CliffordK

I try to be fairly well prepared for self-supporting rides.

So, last Friday I was out for a ride. I had a multi-size spoke wrenches, Allen wrenches, chain tools, spare spokes, spare nipples, spare tubes, etc.

When the one thing that I wasn't well prepared for happened. I blew the sidewall off the bead of my rear tire. Brand new tire, 75 miles from new.

I was just outside of a small town (3000 population) along a State designated "Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway". I hadn't seen a bike shop in the town, so I guess I didn't really look.

Fortunately it was daylight, and I was able to boot the tire enough to get 20 miles down the road to a good shop that carried the 700c x 23mm tire I needed.

What would improve coverage for spares for cyclists? After hours spares?

Bike part vending machines (would there even be enough demand to support them)? How much can be crammed into a vending machine?

Maybe convince small town stores to add a bicycle section oriented towards emergency supplies and consumables (tires, tubes, a few spokes, basic tools, lights, etc).

Maybe it is time to talk to a local feedstore about starting a micro-bike shop.

corrado33

Duct tape and WD-40 outside at "self service" stations.

cyccommute 

I hate to say it because I hate to give them the business but there is always Helmart. They do carry tires. They aren't the best but they certainly are better than the Continentals I purchased in Cincinnati for 3 times the price.

By the way, for boot material, pick up a tyvek envelope from the US Post Office. It weighs nothing, can be found in 8x11" size and folds to nearly nothing. Tough as nails as well.

Rollfast

I don't know man, people come to my LBS when they are on vacation from far away, even.

Maelochs

I don't see any way to make a profitable business by guessing where random cyclists will have random problems. Seems too random.

Rollfast

It got Miss Cleo jail time for other reasons. Oh well, it was the nineties.

speshelite

wschruba

A local store keeps one of these outside their shop, next to a 'work stand' (really, a pipe to hang the saddle from). It has simple consumables--a few tube sizes, patch kits, CO2 cartridges, and cyclist-oriented snacks...but no tires, since not even a 700x23 would fit in the containers. There are some municipalities that also put these in around their MUPs, but none around here.

The rub is, that if it is anywhere other than a bike shop, someone has to actually go out and fill it up...and judging from how well the snack machines around are stocked, that isn't likely to happen.

Semipedersen

I have seen bicycle parts vending machines in Austria close to lake Constance which is a popular cycling area. I will make a pic next time I am around.

Semipedersen

I think self service farm shops could offer them but it would not be to make money it would be more like a service to bikers

CliffordK

Isn't that what any shop/store is about? An auto parts store stocks car parts expecting someone to need them.

I wouldn't necessarily want to stock 1000 spoke types and sizes, but one could cover 90% of the emergency requirements by stocking a few dozen straight gauge spokes, J-Bend and straight-Pull. If someone is desperate, a straight gauge spoke can replace any butted or bladed spoke with the exception of some of the new proprietary spokes.

My Crystal Ball says that if you have a flat tire, you'll probably need one of the following tubes:If none of those fit... patch kit?

Half dozen brake pads?

Couple of derailleurs?

How many bikes in town of 3000? Maybe at least 300? I think the town I broke down had a grade school and middle school, and maybe high school. So, they probably had school kids coming in from surrounding communities.

Anyway, probably not enough local customers to support a full-time business, but perhaps enough to support a corner in another store, or a vending machine.

Heck, convincing vendors that I had a "brick and mortar store" might be worth quite a bit

Semipedersen

I think the idea is interesting but one thing to consider is how many people cannot even do a simple bike repair.

CliffordK

Folding tires are probably easier to deal with than wire bead tires. Actually, I think even Bell has gone to folding tires for dept store offerings.

Refilling would mean good sales tracking, holding an adequate inventory, and having regular (weekly?) rounds. All could be done with a good computer system.

If done in a collaborative effort with a local store, one could likely send replacement inventory from the warehouse via UPS, allowing a larger circle of stores to be serviced.
Mobile "mechanic" with weekly hours?

