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New cycle café

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  • 12-04-2014 9:28am
    #1
    Carpenter
    Registered Users Posts: 2,683 ✭✭✭


    Hi all
    A friend of mine is opening a new café and it is aimed @ the cycling community.
    First of all I am not here looking to advertise it (unless you want me to and am allowed) what he needs are ideas as to what we would like to see in it :D so I told him I would put it up here and you good folks might help out a little.
    Any help would be great .


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Comments

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    #2
    Raam
    Registered Users Posts: 14,317 ✭✭✭✭Raam


    Cycling races on the telly!


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    #3
    Carpenter
    Registered Users Posts: 2,683 ✭✭✭Carpenter


    Raam wrote: »
    Cycling races on the telly!

    Yea sounds good but do you mean live or recorded races


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    #4
    Idleater
    Registered Users Posts: 6,236 ✭✭✭Idleater


    Carpenter wrote: »
    Yea sounds good but do you mean live or recorded races

    Yes.


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    #5
    not yet
    Registered Users Posts: 7,008 ✭✭✭not yet


    Beer and strippers...


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    #6
    Raam
    Registered Users Posts: 14,317 ✭✭✭✭Raam


    Carpenter wrote: »
    Yea sounds good but do you mean live or recorded races

    When there is a live race show it, otherwise a recording of a recent one if the owner wants to have it on all the time.


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    #7
    MickeyTake
    Registered Users Posts: 34 ✭MickeyTake


    Good strong espressos, delicious frothy cappuccinos, a place to put the bike inside, and bikes that everyone dreams of owing so they can just have a look at them


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    #8
    eeeee
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,832 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    Track pump and decent covered bike parking. The Cake Box off Camden street has great covered bike parking.
    And excellent cake and a decent selection of herbal tea. That last one may just be me specific though :P I am sick of just peppermint, calmomile and a berry tea as the herbal options when there are waay better options there.

    And the ability to fill a water bottle.

    ETA Sexy frames on the wall.


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    #9
    ROK ON
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,831 ✭✭✭ROK ON


    Where is it.
    If in Dublin and you cant advertise then pm me.

    Tips
    Visit Rapha Cycle club in London - there is always (ALWAYS) a race on the large TV. Either live or recorded.
    Lots of old cycling mags.

    Cycling memorabilia - jerseys race pics etc - not of big races but of local clubs and local races. Keep it local and build community.

    Good coffee - for good pay a visit to Kaph in Dublin if you want to see what actual coffee is suposed to taste like.
    Confectionary - be inventive. Nice cakes, scones, interesting sambos. Soups.
    Drinks license - that way you could do stuff during the big races of the season (GTs and classics), but you could also do stuff at night - ie spinning races - the couriers used to organise stuff like this - ask Petethedrummer.

    Open early on Sat and Sun mornings and provide brekkie (coffee/porridge/granola/etc) then suggest to cycling groups and clubs that it is a place to meet up prior to weekend spins.


    Sponsor something, even something small. A local race/audax/sportif.

    Get an area for bike parking - suggest hooks from the ceiling so that bikes can be hung.

    Track pump.

    Spares to sell - tubes/tyre levers - nothing major - but these will help build the message that you cater for the cycling community.

    Maybe if you have space get a mechanic, or else hook up with a mechanic that could come in once a week for a clinic. Try one of the mobile bike mechanic dudes. Have you bike repaired or learn how to repair a bike with a race on the tv and a coffee in your hand - how bad.

    Very best of luck. I hope this succeeds. Have seen some nice ones in London and Amsterdam.


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    #10
    Carpenter
    Registered Users Posts: 2,683 ✭✭✭Carpenter


    Ok


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    #11
    Carpenter
    Registered Users Posts: 2,683 ✭✭✭Carpenter


    ROK ON wrote: »
    Where is it.
    If in Dublin and you cant advertise then pm me.

    Tips
    Visit Rapha Cycle club in London - there is always (ALWAYS) a race on the large TV. Either live or recorded.
    Lots of old cycling mags.

    Cycling memorabilia - jerseys race pics etc - not of big races but of local clubs and local races. Keep it local and build community.

    Good coffee - for good pay a visit to Kaph in Dublin if you want to see what actual coffee is suposed to taste like.
    Confectionary - be inventive. Nice cakes, scones, interesting sambos. Soups.
    Drinks license - that way you could do stuff during the big races of the season (GTs and classics), but you could also do stuff at night - ie spinning races - the couriers used to organise stuff like this - ask Petethedrummer.

    Open early on Sat and Sun mornings and provide brekkie (coffee/porridge/granola/etc) then suggest to cycling groups and clubs that it is a place to meet up prior to weekend spins.


    Sponsor something, even something small. A local race/audax/sportif.

