Taking over the bike shop...

[Andy in Germany]

One of the things Recyke Y'Bike does re pricing is note on the price ticket what has been done to turn it from a secondhand bike to a refurbished one - so things like "brake pads replaced", etc. So buyers can see that more has been done than just a quick clean.

A good idea because it also means the person who did the work has to take some responsibility, and it also means there's a list of "standard" steps to follow, and I want to get the clients to all work on the bikes in roughly the same order.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I work as a volunteer mechanic for a bike charity in Stafford, Back2bikes, where we refurbish donated bikes (that would otherwise go to the tip although some are like new!) and sell them at affordable prices. We also do bike servicing and repairs. When it comes to displaying bikes it depends on how much space you've got. We're dead lucky....our unit is pretty big so we provide a 'front of house' shop, where the bikes are on show, and behind the scenes is the workshop and a massive stock area full of donated bikes. We have a couple of 'upstairs' storage areas too that house an array of random bike bits. We display bikes in logical grouping e.g. mountain bikes, MTB's, road bikes, folders/shoppers and children's bikes. The place has been going for donkeys years although I can never quite work out why. Our prices are so cheap I wonder how we manage to cover our costs! If I was our accountant I'd be putting the prices up but when all's said and done we ARE a charity I suppose 😉

Thanks for the link @Big John: I've had a good look at the website, strange that I used to live fairly close to there. I like the use of a bike chain as a staffs knot.

We're doing a very similar job in a similar location, out of town in a light industrial area, although we're on a fairly busy road and part of a bigger large store.

I notice you also have three main "Product groups" in your website, and I expect I'll do the same in our shop. The structure will also help when clients are asking which bike to fix first: if we know we have a dozen MTB's but only one kids bike then we be more focussed.

How well does the online parts selling work? I'm not sure if we can do that here but if we can it would be a handy extra revenue stream.

 

[classic33]

Could you do "Bargain of the week". Never picking a bike from the same person who worked on it twice in a row.
An incentive for those working on getting the bikes ready for resale.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I spent a lot of time today on the phone talking with some great people from Recyke y' Byke and Back 2 Bikes, and then a shop in Freiburg. It may seem odd that I'd start with UK based shops but I still find I can think easier when asking questions in English, and then I don't find calling German speakers as stressful. Also I think the UK has had these workshops for longer so it's good to hear how they do this sort of thing.

Anyway, I had a good chat and got a lot of ideas, and Recyke y' Bike even sent a PDF of their check sheet which I have now given to a bilingual client to translate.

I called a shop in Freiburg, and found myself talking to a very enthusiastic lady; apparently they wanted to make contact with us so we can work together so I now have an invitation to visit and find how they work, and I need to organise a return visit for her to our shop, although bearing in mind the state of our workshop I think I'll check with the boss first...

 

[chriswoody]

I've been reading this thread with interest, it's great to read of your work and ideas. Unlike the other contributors, I unfortunately don't really have any great ideas, I just wanted to wish you well with your endeavours.

Your work does being to mind though a project in Hannover train station. We have two bike garages here, where for a modest fee you can rent a space for your bike. You don't actually go beyond the front desk, staff will go and garage or retrieve, your bike for you from the depths. They will also service or fix your bike whilst it's stored if you want. The best part of the project though, is similar to the work you do, most of the staff are in some kind of social care and this provides them with a route back into society. (I'm a little hazy on the exact facts, I'd need to look it up, but I think they have issues with drink/drugs etc.)

 

[DCLane]

@Andy in Germany - it may be worth you contacting The Bikes College in Leeds plus Happy Days Cycles in Sowerby bridge, who do exactly what you're looking to do.

 

[Andy in Germany]

@Andy in Germany - it may be worth you contacting The Bikes College in Leeds plus Happy Days Cycles in Sowerby bridge, who do exactly what you're looking to do.

Thanks for that @DCLane : The Bikes College has a different system which actually makes some sense, where they have unrepaired bikes and build to the customer's wishes, while Happy Days is really inspirational.

 

[All uphill]

Our local bike recycling project sorts bike by types and prices serviced low end utility bikes at attractive prices (£80 to £100); this is negotiable for people in the toughest circumstances and nobody leaves without a bike because they can't afford one.

Higher end bikes are displayed separately and priced (imo) quite highly (50% of new cost even for a ten year old Trek) but still sell very well because they are serviced and ready to go.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Our local bike recycling project sorts bike by types and prices serviced low end utility bikes at attractive prices (£80 to £100); this is negotiable for people in the toughest circumstances and nobody leaves without a bike because they can't afford one.

Higher end bikes are displayed separately and priced (imo) quite highly (50% of new cost even for a ten year old Trek) but still sell very well because they are serviced and ready to go.

