Setting up a bike shop

pincherrn

Hi all,

I'm looking in to the prospect of setting up a bike shop / hire in Southern Ireland. Looking for any info anybody can give me. Areas, costs etc. Are Cytech / City and guilds courses accepted or even needed. Started looking at the Killarney area but this seems well covered. Other areas would be Tralee, Cork area and Kinsale area. I don't know the areas well enough to judge whether these areas would be feasible and hoped some of you guys on here being locals would be able to give me a few pointers before I invest in a lost cause before it starts. Any help appreciated.

Colin

Gavin

Tralee/Dingle area has plenty of bike rental places but the bikes tend to be hack bikes. There may well be a market for the slightly more serious leisure cyclist who doesn't want the hassle of bringing a bike with them to Kerry.

Both for roadies and mountain biking.

Don't know anything of the details of opening a shop I'm afraid !

rp

pincherrn wrote: »

I'm looking in to the prospect of setting up a bike shop / hire in Southern Ireland.

If I had the money, I'd set-up a bike shop in or around Dublin to sell/service commuter bikes and accessories. Commuter bikes are only really an afterthought in bike shops, and those on offer aren't really suitable, they are usually BSOs. Not even "Commuter Solutions" in Ranelagh lives up to its name (they couldn't/wouldn't supply my wife with a hub-geared bike, she had to get it from Wiggle).

Light & strong bikes with mudguards, chain guards, weather proof hub gears, hub dynamos + LED lights, racks and panniers. off-the-street servicing, advice, bike parking (remember Hardings?).

Put together a commuter package to suit the new tax incentive and actively market it to companies.

tomc

What about a shop in South Dublin which would cater for rental spins into Wicklow mountains, also rent MTBs for Ballinastoe and the new track coming on stream? I know of several people who would have taken a rentals for spins up to Ballinastoe if available?

TomC

paddyb

you can already rent bikes at ballinastoe

liamtinney

I don't know about the areas you are talking about, You need to look into getting some top brands as some of these will be hard to get as other shops will have them tied up, pick 10 items that you hope to sell find the cheapest retail price in the shops and on the internet and then find out cost, and if you are happy with the poor margins that's ok , and don't go down the road "if I offer good service", as it does not make that much difference as most people will go for the cheapest price, all you have to do is check some of the threads here, If you are looking at high end bikes have at least 100k to spend on stock as most people will want it there and then. All the bike shops that I know outside the big city's have either second incomes or own there own property and have no rent to pay, I have been asking some reps in the trade if they are opening up any new accounts and over the last 3 years there has been very few new shops opened (more closed). To get accounts opened from UK suppliers is nearly impossible it will be cash up front for a few years, but all that a side good luck, but be very careful before you bury any money in to it.

Lumen

I think to set up a bike shop in 2008 and beyond, you have to deal with the reality of the internet.

The internet brings limitless choice, and generally low prices.

If you were a TV or computer retailer, this would be an insurmountable problem, because no-one really needs to see these things before purchase - you read a few reviews and click "buy".

Bikes (and much of the equipment) are different - you really do benefit from buying the stuff "in the flesh". If you can't physically see and handle the stuff, buying can be a bit of a lottery (particularly bike fit, helmets, and clothing).

So all is not lost, in theory. But you still have to find a way to compete with Halfords (at one end) and the likes of Wiggle/CRC/Winstanley at the other, unless you avoid bike sales altogether and just do accessories, rentals, servicing, physio etc.

I quite like the idea of a Mafia-style bike leasing/protection racket. You provide fully inclusive "insurance" for all bikes leased out, and if any get stolen you hunt down the perps and brutally murder them with a crankset.

liamtinney

Lumen wrote: »

Bikes (and much of the equipment) are different - you really do benefit from buying the stuff "in the flesh". If you can't physically see and handle the stuff, buying can be a bit of a lottery (particularly bike fit, helmets, and clothing).

What's some shop have to do is remove the size of the clothing, shoes and bikes etc and put codes on, to stop people getting fitted out then buying of the internet, the sales end of the bike trade is the tough end.
make sure you dont under value your repair skill's, as good bike mechanics are far and few between in Ireland.

zzzzzzzz

liamtinney wrote: »

What's some shop have to do is remove the size of the clothing, shoes and bikes etc and put codes on, to stop people getting fitted out then buying of the internet,

Do shops actually do that?

Lumen

Call me a sucker, but I won't try something on in a shop if I have no intention of buying there. That's just taking the piss.

blorg

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Do shops actually do that?

I have never heard of any shop doing that and have never been in one that did (and I have been in a few bike shops in my time Are you seriously suggesting that there are shops that go around chopping the labels off clothes? Nuts.

zzzzzzzz

blorg wrote: »

I have never heard of any shop doing that and have never been in one that did (and I have been in a few bike shops in my time Are you seriously suggesting that there are shops that go around chopping the labels off clothes? Nuts.

Yeah - that's what I thought... surely they can't sell or return stuff with labels cut off..