Hopefully the long-distance tourists would be able to do their own repairs, but occasionally get caught short on supplies.

I did notice, however on the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, a lot of people know about it. The Portland <==> Eugene through cyclists are rare, but some segments are hit more regularly. I've met a few people who did 1 or 2 day trips for the 30 mile segment from Salem to Champoeg.

In Missouri, there are some small bike shops that have sprung up along the Katy Trail in small towns (Defiance and Augusta, I think). Bike rentals are also popular.

prathmann

Tubes aren't really that size-specific. At various times I've used a 700c-25mm tube in: a 12" trailer tire; 20"BMX; 26x2" MTB tire; 29" MTB tire; and 27 x 1 1/4" tire. I expect it would also work ok in all the other sizes listed above. Of course it's harder to deal with a failure of the tire itself. We do have a few self-service bike stations locally that provide several tire sizes in a vending machine (closest to me is one at a Chevron gas station). But the odds that someone is close to one of these when needed and is also aware of its existence are pretty slim.

Semipedersen

What about an uber like help from hobby bicycle mechanics. I guess it could work in certain areas. Just a random thought.

CliffordK

Before I went mail-order, I frequently was on the prowl for spare 700c x 20-25 tubes. So I might have snagged a couple out of a vending machine if I passed it.

Friday after the blowout, I was about 1 mile from the city center of that 3000 population town, so I would have walked that distance, but I did hit a few quite rural stretches of road where emergency repairs would necessary.

Once I got closer to a larger city, I googled "Bike Shop Salem" and it gave me a few suggestions. So, getting a searchable location would help with being found. Perhaps a way to link to a website with an inventory list, and explanation of self-service offerings.

Champoeg State Park might be a natural spot for a small self service bike repair facility. I've passed there regularly, but it is quite far out of my way. However, it is at the beginning of a 130 mile bike route. Popular campground, and has a full-time park staff.

For those that drive to ride, have you ever planned a bike trip, only to arrive at the start point missing some critical component?

CliffordK

Yes,

Building a network of people to call might help.
One might even be able to recruit volunteers with the promise of wholesale parts.

mcours2006

Could never happen. No market incentive for such a thing. Even if there were stores and such chances are that you would be a very, very long walk from it, even if you knew where it was located.

You'd best be self-sufficient if you go far away from home. Carry an extra folding tire with you.

Jadesfire 

It might be worthwhile for LBSs to partner with gas station chains to either stock said vending machines or to have a dedicated shelf space for basic supplies. The supplies might need to be marked up a little more, but if I'm twenty miles away from an LBS but the Circle-K two miles up the road that's open on a Sunday afternoon has a tube or a tire I'd be willing to pay a little more. And I could pick up a Coke and a Snickers while I'm at it . Just a thought.

mulveyr 

For what it's worth, the "Better World Club" alternative to AAA offers 24/7 roadside bike service up to 30 miles ( https://www.betterworldclub.com/road...de-assistance/ ) I signed myself and my son up when he was younger ( i.e. about 10 ) because when we toured if we had a significant issue it would be a huge hassle.

Never actually needed it, so I can't speak to how well it works, but it's an option that might beat walking tens of miles. :-)

jefnvk

At least as far as the vending machines, I've seen them on occasion. More geared towards commuters near popular routes, but always seemed an intriguing idea. Saw one that I assume was operated by a municipality in a big city, too, right on the bike path in a park. Think it was Chicago, but could be wrong.

As far as local after hours shops, your local X-Mart will have enough to get you by. No, you're not going to have a selection, but you will continue on your way in some manner. Many indy hardware shops have a small bike section too.

Machka 

Around here, many small towns have a hardware shop or sports shop (often includes a variety of things like weights, some sports wear, toys for the kids, etc.) which will have some bicycle stuff like tubes, bottles, and a few other things.

brianmcg123

Just buy a larger saddle bag.

bikecrate

In the near future you can use your cell phone to purchase the replacement tire. Amazon will dispatch the tire via a drone and it will be airdropped to your roadside location in a 1/2 hour.

