[Dylan Dean]

Am i suicidal? maybe.. haha Anyway, as some of you might know, my father has had a recumbent trike shop here in north san diego county. we've been in this newer location in escondido for about a year & have been doing well, but it's time to expand. I'm in the process of converting it into a full service bike shop. i'm not looking to compete against the big boys (trek store, performance, etc), so i want to keep this more of a family bike shop feel & focus on the low/mid range levels. but you know me... i'll have some high end stuff here!

anyway, i just wanted to see if anyone had any imput on what they think is needed in this particular area... any brands? any specific type of product? any & all suggestions are appreciated!

cheers,

Dylan

 

[RUFUS]

Now you can be voted into a three year position from USAC for working in a bike shop, since it is now considered being in the industry.

Morewood and Yeti for sure. Two amazing companies that are expanding rapidly with great product, customer service, warranty, etc.

The boys and girls at both Morewood and Yeti are a treat to work with.

Those are my frame manu. suggestions.

I haven't had any personal experiences with Giant but their entire lineup of bikes for 2010 look spot on.

 

[troubbledone]

only thing about yeti is that they are expensive, thats if you want to keep it low to mid range

 

[Dylan Dean]

yah, down the road i'll bring in some high end brands... it looks like i'll be a specialty dealer for Pivot & BH Bikes.. still sorting that out. & will be a Turner dealer as well. Jamis is coming in later today to talk & i'm waiting to hear back from Specilaized, C-dale & a few other brands.

 

[jonKranked]

Just some info in regards to Specialized:

They can be very controlling. They don't play well if you are trying to sell trek. They will push you to have a certain (high) percentage of all bikes on the floor be specialized.

 

[Dylan Dean]

Just some info in regards to Specialized:

They can be very controlling. They don't play well if you are trying to sell trek. They will push you to have a certain (high) percentage of all bikes on the floor be specialized.

thanks for the 411. i'm not looking to sell trek. would be cool, but they have a trek superstore 2 towns over (10 min drive on fwy)

 

[H8R]

For every day movers take a look at:
Masi
Kona
Redline

I would have these in a shop if I opened one.


But I'm not suicidal.

 

[Dylan Dean]

For every day movers take a look at:
Masi
Kona
Redline

I would have these in a shop if I opened one.


But I'm not suicidal.

thanks. i can order up Redline.. forgot about them. can't do masi (haro), since theres a shop in town that kinda sells them already. looking into kona now.

thanks!

 

[jonKranked]

thanks for the 411. i'm not looking to sell trek. would be cool, but they have a trek superstore 2 towns over (10 min drive on fwy)

It can be beneficial also, because they will cut you some super deals, but from what I've heard now they are also pushing their accessories a lot too. But they make some really good priced clipless shoes, helmets, and even tires.

 

[jonKranked]

thanks. i can order up Redline.. forgot about them. can't do masi (haro), since theres a shop in town that kinda sells them already. looking into kona now.

thanks!

If you wanna do bmx stuff, pretty much and of the small, high end companies would be willing to work with you. (Think Kink, Sunday, FMB, Shadow, Animal, etc).

 

[Dylan Dean]

thanks.. yah, been lookin at a few of those bmx brands. not gonna bring in a huge amoutn to begin with, but i want to have a good showcase

great meeting with Jamis.. looks like i might pick them up

 

[H8R]

Road frames -

Don't know how it is now (haven't worked in a shop in a few years) but the owner at the last shop I worked at raved about working with Soma Fabrications and Landshark.



Oh and make sure you carry Skuut.





BTW - (and this is not a veiled attempt at spam, it's blatant spam) - I can print bike shop t-shirts and APRONS. Water based ink, eco-friendly. Think about it.

 

[Dylan Dean]

Oh and make sure you carry Skuut.



BTW - (and this is not a veiled attempt at spam, it's blatant spam) - I can print bike shop t-shirts and APRONS. Water based ink, eco-friendly. Think about it.

i was actually thinking about possibly brining in one or 2 of those.. was't sure the name of them. so thanks! will check around for any other types/brands.

is always good... i never do that! shoot me a price sheet. i've got a guy i'm doing some small runs, but i'm always down to check out other sources & my father might be into the whole eco-friendly idea too

jdd@dylan-dean.com

 

[sanjuro]

Am i suicidal? maybe.. haha Anyway, as some of you might know, my father has had a recumbent trike shop here in north san diego county. we've been in this newer location in escondido for about a year & have been doing well, but it's time to expand. I'm in the process of converting it into a full service bike shop. i'm not looking to compete against the big boys (trek store, performance, etc), so i want to keep this more of a family bike shop feel & focus on the low/mid range levels. but you know me... i'll have some high end stuff here!

anyway, i just wanted to see if anyone had any imput on what they think is needed in this particular area... any brands? any specific type of product? any & all suggestions are appreciated!

cheers,

Dylan

This is going to be a challenge for you.

Your experiences in the high end may directly interfere with running a family shop.

Will you be happy explaining what a hybrid is 25 times a day? Can you sell a bike without using words like grams, performance, or plushness? Do you think you will be happy when your average bike sale time is under 15 minutes?

Carrying a few high end lines will please your own ego but if your profile is the family shop, many high end riders won't come into your place.

