If you could own your own bike shop...

[zoom-zoom]

...what would you carry? Especially if you catered to women and/or shorter riders? I have ideas of what my dream bike shop would be like, but I often wonder if other women have very different bike shop fantasies. What would your ideal shop be like? Where would you be located? Size, layout, brands, etc.?

[indysteel]

My dream bike shop is less about its stock (although I have thoughts on that) and more about location. If I had a shop I'd like it to be in a real bike/outdoor-centric place. And I'd prefer that it be a place where both road riding and mtbing were big, with a bias toward mtb. I love road riding, but mtbing is just so much more varied in my opinion and the different types of bikes are just so cool.

[shootingstar]

I've seen more women ride with dogs in the basket...so doggie bike baskets/carriers.

More bikes by the way for children..with training wheels. My dearie was astounded that 5 different bike stores in Toronto hardly had any children's bikes with training wheels. His grandson was older -at 10 yrs. old.

Bike shop right by a bike trail/signed bike route. Near other stores, a coffee shop, grocery store/bank and amenities. Enough outdoor space around to bike around for a trial half hr. bike ride. Helps if it's near a dedicated bike lane/path. A computer terminal for customer to poke around online for special ordering, online bike map suggestions for routes/destinations with bike shop staff and with other customers near by.

Your inventory on the main floor...not on the 2nd floor. The biggest bike store in our city does this for women's cycling apparel and bikes ..so it's isolated in this dead zone. Away from all the excitement, hubbub of the main floor..where the cycling guys talk...why isolate the women??

Some talks once a month or so, by women cyclists who have gone bike touring, on nutrition, etc.

[Sylvia]

I like bike shops that are generally a little different not necessarily shops that carry just the big name brands of bikes. I enjoy going to a shop which also sells quality used, recycled, or refurbished bikes. Would also be nice to have a few women employees not just one token woman (if even that).

[Becky]

Would also be nice to have a few women employees not just one token woman (if even that).

I'm pretty sure that this is why I was offered a bike shop job I don't mind....I like changing misconceptions about women and mechanical/technical abilities.

The shop I work for is located near a trailhead, on some pretty decent cycling roads (and with access to even better ones), and next to a pub. It's the ideal location, and a big part of the shop's success.

My observation is that inventory is a huge concern for a lot of shops. It's very difficult to predict what customers will want and in which sizes or colors, and it's risky to carry a lot of "personal preference" inventory, especially as a small independent shop. "Showboating" doesn't help either...

What I want most when it comes to inventory is a shop that stocks basic parts for last minute repairs and is willing to order me almost anything else. I want a shop that stocks the products that they use and love, not what some corporate entity tells them to carry. I want a shop that is friendly, knowledgable, and part of the community. I want a shop that understands the fundamental concepts of fit, not just, "you're a woman, so here, try this WSD bike".

[shootingstar]

What I want most when it comes to inventory is a shop that stocks basic parts for last minute repairs and is willing to order me almost anything else. I want a shop that stocks the products that they use and love, not what some corporate entity tells them to carry. I want a shop that is friendly, knowledgable, and part of the community. I want a shop that understands the fundamental concepts of fit

+1 I really appreciate bike stuffs that has all the parts for last minute stuff and can order other stuff quickly.

[shootingstar]

What I want most when it comes to inventory is a shop that stocks basic parts for last minute repairs and is willing to order me almost anything else. I want a shop that stocks the products that they use and love, not what some corporate entity tells them to carry. I want a shop that is friendly, knowledgeable, and part of the community. I want a shop that understands the fundamental concepts of fit

+1 I really appreciate bike stores that has all the parts for last minute stuff and can order other stuff quickly.

[Boudicca]

Difficult one. We have a store here that only sells accessories (no bikes), and I think that's a model worth exploring, catered to the gear junkie among us. (Yes, I admit it freely, I am a gear junkie). Internet link sounds like a nice idea, but I fear customers will only use it to check with online stores and then get grumpy because the prices in my store are higher. They can do that on their iPhones if they want that one.

Also, while the idea of being on the trail appeals, you will get a lot of people who browse, not buy -- I won't buy new shoes, for example, if I am riding, because I won't have anywhere to put them. So I might look, try something on, and them move on.

My dream bike store will have in-house coffee shop, so people come in, chat bikes, buy coffee and then decide they really need shoe covers, or jerseys.

[Eden]

+1 I really appreciate bike stores that has all the parts for last minute stuff and can order other stuff quickly.

We're so lucky here... Seattle Bike Supply (a gigantic wholesale warehouse where all the shops get their stock) is here, and practically just down the street from my team shop... if I need a part that's not in stock it can usually be at the shop by the next day, if not in a couple of hours.

We also have a ton of shops around here... you can probably find a shop that suits you somewhere. There's are women owned shops, shops that cater to racers, utility cyclists, commuters, tourers, classic bikes - probably whatever you can think of. We also have many custom frame builders.

