halfords. Everything else has been either 2nd hand, bought online, or custom built from bits mostly bought online.
Stanley Fearns in Matlock - got my first bike from here in the 1970's. Still going strong today.
I think they win by just being consistently good and offering everything from kids scoot alongs to high end e-bikes.
They've never followed the fashions though. Even during the bling years of the 90s there wasn't a display case full of Pauls rear mechs!
https://www.stanleyfearns.co.uk/
The ones doing okay round my way tend to be one man bands offering servicing and custom builds, running out of units tucked away out of town where overheads are lower.
Same here, and owned by someone in the 2nd/3rd career on a military/fire/police pension that kicked in whilst in their 50s. Almost a passion project as much as a pension top up. Long term that's not a sustainable industry model as the generation in that enviable position are just about to run out.
Looking at it the other way around - what should the owner of a busy bike repair business expect to earn....broadly in relation to other trades or occupations. Forget what they actually earn, where would you place it in comparison to say a self employed painter and decorator, a plumber or electrician, a handy man. Or even the owner of a gift shop or a local corner shop. My hunch (and I might well be wrong) is that what you'd hope it would earn in comparison to the levels of skills needed and investment/risk in running the business makes it make no logical sense to do. You have to be doing it for emotional reasons.
It amazed me reading recently bike sales in the UK had fallen sharply over the last few years to 'only' 1.4m, that's way more than I'd have guessed - although I imagine many are cheap kids bikes? A couple of LBSs near me no longer stock clothing, which is a pain but understandable given the sheer amount of stock they'd need to hold.
I wish there was a better range of cycling sunglasses available in LBSs to as having switched to an Endura road helmet I'm now finding my Oakley Radars get squished into the top of my ears and a cheap alternative I bought online do the same. Would be nice to be able to try some on...
That makes sense though if they're the de-facto Pinarello dealer for the central belt because there's obviously a market for Pinarellos. People then come from Glasgow / Edinburgh to buy their Pinarellos there. Just like I bet there's a Ferrari dealer somewhere in the region.
there is also a very good Pinarello dealer in Glasgow, Billy Bilslands
There's still surprisingly quite a few stores within ~5 miles of Southampton city centre I can think of, but not that many that have bikes as their only line of business...
Halfords
Decathlon
The Hub (when did they move off Shirley Rd to Belgrave Ind Est??!!)
GA Cycles
Rock 'n' Road (still never been in there)
Hargroves
Giant (previously Cycleworld?)
Plus some I don't know off hand.
Used to be Dave Harding Cycles down in Woolston too, but that went long ago, albeit the Strava club is still active.
I do wonder how many people like my sister have a bike, but genuinely can't fix a puncture; replace gear cables; adjust their saddle position etc?
As has been mentioned on here many times, if I do bite the bullet and buy an ebike, it will be from a local store so they are nearly if/when things start playing up with the "E" bit!
I do wonder how many people like my sister have a bike, but genuinely can't fix a puncture; replace gear cables; adjust their saddle position etc?
I bet a depressing proportion of those 1.4 million bikes get a puncture, go into the shed, the tyre perishes so it doesn't get ridden next summer, then in 3-4 years a trip to center parks is looming and a new bike is purchased.
I bet a depressing proportion of those 1.4 million bikes get a puncture, go into the shed, the tyre perishes so it doesn't get ridden next summer, then in 3-4 years a trip to center parks is looming and a new bike is purchased.
London bike shop I worked in...
Every year in mid/late May, we'd get an influx of bikes for that year's London to Brighton. Situation was that they'd inevitably been dug out of a shed or garage, the worst of the cobwebs dusted off and then wheeled into us with at least one flat tyre.
Desperate owner going "oh I'm doing London to Brighton in a couple of weeks..."
We'd find that the last time it had been ridden was probably the previous year's L2B ride, the repair bill would come in at £50 or so for a tyre, tube, general tune up. And then the aggrieved owner would ask for a discount cos the ride is for charity mate, can you do us a deal, I'm trying to donate every penny I can, you'll do the work for free won't you?
No, we won't.
But yes, the issue with cheap bikes is that they rarely get ridden, they get stored in sheds or outdoors, they rust up and when it comes to the repair, the bill is more than the bike cost originally.
I do wonder how many people like my sister have a bike, but genuinely can't fix a puncture; replace gear cables; adjust their saddle position etc?
Article here which references figures from DfT: https://road.cc/content/news/government-urged-quickly-deliver-cycling-promises-310087
The "average person" in the UK cycles 47 miles a year. OK, it's wildly skewed because you've got a very small number of actual cyclists doing thousands of miles and most people doing pretty much zero miles but it explains why most people never have to fix a puncture or replace a cable or tune up brakes - they're simply not doing the mileage that requires that sort of DIY knowledge.
