I thought I was the only one with that idea! Mine is basically an old medium rise building.I would however build a indoor mountain bike park
Also, which is the one true religion?Is it a sound business model in this day and age?
I don't know man, I almost think an mtb background & mindset could be counter productive. Depends on the demand from prospective customers I spose.Also, which is the one true religion?
Sometimes good businesses fail and shit ones thrive.I don't know man, I almost think an mtb background & mindset could be counter productive. Depends on the demand from prospective customers I spose.
Some of that I think you've got arse-about, particularly in relation to the suburban shops (I work in one). I don't really have that much insider knowledge on the CBD scene, but I wouldn't really be surprised if the scenario you portray is correct; the "suits" who work in town roll in after watching TdF, hand over a bucketful of cash & walk out with a top-flight bike & the shops move truckloads of them. Service is pretty low on the list of priorities, both for the shop and the bulk of the customers.The CBD LBS are miles different from the suburban ones here in Vic.
Chatting to the CBD bike shop owners sometimes they basically say guys would roll in after watching tdf and just put big money on bikes. Then very shortly they find riding mates and double the initial purchase. No shopping, no online comparisons, just basically pick the cream of the crop. I think servicing just keeps the mecs busy and some level of baseline income for these guys, I can't imagine there are too many people forking out the prices they charge unless it was in desperation.
The suburban mob are more about volume I would suspect, with little service departments that do the bare minimum. Basically they move as much stock as they can, as fast as they can.
Then there are more service focused shops. These exist in many forms but basically these are the guys that get business by word of mouth. You go there and then you keep going back.
Familiar stories! There's got to be a balance - my workshop relies heavily on the patience and tolerance of it's mechanics. Let's just say its an ...unusual setup.Out in the 'burbs it's different, especially the small independent shops. The sales volume isn't there, especially at the really nice level of the market, so it really comes down to the service. Not just the customer service for the guys trying to sell the bikes, but for the techs like me on the tools. ...
The problem is customers who don't value the time the tech spends on their pride & joy, and think that charging enough that might just trickle through & enable the mechanic to buy himself a beer after work is ripping them off....
Super Niche? I'm not sure that should be your target. 1-2% of a small market is tough. If your niche is (for example) high end Xc/trail, and quality servicing/race preparation, what do you say to the guy who walks in wanting a road bike, with cash burning a hole in his pocket?I'd like to open a super niche bike business, based around a service relationship with customers and a small amount of retail. I reckon there are plenty of bike shops trying to capture all the market, and not enough who focus on the 1-2% of the market they do really, really well.
The niche thing might have been tried and failed a lot before... without having actually done it, I figure one would need a lot of good connections and exposure in the relevant niche riding community.