The two best run shops in this area is a family shop owned by the Diamondback rep and the other is strictly high end mountain bikes. There is almost no subset of customers for the two shops.

 

[Kanye West]

Specialized also requires an ENORMOUS initial buy-in of inventory that is usually too big to be cost effective for most shops.

 

[Dylan Dean]

This is going to be a challenge for you.

Your experiences in the high end may directly interfere with running a family shop.

Will you be happy explaining what a hybrid is 25 times a day? Can you sell a bike without using words like grams, performance, or plushness? Do you think you will be happy when your average bike sale time is under 15 minutes?

Carrying a few high end lines will please your own ego but if your profile is the family shop, many high end riders won't come into your place.

The two best run shops in this area is a family shop owned by the Diamondback rep and the other is strictly high end mountain bikes. There is almost no subset of customers for the two shops.

lol... i'll be good on both respects. i've been here helping my father sell recumbent trikes. that's about as far away from high end mtb as you can get! lol

most of the money the shop will make will be from low/mid range adult bikes & kids bikes. yet at the same time, there is a market for select other brands at the botique level. i think it'll be fine.

 

[jonKranked]

most of the money the shop will make will be from low/mid range adult bikes & kids bikes. yet at the same time, there is a market for select other brands at the botique level. i think it'll be fine.

most money shops make doesn't come from bike sales, but from accessories. Margins on bikes are pretty slim comparatively.

Shop where I used to wrench had a dedicated sales stuff. There was one kid that was really good. A guy came in one day to buy a low end bike - Trek 820. He left with not only the bike, but a helmet, gloves, riding shorts, jersey, lights, a trunk rack, and I think a rear fender.

 

[sanjuro]

lol... i'll be good on both respects. i've been here helping my father sell recumbent trikes. that's about as far away from high end mtb as you can get! lol

most of the money the shop will make will be from low/mid range adult bikes & kids bikes. yet at the same time, there is a market for select other brands at the botique level. i think it'll be fine.

I re-read your first message, and if you have ever worked in your father's recumbent trike shop, you are used to talking to weirdos and losers already!

Mostly, I think there has to be love of cycling to work with both ends of the spectrum. When I go into the high end road shops or the family bike store, I get a whiff of condescension or indifference.

Ultimately, I think when shops treat you like have a $$$ printed on your forehead, I won't go into them. I treat all my customers like "Hey dude, what's going on", before I ask, "What I can do for you?"

 

[Dylan Dean]

I re-read your first message, and if you have ever worked in your father's recumbent trike shop, you are used to talking to weirdos and losers already!

Mostly, I think there has to be love of cycling to work with both ends of the spectrum. When I go into the high end road shops or the family bike store, I get a whiff of condescension or indifference.

Ultimately, I think when shops treat you like have a $$$ printed on your forehead, I won't go into them. I treat all my customers like "Hey dude, what's going on", before I ask, "What I can do for you?"

very much so... although i can call them all weirdos.. i've gained a lot more respect for these customers as many of them cannot ride "normal" bikes. a good amount of them have some sort of disability - back problems, strokes, loss of limb, etc (my father had 2 strokes - which led him into this area)...
but you're defintiely right... there are A LOT of weirdos here! hahah

yah, everyone here respects both high & low end of the spectrum. & as for customers, the #1 thing we do is treat them right. many of them have actually said they appreciate our attitude as many other shop have been total dicks to them as soon as they entered. the customer was willing to throw down several G's for a dh bike, but then walked out. MY GAIN (well, whenever i am able to get a dh bike in here! haha)

cheers,

 

[Dylan Dean]

most money shops make doesn't come from bike sales, but from accessories. Margins on bikes are pretty slim comparatively.

Shop where I used to wrench had a dedicated sales stuff. There was one kid that was really good. A guy came in one day to buy a low end bike - Trek 820. He left with not only the bike, but a helmet, gloves, riding shorts, jersey, lights, a trunk rack, and I think a rear fender.

oh absolutely.. #1 focus right now is the standard - tubes, accessories & service... but you've gotta have some bikes in here to be considered a "bike shop" apparently! haha

 

[jonKranked]

oh absolutely.. #1 focus right now is the standard - tubes, accessories & service... but you've gotta have some bikes in here to be considered a "bike shop" apparently! haha

once your shop opens, don't forget to post up stories about the whack pack you're bound to develop.

 

[H8R]

but you're defintiely right... there are A LOT of weirdos here! hahah
,

For some fvcked up reason I was the "go-to" guy for recumbent bikes at the shop I worked at. I guess I had a thin shred of patience for these things, so people globbed onto that. (I'm sure they were kicked out of other shops). I got pretty good an splicing together 10' chains and making them actually shift.


This was in BERKELEY. You wanna talk about old freaks on recumbent bikes? That is where they go to die.

 

[Dylan Dean]

looks like i might be looking at Cannondale as well. suppose to have a meeting today, but it got postponed. might be cool

 

[lovebunny]

if you need someone to work let me know. ive been doing the ops manager position at performance for almost two years now. looking for some new scenery. let me know

 

[defythemall]

stock the ibert

 

[Ciaran]

Ridemonkey discount?

 

[Manifesto]

Stock Banshee

 

[Dylan Dean]

Ridemonkey discount?

10% above retail! ;-)