I have 2 LBS and think between them they cover the 2 types of independent shop that are still viable. Both are great
Cycleworx in Flitwick i think represents what most bike shops are. Something quite close to an independent garage. Most of the turnover is an hourly labour rate. I know loads of people who use them for everything including punctures. I assumed the display of bikes was just for show. But i know who have bought decent bikes their. I think in general they are ordered in for them. The guy knows me by site and we have bit of a chat
The other is Brink. A big out of town shop with loads of parking. It works because it’s near Chicksands. Loads of high end bikes on display, specialized, Santa Cruz and Pivot. They seem big enough to selling with the sort of discounts you’d find online
The work shop work shop is busy and they do suspension on site . The staff seem to be really expert and friendly. I get the impression that the staff and plenty of the their customers are committed and pushing pretty hard off road. Even though I’m clearly not in that bracket they know who i am and seem pleased to see me
They aren’t cheap for servicing. But the they are organised with texts and emails letting you know when to pick up your bike etc. But they know there market. I assume people buying £7k bikes aren’t hoping to save a couple of quid on servicing because they use some one on minimum wage to knock out the bearings from their Carbon frame
A fair bit of experience of this, having run my own bike shop for 6yrs, having worked in the industry (either in shops or for brands) for the best part of 20yrs, and currently working for a prominent brand in the industry that a lot of shops stock...
The short answer is that a lot are REALLY struggling... COVID was a lifeline for a hell of a lot of shops. Some took the opportunity to get in the black and sell up or shut up shop, many thought it would be the resurgence to the bike industry that they had long been waiting for and here we are 4-5yrs later and they're in a worse financial position than they were in 2019 in many cases.
Here's some reasons how the few (perhaps 10%, maybe not even that) do well in a struggling industry...
- Do something different to your competitors... There are many examples of this, (eMTB dianostics on site, suspension services on site, reputation for the quality of the workshop, a coffee shop, stocking certain "in vogue" brands etc etc... These are just a few key examples). The key here is to be different, but crucially it needs to be a difference that customers are willing to pay for... Boring old non-specific high street bike shops that try to be all things to all people are mostly dead in the water these days!
- Own the premises... This might sound like a joke, but it absolutely isn't. I shut my bike shop (quite fortuitously as it turned out) mostly due to a fall out with my landlord, who wanted an extra £5k rent annually... My profits had gone from £20k the year before to very nearly zero, so when he came in demanding a 30% rent increase the writing was on the wall from a profitability point of view.
- Focus on profitability... Taking more cash through the till DOES NOT necessarily mean making more profit... The rule when I started in the bike trade was focus on a 35% gross retained margin when everything is said and done and all will be ok... Obviously you've got to factor discounts, damaged stock, theft etc. into that, so you want to be focussing on making 40%+ margin on most things... Which 20yrs ago wasn't that hard. Bikes are the lowest margin items typically, but way back when, if you were a good dealer, you'd be on 35%+ margin with most brands anyway, and the expectation of discount wasn't as high as it is today. Then you'd make 50%+ margin on all sorts of other goods, and add your labour in too, and making 35% gross margin wasn't too hard... So if you took £300k through the til, the costs of those purchases shouldn't exceed £195k... Leaving you £105k for rent, bills, salaries, advertising and all other costs (I'm assuming a small shop here, like mine was)... These days with margins on bikes and a lot of products being a lot lower, even maintaining 25% gross margin is hard for a lot of shops, so that £105k to cover costs from £300k sales is now only £75k... To add to that, rents have gone up out of line with most other costs, most bike shop staff may only be on minimum wage but minimum wage has gone up a lot in the last few years too. So previously where you may have had £105k gross profit and costs of say £70k (so £35k profit), now for the same effort you only have £75k gross profit and your costs have probably gone up to £90k too... That drop in margin, combined with current financial circumstances, has turned a £35k profit into a £15k loss on the same turnover! In fact, you'd probably have to top £500k turnover now with the reduced margins and increased costs, just to make the same profit as previously on £300k... Hence the importance of focussing on profitability... And why a lot of "bike" shops now no longer stock much in the way of bikes!
- Experience is key... You'd be amazed the number of bike shops that open because somebody got a decent redundancy package from their old job, fancied a change of career, and thought "selling and fixing a few bikes can't be that hard can it?"... Most of these bike shops don't last more than a few years... And they consume the entire redundancy package, and often a remortgage as well! The only shops I know doing well right now have staff that have lived and breathed bikes for decades now...