[shootingstar]

Also, while the idea of being on the trail appeals, you will get a lot of people who browse, not buy -- I won't buy new shoes, for example, if I am riding, because I won't have anywhere to put them. So I might look, try something on, and them move on.

This is to make the store as accessible as possible for cyclists....who bike like me to do errands /don't have a car /near a very heavily used bike path and if you want to encourage others to bike for transportation/daily lifestsyle (and they tend to have a carrier, pannier racks, etc.). Trail was intended to mean more a defined bike path for commuters.

The most well-known and used bike stores where I've lived and biked in Toronto (14 yrs.), Vancouver (8 yrs.) and Calgary are all with half km. or right along a marked bike route. Sure you get people who browse, look around and won't buy..but you will also get more people who will buy and prefer safety/convenience of cycling on bike paths, bike lanes, instead of far flung mall locations with no safe cycling access.

[nuliajuk]

My dream bike shop would have lots of test saddles that people could sign out, not just in the most expensive models. A fitter on site. Bike sizes for both extremes - very tall men also have trouble finding bikes that fit. Regular free classes for basic maintenance such as tire changes, to free up the mechanics for more complicated repairs. And frames with build option packages. For example, something like the Soma Buena Vista mixte with a road build option, an internally geared option, and a general purpose derailleur gear option.
If it were here in Saskatoon, I'd definitely offer a lot of cyclocross bikes. They seem to be the default road bike here, due to the road conditions.

[shootingstar]

Not only locate the bike shop right by a major bike path/bike lane or signed bike route, but make sure it is within 1-2 blocks of several of these places that naturally draw people who could be/are cycling folks:

grocery store (doesn't have to be big box, just one that lots of people go to)
daycare
school
community centre which has fitness facilities and other activities
ice cream/gelato stop or coffee shop I don't expect coffee nor edible place in a bike shop. It's too hard to mix those 2 very different businesses together within 1 roof.

Are such bike stores located in such areas? Absolutely YES some bike shops, in Vancouver and Toronto, particularily those in the downtown core.


****Now would a bunch of guys, owning a bike shop, who don't have children think this? Maybe. The probably want to be a cool spot for team kitted roadies, bike wheelie mtb bikers. Fine. But that's not the whole world and it won't expand your market share.

My point is people are fitting into their schedule, all kinds of tasks and if they can go to the bike store, bank/another store, etc. nearby, even better in 1 geographic sweep/stop.

Love the idea of borrowing a saddle for 14 days or something like that. A saddle library. (Well there are toy libraries..)

A bike pump with a pressure gauge, permanently installed OUTSIDE the bike store (as well, as inside the store for the winter).

Sell floor bike pumps that aren't sheot and don't require superman strength. (I did find one. Zefal. Sorry Lezyme pump just bummed me out ...and my partner too. Who is more mechanically inclined than I am.)

[antimony]

Plus-sized gear that people can actually try on. Men's, too, what the heck. Maybe a multi-sport outdoor gear in all sizes thing -- even if it was less bike-specific. With in-house tailoring that knows how to work with technical fabrics, for people with shapes that need it.

[Jolt]

Good thread! I suppose my shop would be in the downtown area of a smaller city with a lot of cyclists and would cater to utility/commuter/touring cyclists more so than racing types. There would be refurbished used bikes along with new ones, and lots of accessories to make bikes more useful for everyday transportation--racks, panniers, trailers, fenders, lights etc. A mix of men and women on staff, with people who are knowledgeable about fitting and helping people choose the right bike for their style of riding. Ability to get parts in quickly so the turnaround time for repairs is kept to a minimum. Classes on riding safely in traffic, how to use a bike for transportation, and basic maintenance/repairs. I would try to stock bikes in a wide range of sizes so shorter or taller people can test ride. As far as clothing goes, I would definitely carry Ibex! Maybe a section for clothing consignment as well.

ETA: As far as brands for new bikes, probably Surly and Jamis. Maybe others as well but definitely those two--nice versatile steel-framed bikes.

[shootingstar]

There would be refurbished used bikes along with new ones, and lots of accessories to make bikes more useful for everyday transportation--racks, panniers, trailers, fenders, lights etc.

This would work, especially if the bike store rented some bikes. Then they could sell off the bikes in the fall at a steep discount.

I second the idea that for women, carry some non-cycling clothing in the store, but made with technical fabrics for sweat-wicking/comfort, etc. For example: For cycling short distances, for a lot of women I am certain it is NOT necessary to wear a skort that has padded shorts. I mean how else do women in the Netherlands and Denmark cycle for transportation: in cycling padded shorts?? Come on...

So carry some running skorts in a women's bike apparel section. Why not? As for non-cycling jerseys, at least tops with a pocket for keys. I mean seriously I need my key fob to get into communal bike cage at work, to get into underground parking garage at home...