Can a bicycle shop be profitable?

montrose818

Banned
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May 26, 2020
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Local bike shop of 65 years is closing. Cant get inventory. No parts, zero bikes in stock. Very nice older people.

Is there a way to turn it around? Obviously E bikes, e scooters, all that stuff. But my heart bleeds seeing them close doors. Am I stupid for even thinking of buying it and keeping it going?
 
How are tou going to get any inventory if a established shop can not get parts from suppliers?

Nobody gives a **** about a shop that has to order everything and wait just to pay you more for the same part they can order them selfs.

You can always do the repair work but you need parts to do it.
 
Local bike shop here can't get inventory. Certain parts have been back ordered for months. If he gets inventory he's had people drive hundreds of miles to buy it to take to other shops to resell. Like lumber, supply chain is ****ed right now.
 
Juztyn00 said:
Local bike shop here can't get inventory. Certain parts have been back ordered for months. If he gets inventory he's had people drive hundreds of miles to buy it to take to other shops to resell. Like lumber, supply chain is ****ed right now.
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thats nuts.
 
***RD said:
You were just asking if 26" bikes were dead, now you want to buy a bike shop? :laughing:
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Seems to be he has a readily available supply of cash and spare time.

Sink it into any thing you can. If it busts just tell uncle joe i lost cause pandemicks, bail me out bro
 
the worse part about bike shops, is probably dealing with the bike crowd

Just had to deal with a tight spandex guy thinking he was a car a moment ago

Please let natural selection take its course and make them go away
 

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It could be a second hand type of shop, buy up garage sale bikes and fix em up to sell or part em out. If there's no parts to be had, people would settle for decent used repair parts to make their bike rideable.
 
I’ve met at least 3 people in the last 5 years that had bike shops that couldn’t keep up with online purchases and closed their doors because they weren’t making enough money and closed very well-known and long-standing bike shops.

It’s not that it needs turning around, it’s just not going to make it.
 
get into ebikes, do mobile onsite assembly, plenty of stupid folks out there that will pay for this stuff.
get onto the facespace local bike or ebike pages and see what is going on there.

I live a mile or less from the GAP rail trail , couple bike shops next to it are crazy busy, rentals are coinvent there so they make a killing.

I was in ohio Amish country yesterday, all of them ride ebikes, someone is making a lot of money there.
 
Who repairs all the bikes bought online? I see a whole lot of expensive bikes but don’t think the owners know how to turn a wrench.
 


Start making and selling those electric kits.
 
montrose818 said:
Local bike shop of 65 years is closing. Cant get inventory. No parts, zero bikes in stock. Very nice older people.
Am I stupid for even thinking of buying it and keeping it going?
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What is it you think you're buying ?
Unless you're buying the building there is little to no value in it
 
Juztyn00 said:
Local bike shop here can't get inventory. Certain parts have been back ordered for months. If he gets inventory he's had people drive hundreds of miles to buy it to take to other shops to resell. Like lumber, supply chain is ****ed right now.
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There have been record bike sales during the pandemic. Everything is sold out and backordered. It’s why I am riding a bike one size too big for me right now.
 
cj3a said:
Who repairs all the bikes bought online? I see a whole lot of expensive bikes but don’t think the owners know how to turn a wrench.
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Its a ****ing bike. You need a dozen tools at best.


But then again.......jesus **** people are stupid, so theres always that.
 
I know of an extremely profitable bike shop. Used to spend tons of time hanging out with the owners, riding with them. I don’t think you could pick a better spot to have one though and that’s the secret to success ain’t it? Location location location.

Is the one closing down the best one nearest the trail system?
 
JR4X said:
I know of an extremely profitable bike shop. Used to spend tons of time hanging out with the owners, riding with them. I don’t think you could pick a better spot to have one though and that’s the secret to success ain’t it? Location location location.

Is the one closing down the best one nearest the trail system?
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Its not the nearest but its not too bad. Seems like it would be fighting an uphill battle trying to keep it going though. I did not realize there was such backlog in bicycle world. Thats just stupid..
 
And we have a local bike shop that is rolling in the dough. It’s a super tiny shop, but it’s right on a huge trail. The also offer light breakfast and lunch, and packed snacks for the trail. They have just as much business for breakfast and lunch, for people that want to hang out like like-minded people, as they do like sales and service

edit: And they do bike rentals, will be really good with that
 
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