- Don't set your sights too high... It's difficult enough making a success of a single shop, but opening another shop and splitting your time in each dilutes you WAY more than the 50% you'd think it would. I know of only a handful of successful franchises, and they were all established decades ago. On top of this, "doing well" means ultimately after a LOT of hard graft, even if you're very very good at what you do, don't expect to take home more than median UK salary (which you could earn for a lot less stress and effort elsewhere), and if you're not absolutely at the top of your game, taking home a minimum wage salary (based on 40hrs, but working 60-70) is more typical... There are many, MANY bike shop owners out there that don't pay themselves a salary! You'd be amazed... I am amazed ffs! I have a mortgage to pay, I need a salary. Some people's circumstances mean they have more financial freedom than I do, and often it leads them to make poor business decisions in my experience.
- Understand that the brands, ESPECIALLY the bike brands, HAVE to turn their stock over to pay for the model that is going to replace it... So if you don't buy the bikes they are offering you each year at "buy in" time, they'll sell them to someone else even if it means that they have to sell them cheaper... I've seen it countless times, where 3-6 months after the launch of a new model has happened, sales haven't met expectations, so suddenly the brand/distributor will start offering them out to the online discounters at discounted prices... The key here is to have the capital to buy the bikes at the right prices, and buy in bulk, and be prepared to sit on them. This means that those who are successfully selling a lot of bikes right now, are all multi-millionaires. And most of us if we were multi-millionaires, would much rather spend our time riding our bikes or on holiday I suspect, than sat in a bike shop (or behind a website) trying to sell said bikes... There's a good example of such a shop in Cardiff where the owner absolutely doesn't need to work, but he's a workaholic. He's got more than enough money to retire tomorrow, but he'd rather stay working, and to be fair he's an astute businessmen so knows how to get the right deals and what to pay for them, and he has the cash ready and waiting to pay for those deals... I bet many on here have bought bikes either from his shop or his website before. But overall it's mostly just the brands and occasionally distributors that make any real money, but as fickle as the industry can be and as ready to make careless mistakes as those who work in it often are, we have witnessed the death of a great number of brands already in the last 9 months that we would never have expected!
- Be prepared for the fact that whilst you might be running your business to make money, many aren't... A lot of people work in the bike trade as a bit of a vanity project. Big brands reward failure all too often (bonussing people on how much stock they can buy and how cheaply, rather than buying the right amount of stock so that no discounting needs to occur at the end of the model year being one prominent example I have experienced)... When there's someone else there to pick up the bill, and there is no repercussions of failure, people will tend to make very bad business decisions and will over-egg the pudding when it comes to ordering more products more often than not! What I'm saying here is that no matter how hard you might be trying to make a profit and assume everyone else is doing likewise, there is ALWAYS someone out there ready to undercut you for reasons you won't understand, often selling products at what you know is below cost price just to win a customer (more likely robbing Peter to pay Paul when it comes to debts).
- etc etc...
Sorry, I started off a response to this thread determined to keep it succinct, but honestly I could go on and on here... But the above are some key points to success (or lack of it).
Stanley Fearns in Matlock - got my first bike from here in the 1970's. Still going strong today.
I certainly don't mean to speak ill of Stanley Fearns as a shop or those that work there. It's a great shop with some very good staff. But I can assure you that the last 2 times I've been in there (once in 2024, once in 2023) that they are doing anything but "going strong"... They maybe aren't suffering as badly as some shops without their wealth of reputation or experience, but like most they aren't doing anything like the numbers that they would like to... I can't comment specifics because I don't really know them, but it's barely 10% of shops I visit for work these days that will tell me that they're actually doing well financially... Remember that "being busy" doesn't necessarily mean "making money" these days, especially when profits are tighter and tighter...
If anybody has any more specific questions then by all means, fire away, I'll do my best to answer them further on in this thread... But it's 12:30am right now and I need my bed, so... Goodnight everyone!
I've just realised that I still remember the name of the local bike shop when I was a kid. Kipps cycles Kenley. My first proper bike came from there, and its where my dad paid off my chopper weekly some years later. I didn't know at the time how hard he worked to buy me that bike.
My only local shut down a month or so back. He's run for 18 years. First with his Dad I think. He moved a few times, ran a Devinci DH team too. Had an industrial shed in a prominent location, no bikes for sale but could order them in for the last 10 years at a guess.
Always lots of bikes in for fixing, from Robert Irwin's DH rigs to BSOs and rickshaws. A year or two back he took on a post office run as an agent in the morning and then would open the shop from 11-6. Then he's just recently shut up and I think is doing mobile servicing now.
I can't comment specifics because I don't really know them, but it's barely 10% of shops I visit for work these days that will tell me that they're actually doing well financially... Remember that "being busy" doesn't necessarily mean "making money" these days, especially when profits are tighter and tighter...
That's just the economy in general at the minute though - not just bike shops. It's all a bit flat and 'treading water' is doing alright in the current economic climate.
I've got a few near me - a Giant store (never been in), Leisure Lakes within Go Outdoors (very limited range of accessories but few bikes to gawp at) and 2 or 3 independents who all focus on road/town stuff so I never go in and then Decathlon/Halfords etc. The two independents have been around for as long as I can remember - must be 30+ years easily so things must be ok. One of them has diversified a bit with a cafe etc.