    Get an area for bike parking - suggest hooks from the ceiling so that bikes can be hung.

    Track pump.

    Spares to sell - tubes/tyre levers - nothing major - but these will help build the message that you cater for the cycling community.

    Maybe if you have space get a mechanic, or else hook up with a mechanic that could come in once a week for a clinic. Try one of the mobile bike mechanic dudes. Have you bike repaired or learn how to repair a bike with a race on the tv and a coffee in your hand - how bad.

    Very best of luck. I hope this succeeds. Have seen some nice ones in London and Amsterdam.

    Thank you for the reply the good coffee is on its way and a bike machanic will be next door ,bike parking will be outside but you can sit outside I know what it is like not being able to see your bike .
    The 50inch TV will be on the wall inside (when he gets the screws to fix the bracket ) spares are being organized as we speak but may take a little time
    Good Cycling memorabilia is hard to find but the eyes are looking if anyone has any old cycling stuff even bits of an old bike I am sure there would be some coffee in it for you .
    This is great please keep the recommendations flowing :D


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    #12
    padjo5
    Registered Users Posts: 536 ✭✭✭padjo5


    Decor will be important......I could be very wrong but I feel cyclists in general like the sort of 'aged' decor. Think we like vintage/history! While they park up their very modern and expensive bikes they seem to love roughing it by sitting at vintage furniture and old and odd chairs! Psychological thing! Perhaps it's only my personal taste but the decor of the cafe in Laragh is bang on.


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    #13
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    Are you at least able to tell us where it is?......


    Good coffee and good cake.

    Stew and soup in the winter?

    Home-made granola bars to takeaway.

    Consider setting up a 'club' or 'group' on Strava as well as the more 'traditional' social media outlets.

    A general prohibition on tri-ahtletes and runners!!

    Think about, if it's possible, establishing an 'honesty box' where cyclists can leave a few bits (tubes etc) for other cyclists to take / use on the strict understanding they come back and replace whatever it is they had to take.


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    #14
    Darkglasses
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,526 Mod ✭✭✭✭Darkglasses


    Just so it's clear from the get go, if he wants to advertise here he has to contact hello@boards.ie. Any attempt to work around this is likely to bring an automatic site ban from the administrators, not us. See the prison forum if you want to see how often it happens.

    This thread is fine, feel free to go on. I'd strongly advise messaging a mod if you're unsure about posting something.


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    #15
    LennoxR
    Registered Users Posts: 414 ✭✭LennoxR


    Thing about cycling cafes is that most cyclists live in the city but they want a café c.30-50 km from Dublin to use as a coffee stop. When people get back into the city they just want to go home and shower for the most part.

    But anyway here's a wish list;

    Comfortable, good coffee, snacks.

    Track Pump.

    Somewhere safe for bikes,

    Seating indoors and out

    Friendly staff,

    Bike stuff to look at (optional)


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    #16
    nak
    Registered Users Posts: 1,538 ✭✭✭nak


    Ronde in Edinburgh and Siempre in Glasgow are both great examples of how cafes aimed at cyclists can be successful. Both in residential areas of the city and have a shop on one side cafe on the other.

    Bike parking is inside in Siempre - hangers on the wall, they also do a full lunch menu. Ronde is more soup, coffee and cake and they show live races. Have a club/team attached to the shop and weekend rides leave from there, so people don't mind stopping in for coffee on the way home.

    There ate also 2 cycling themed pubs in Edinburgh - Ventoux and Tourmalet.


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    #17
    johnk123
    Registered Users Posts: 1,031 ✭✭✭johnk123


    I think this is a good idea. Good coffee is key, as you'll attract more than just cyclists to a cafe that has good coffee. Dublins coffee culture is coming on a lot, so you should have no trouble teaming up with someone to bring you good coffee.

    Bear in mind that realistically you'll probably have about 85+% of your customers being just people going about their daily business and stopping in for a coffee who may happen to be interested in cycling. For them, it'll be a cool place to be as opposed to a really functional cafe where I'm going to go before every spin and to talk about bikes with strangers...


    Decor is important and I agree with what most are saying about the 'rustic' or 'minimal effort that actually took weeks of planning' look. I was in a really cool cafe in Italy that was really popular with the local cyclists. You could see that it was just a cafe that had accumulated various cycling paraphernalia over time. For decor, they had a couple of framed jerseys etc, but other cool stuff like old chain rings drilled into the wall behind the counter.... Or on the bathroom door they had dismantled a rear cassette and stuck them on the wall in descending order... And light fittings hanging from bike chains and a few cool framed pictures of the old greats (this would be extremely cheap, but effective if done right)... They also had bike tubes for sale at a very fair price... ... You'll just piss off cyclists if they can see you're charging €10 for a tube..