My other near future idea...instead of vending machine how about a 3D Printer vending machine. Put in credit info, print out tire and you're on your way.

Maelochs

A vending machine might work—Might—because the rent is lower. If a bike shop had a vending machine on-site, the rent (for the space) might be free.

Not sure who even makes such vending machines, so no way to estimate how many sales one would need just to break even.

Here’s the thing: Most stores trust that when things are needed people will seek out stores which sell those things.

A random cyclist having a breakdown on a random road might not know about or be able to reach a convenient vending machine.

Where is there A.) sufficient bike traffic and B.) sufficient regular small break-downs at C.) off-hours (obviously the shop would prefer to have you come in to the shop during business hours, so they could hopefully get the repair fee and upsell you.)

Add to that it has to be a place where there are a lot of failures or flats where riders would not usually carry patches or spares, but Would carry the necessary tools. (I think a vending machine full of cycling tools would get robbed).

And which tools? maybe people would buy tire irons ... which other tools? To change a spoke I need a spoke wrench, and sometimes a chain whip, and the cassette key specific to my bike. And I need to know what all those parts are and how to use them ... I would just loosen the brakes and tighten the other spokes and limp home anyway.

Basically the only place sucvh a thing would get a lot of use would be on a very popular MUP, I’d think.

Shoot I rarely ride the same route three days running, and how could I guess where I would flat ... or break a chain? (Both have happened in the past few months. Both I fixed with what I carry.)

Such a vending machine might make sense on a regular commuting route ... but where in the U.S. are there sufficient numbers of regular commuters using a single route, not carrying their own supplies, and not near to a bike store?

And please don’t bother with “I ride the same route each day and it is nowhere near a bike store and I see three other riders ...” because we are not looking for an exception, we are looking for sufficient volume of traffic to ensure a sufficient rate of failure to ensure a profitable business investment.

The only significant group of riders I can imagine who would be traveling in the same place and not near any sort of store and Not carrying at least a glueless patch and CO2 (think—what is one of the first things we recommend new riders buy? And you know every bike shop suggests the same (upsell, upsell, upsell.)

I have heard of these sorts of stations on MUOPs in places ... usually stripped of everything except the airhose, often vandalized, but sometimes able to supply air and water for washing hands afterwards. But Not done to make profit, offered as a service by a municipality trying to encourage MUP use.

I am not trying to be negative—sorry if I come off that way.

I am trying to look at this as a business proposition someone suggested I invest in. How long would it take me to either recoup my investment and make a profit or realize it was a loss and regretfully wash my hands of it?

I wouldn’t invest to begin with. Between bikes hops and online ordering, most cyclists would be prepared for minor things and it would be impossible to guess which major things would go wrong. And with drones, people will someday soon be ordering from their phones (or watches) and getting deliveries within a hour or two anyway.

You want to play with ideas though .... hybrid gas/electric/pedal-powered trike that does deliveries and offers repair advice and stocks parts and tools for rent. You call, it arrives in an hour, the driver helps you fix your bike, and you see a huge credit card charge later on, but at the time it seems painless.

Something like that could operate out of a truck and trailer and carry a wide range of parts and tools, but get them to the suite for cheap because fuel costs for the trike would be so low (hopefully.) even then though .... how much cash would it need to generate to operate for a day? eight hours wages, insurance and fuel for the vehicle, amortized purchase and repair costs .... minimum a couple hundred a day assuming it was attached to a an LBS and had access to parts and tools already?

How big a city would you need to generate $200 in emergency repairs each day? And ... how many trips would be Huge money-losers, because the customer just needed a tube? You’d need to have a minimum fee which was charged to the card before the trike was dispatched .... and it would need to cover fuel and wages for each trip, which means a spoke or a tube would cost $50 or something.

Who besides Trekmogul would go for it?