BikeAlmanac

It's been said that the number one American dream is to start a bike shop. I don't know whether that's true, but it certainly could be so among bicycle enthusiasts. The funny thing is, it doesn't have to remain a dream forever. It isn't that difficult. You can start your own bicycle store even if you have very little time, experience or money.

I recommend starting small. Don't blow your life savings on a glass-front retail store, huge inventory, and all that right away. Three out of four businesses started that way fail.

Instead, start with something small. Sell bike tires out of the trunk of your car. Do some repair or customization for your neighbors. Set up a weekend stall at a flea market. You get the idea. Still, even these steps may seem impossible, unless you can learn all the details, but more about that in a minute. Once you're building success working out of your garage, you can grow slowly and carefully, until you are finally in a glass-front store.

But what about assets? You may not know bicycle repair. You might not have a dime. In this situation, I recommend partnerships. Ideally not with someone who needs the work, or a relative who is a walking disaster. A much more successful partner will be someone who has what you don't have, and is equally enthusiastic about the business. It may be someone who has a few bucks, or someone who knows bike repair, someone who has a workshop, or someone who is good with selling. Partners are optional. You can also enjoy learning and acquiring what you need, as long as you are patient.

Enough rambling. I have written a whole book about starting slowly and evolving up to a full retail bicycle store. It then goes into all the details about wholesale ordering, employee management, all the things you'd want to know. I used to sell it on Amazon as a Kindle book. Then, I decided to make it a free book, so I posted the whole thing at How to Start a Bike Shop - Have fun & prosper! - Jeff Napier

hillyman

Maybe I should run a bike shop out of my semi truck. Sell and repair bikes for truck drivers. I need a catchy Bike Shop name tho

indyfabz

"Trek Stop", although the folks at Trek may come after you for trademark infringement, etc.

jefnvk

The last thing I'd want to do is mix hobbies with business. Once I need to do the hobby to maintain my income, it no longer remains a relaxing hobby.

That said, if one is setting up an actual bike shop, I'd sure hope one had a business plan and a business sense to begin with. The flippers are already flipping.

WNCGoater

Oh now I get it. "BikeAlmanac" is not only the user name, but also the name of his website he is directing BF users toward. Seems it would be simple enough to buy some advertisement from BF.

Milton Keynes

Start a bike shop... make a small fortune by spending a large fortune.

hillyman

I own a Trek 520 so doesn't that give me the right to use their name?

Maelochs

I am intrigued to know how many people made their start-up money by selling bike tires out of the trunks of their cars.

Do you drive up behind cyclists on the road and shout, "Have I got a deal for you!"?

I pictures calls to 911 .....

aplcr0331

Jesus Christ. Get off the bike and read a ****ing book (not about cycling).

indyfabz

+1.

SquidPuppet

Aren't there forum rules against this type of behavior?

Maelochs

hey, the Wright Brothers started with a bike shop ...... but they were so eager to get away from it they practically flew out of there.

coffeesnob

they knew what they were doing because wilbur was always right.

Charliekeet

What, being annoying? Nah, that’s BF101!

dedhed

#1 American dream - Get rich quick without working

SquidPuppet

Shame on you, both of you.

Kapusta

Thanks, but I already know how to open and run a bike shop for ten years and end up with $1M in the bank.

Start with $2M in the bank.

fietsbob

In the 70's a friend built a cart, parked it on the main route through the city park in the summer,
got his start without the overhead of a storefront, as it happened, his services were popular ,

and over time he moved it to a building and did well, then decided to go instead to the University , in town..

hillyman

Is this book an offshoot of Trump University?

Milton Keynes

Yep, by either finding someone to sue or by getting on a "reality" TV show.

Bald Paul

Find the posted route of a large charity ride.
Drive the route the morning of, sprinkling copious amounts of carpet tacks.
Volunteer to drive as sag wagon.

Retro Grouch 

I was thinking the opposite.

Quit wasting time reading books about bolt thread pitch and spend more time riding your bike.

HerrKaLeun

I don't think he does it for profitable reasons. He has no advertisement on his site and also doesn't sell products.
Seems to be a guy who wants to share his wealth of knowledge and experience with the world and seems to do it for free..... we should be more welcoming.

Machka 

I recommend ...

a) not throwing your money away starting a bike shop
b) saving the money you would have spent starting a bike shop ... put it into a good savings plan with your bank
c) use that money to go for nice long cycling holidays each year.


If you feel you must start a bike shop ... make it all about service. Learn well how to repair all sorts of bicycles and focus on that. When it comes to stock, you cannot win against the internet. But where you can win against the internet is with excellent service.


Maybe I should have put that into book form.

shelbyfv

I thought there were. Use the button to report the post (and the others) as spam, maybe it takes a critical mass.