    The idea of a cyclists breakfast would be cool, even for people on their way to work etc.

    The best thing you can do, is look at the Rapha cafe or the Bianchi one (plenty videos online).. visit it.. or closer to home, drive out to a few of the coffee shops mentioned on here.. Have a look yourself, if your buddy is already thinking of opening a cafe he probably already knows that good coffee and friendly staff are essential.. it's what your angle towards cycling is going to be that's going to be the difference. You're creating a cycling cafe, vs all those hokey pokey cafes out in the mountains that have simply adapted after the recent increase in this marvelous sport! :)

    I was in NYC at the end of last summer and remember stumbling upon this cool cafe place. The reason I went in was because there was a tonne of bikes outside and loads of messengers just chilling on the outside seating and rushing off at various intervals.. Initially I thought it was a bit of a club or something, but after seeing a few 'suits' walking in and out with takeaways I went in.. Nice spot!


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    #18
    ashleey
    Registered Users Posts: 2,005 ✭✭✭ashleey


    Carpenter wrote: »
    Hi all
    A friend of mine is opening a new café and it is aimed @ the cycling community.
    First of all I am not here looking to advertise it (unless you want me to and am allowed) what he needs are ideas as to what we would like to see in it :D so I told him I would put it up here and you good folks might help out a little.
    Any help would be great .
    Put it in Kilkenny


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    #19
    sy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭sy


    What part of the country ?


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    #20
    slap/dash
    Registered Users Posts: 648 ✭✭✭slap/dash


    As ppl have said, good coffee, parking. Would be nice if you had some sort of cake/brownie type stuff that could just throw in jersey and chow on later. Major points if you can do at least one vegan option


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    #21
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    What about a cycling inspired menu, with items named after and inspired by aspects of the sport or famous (or perhaps notorious) cyclists.....

    Paris Roubaix (Rocky Road)

    The Jan Ullrich (Roast beef on a Kaiser roll)

    The Rasmussen (Plain chicken)

    The Hushovd (beans on toast!)

    The Armstrong (Texan BBQ)

    The Kelly (it eats you)

    I'll pass on the Merckxx


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    #22
    Inquitus
    Registered Users Posts: 13,734 ✭✭✭✭Inquitus


    The Bjarne Riis - Black pudding, minimum 60% Haematocrit


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    #23
    Tenzor07
    Registered Users Posts: 8,619 ✭✭✭Tenzor07


    Bike parking, reasonably secure, i.e. not out facing the road where your bike can be easily snatched.

    Plenty of seats outside ... and a canopy for when it rains.. Heaters outside for winter..

    Value for money and healthy menu options, Chips n Burger won't cut it..

    I have an idea that it's close to the Barge pub...


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    #24
    Planet X
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 3,935 Mod ✭✭✭✭Planet X


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRCNwDpua30


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    #25
    brayblue24
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭brayblue24


    not yet wrote: »
    Beer and strippers...

    ...In no particular order


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    #26
    Zyzz
    Registered Users Posts: 2,874 ✭✭✭Zyzz


    Posters of half naked women with bikes plastered all over the walls.


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    #27
    eeeee
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,832 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    Zyzz wrote: »
    Posters of half naked women with bikes plastered all over the walls.

    Only if there are also semi nudey menfolk on show too. :P calendar time!!


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    #28
    Darkglasses
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,526 Mod ✭✭✭✭Darkglasses


    gadetra wrote: »
    Only if there are also semi nudey menfolk on show too. :P calendar time!!

    You're looking for the party bus ;)

    427532_10151367141400328_593742092_n.jpg


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    #29
    eeeee
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,832 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    Oh I am familiar with the party bus ;)

    There has been a lack of 'talent' around those parts lately *sniff*


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    #30
    Koobcam
    Registered Users Posts: 828 ✭✭✭Koobcam


    Apart from the decor, I reckon opening hours are important. People doing 9-5 jobs (which may or may not be the majority??) and cycling would benefit from being able to drop off a bike before work and collecting afterwards-Harry's in Clonskeagh is great for this. The only customers you'll get during the day are full-time cyclists and people without a job-who may also be full-time cyclists, though may not have so much disposable income.

    Showing races live is a great idea, but I would suggest projector and pull-down screen for this, though obviously it will depend on how much space you have.

    You should also consider sponsoring a cycling club-if the shop is in Dublin, then you'll get your name out to a lot of people this way. And, if you want to get cyclists to your shop, then as I mentioned above, opening hours…People will want to be having their coffee before and after their spins, and you could turn yourself into a nice meeting place for a lot of people.


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    #31
    happytramp
    Registered Users Posts: 2,599 ✭✭✭happytramp


    Where about's is it going to be?


This discussion has been closed.
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