I liked the Recyk ' Byke solution for people unable to afford a bike: they have a list and when a bike comes that is unsellable but roadworthy they contact the person and give them the bike for free. As they point out, it's a bit catch 22: If they do the usual checks it costs them about 30 pounds in labour, so they can't give many bikes away before they lose money, but if they sell a bike they're liable if something goes wrong and someone is hurt. By giving the unsellable bikes away, they get around the legal aspect.

I also suspect it filters out people claiming they need a bike but can't afford to pay, whose intention is to take it around the corner and sell it for the next hit.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Display of bikes is always important but it obviously depends on the space available. We have a large work and storage area but only a smallish display area for completed bikes so we use space outside the unit when we can.
We found that it made more sense just to sell bikes on two days..Friday and Saturday morning so that we could build up stock during the week, and we display photos of all available bikes on our website. We are also lucky in that we are just a few hundred metres from large university halls of residence which are a good source of customers each autumn......and discarded bikes.

Here is our website:
https://www.cardiffcycleworkshop.org.uk

 

[Andy in Germany]

Display of bikes is always important but it obviously depends on the space available. We have a large work and storage area but only a smallish display area for completed bikes so we use space outside the unit when we can.
We found that it made more sense just to sell bikes on two days..Friday and Saturday morning so that we could build up stock during the week, and we display photos of all available bikes on our website. We are also lucky in that we are just a few hundred metres from large university halls of residence which are a good source of customers each autumn......and discarded bikes.

Here is our website:
https://www.cardiffcycleworkshop.org.uk

That's a very smart website @Rusty Nails; thanks for the link. I'll look in detail at some point when I have a quiet moment.

A customer wanted to buy a bike today and when they'd tested it they reported the gears were "not working well". this is odd as bikes put out for sale should be roadworthy. When I checked it the gears were pretty much useless, and again the brakes needed re-tensioning. The bikes seem to have been thrown together any old how and put out for sale.

I wonder what the person who put them together would have told the customer?

Sunday is a bike market in the local town and I'm supposed to take bikes out to sell. I think I'll make sure I take a stand and some tools as well.

There will be a meeting on Monday with the boss, the shop manager, the bike maintenance team and me, where they will be officially told that I'm now leading the team. Judging by the reports from the boss and the manager, one team member is going to do his best to make trouble.

Should be interesting.

 

[Rusty Nails]

That's a very smart website @Rusty Nails; thanks for the link. I'll look in detail at some point when I have a quiet moment.

A customer wanted to buy a bike today and when they'd tested it they reported the gears were "not working well". this is odd as bikes put out for sale should be roadworthy. When I checked it the gears were pretty much useless, and again the brakes needed re-tensioning. The bikes seem to have been thrown together any old how and put out for sale.

I wonder what the person who put them together would have told the customer?

Sunday is a bike market in the local town and I'm supposed to take bikes out to sell. I think I'll make sure I take a stand and some tools as well.

There will be a meeting on Monday with the boss, the shop manager, the bike maintenance team and me. Judging by past experience, one team member is going to do his best to make trouble.

Should be interesting.

Isn't there a PDI (pre-delivery inspection) system in place so that someone senior/tech qualified can sign the bikes off before sale?
This is always a good idea, but essential when selling bikes worked on by trainees/volunteers to avoid things like the above happening.
It adds to a good audit trail and is not just bureaucracy.

Do you have any short-term warranties for sold bikes.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Isn't there a PDI (pre-delivery inspection) system in place so that someone senior/tech qualified can sign the bikes off before sale?

That was my question too. Apparently there should be, but it seems to have been ignored.

There will be one, don't worry.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I wonder what the person who put them together would have told the customer?

It might be an idea to ask someone who knows next to nothing about bikes and the operation to go in as a type of "mystery shopper" and then give you feedback on the whole process from display, interactions, selling technique etc.
(Sorry, it's not clear to me if you're the "main man" and solely responsible for sales. If you are, then ask a friend to send in a friend who you don't know.)

The thing is, you're effectively starting from scratch so it's better to "know" something than to assume or think.

Ditto with prices. Scan the online ads and walk around any "competition" to do a real comparison.

I'd also consider setting up an after-sales feedback process because you're new and want to make changes.
Maybe just an email address or phone number - "We'd like to contact you in a month to see how the bike is going for you". Again, working with real data.

Judging by the reports from the boss and the manager, one team member is going to do his best to make trouble.

That could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I can't tell you how many times I was warned about "X" or "Y" going into a job. Just because someone has a problem with them doesn't mean I have to.

Best of luck!

 

[Andy in Germany]

That could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I can't tell you how many times I was warned about "X" or "Y" going into a job. Just because someone has a problem with them doesn't mean I have to.

I understand that, but it's different from general gossip, the reports were specific and detailed and focussed on finding the best strategy to deal with this client; because he's got a history of being manipulative and difficult. Part of my job is recognising why this may be, so we can refer clients to get more in depth help if they need it.

It's also professional courtesy to let me know what I'm walking into.