I'll be honest, I buy 99% of my stuff online as its more convenient, theres more range and better prices and I can have it on my doorstep usually the next day.
The biggest surprise for me recently was when I wanted to go to Stif near Harrogate on a Saturday for a new lid and some other bits as they have a huge range online so thought it was one of the better options close'ish to me for a look and make a bit of a day out from it... closed on a weekend.
London bike shop I worked in...
Every year in mid/late May, we'd get an influx of bikes for that year's London to Brighton. Situation was that they'd inevitably been dug out of a shed or garage, the worst of the cobwebs dusted off and then wheeled into us with at least one flat tyre.Desperate owner going "oh I'm doing London to Brighton in a couple of weeks..."
We'd find that the last time it had been ridden was probably the previous year's L2B ride, the repair bill would come in at £50 or so for a tyre, tube, general tune up.
This is every shop in Scandinavia, but the ride is usually the Vatternrundan (23000 riders). The bike has either been unused since last year, or even worse, since last time they rode the event (2-3 years), or the worst worst, it's been sat on a trainer since last year.
Or is still using 9 speed campag kit.
Then they turn up a couple of weeks before the event, needing it fixing (or "tuned up") within the next 48 hours so their training isn't interrupted. And it needs a minimum of £300 worth of parts and 4 hours labour.
I've been dragged into a couple of shops (and done some privately if they have the *right* parts) during this period. A lot of shops will work 12-14 hour days 7 days a week to get as much cash in as possible.
(A mate managed to staff his workshop to do 18-20 hour days, 6 days a week for two or three weeks up to the event. 90% of the work was tyres, tubes, brake pads, cables, chains, chainrings and cassettes. It was incredibly boring, but i got paid very well for the three (long) days i did.)
You also get a shit load of MTBs in just before Cykelvasan (13000 riders) and the Birkebeinerrittet (17000 riders) as well. In a similar state.
Stif in Harrogate are by appointment only now I think, it’s mainly the jungle warehouse/warranty centre. Bristol is the ‘shop’ location.
understandable really, given how out of the way it is.
@mert makes a good point and has reminded me that I need to book my bikes in. Best do that now so I have the Stump available for training whilst the road bike is in the shop afterwards.
This won't mean much to people outside of London, but Brixton Cycles has just confirmed its closure with the following message on Facebook.
Hey everyone,It’s not easy to say this, but after years of keeping Brixton rolling, we’re closing our doors. Brixton Cycles wasn’t just a place to fix bikes—it was a labour of love, a community hangout, and a haven for anyone who believed in two wheels over four.We gave it everything. For years, we have been at the coalface, all the while trying to keep cycling accessible in a city that doesn’t always make it easy. But the truth is, between rising costs, a brutal economic climate, and a million other small battles, we just couldn’t make it work anymore. And while we never wanted to let anyone down, sometimes love and hustle just aren’t enough.Huge love to all the co op members past and more recent, customers, and friends who made the place what it was. You brought the vibes, the chaos, and the heart that made it special. The late-night repairs to disco music & beers, the chats over chain oil, the solidarity when times were tough—that stuff doesn’t disappear just because the shop does.So yeah, this sucks. But keep riding, keep fixing and keep looking out for each other.
It's always been something of an institution, and if it can't survive, then there's little hope for other independents.
@mertmakes a good point and has reminded me that I need to book my bikes in. Best do that now so I have the Stump available for training whilst the road bike is in the shop afterwards.
Good plan! You'll make the guys in the shop happy... well, less miserable. 😉
Sad news about Brixton Cycles, they were legendary.
Brixton Cycles was one of the truly welcoming places, no matter your age, colour, type of bike, attire... The kid trying to fix up a BMX they'd rescued out of a skip got the same treatment as the roadie in Rapha. The commuter on a shonky BSO with a flat tyre would have a repair sorted and be on their way just the same as the person who needed their top end MTB sorting for a race that weekend. No egos, just a community.
Many years ago...
Guy went into Brixton Cycles, a female mechanic came out from the back: "hi, how can I help you?"
Customer: I'd like to talk to a mechanic please
Mech: Sure, I can help with that, what's the problem?
Cust: Umm, yes, can I talk to the mechanic.
Mech: Yes, I am the mechanic.
Cust: Umm, no, I want to talk to a mechanic.
Mech: (turned and yelled into the workshop): THIS GENTLEMAN WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO SOMEONE WITH A PENIS!
A male staff member comes out from the back room, does the same "hi, how can I help"?
Cust: [asked whatever mechanical type question it was]
Staff: /turned to the female mechanic, repeated the question
Mech: /answered the question
Staff: / turned to customer and repeated the answer.
🤣