General Cycling Discussion - Do you......

I am looking for info about posters here.

I would love to own a bike shop and sell bikes and parts, but unfortunatly they don't make enough money for me to have a family and survive on.

Hunter, if you dont mind... For thoes who own a bike shop, please PM me, i have a project on my hands and would like to talk to a few shop owners. :)

There are three completely different topics in this one poll that could easily be broken out into more meaningful and interesting results:

Making bicycles your business: There are many bicycle-related businesses beyond basic shop ownership to include frame fabrication and/or restoration, tour operators, component manufacturers, clothing manufactures, event promoters, etc... This would make for an interesting poll and discussion thread.

Rate your mechanical abilities: Everything from woohoo I changed my own tire today to spending a year as the factory team wrench for the Navigators could be covered here with carefully worded selections.

Where do you do your shopping: Supporting your LBS and doing business with mail order, Etailers or buying stuff second hand from Ebay or message boards are not mutually exclusive.

Just something to consider.

Oh yea,

- Tandem cycling advocate, event organizer and information resource provider but not a retailer -- yet: I still got time to have a second career.
- Worked in bike shops as a youth, do all my own work to include wheel building and help friends with their tandems because good tandem mechanics are hard to find.
- Buy certain things from my LBS at 15% discount because of club membership, buy certain other things from Etailers because they offer the best price and can actually get it, buy some things at cost from "buds" who do own bicycle businesses, and also pick up odds and ends -- to include complete bicycles -- by shopping for second hand stuff on the Web.

Originally posted by froze
I would love to own a bike shop and sell bikes and parts, but unfortunatly they don't make enough money for me to have a family and survive on.

Here's a great oldie for the joke list...

How do you make a small fortune in the bicycle business?
Start with a large fortune....

Work at a shop, wish I could own my own sort of, support the LBS like mad and do my own work.

Support my LBS mainly, and do a little of my own work. Looking to do more in the future.

I've never taken a bike to a shop. Always do my own work. Almost all my shopping is done via the web. We have one bike shop in this town and it's not stocked well at all. No name brand tires for instance; just generic tires. I've purchased a few things from a shop along the Katy Trail, but don't stop there often.

I support my LBS. Have no desire to own my own shop or work in one. I do my own work when I can.

You forgot

4a. Used to work at a bike shop (fond memories)
4b. Used to work at a bike shop (preferred eating regularly)

Mark me down for both.

All but Own or work at a bike shop

Don't work or own bke shop. Support LBS to an extent but use mai orders for lots of stuff

Don't work for Shop, never have.
I don't really have a desire to open a shop.
I'd consider doing some part time work
(or full time if I won the lottery and didn't need
the money).
I largely support my LBS the exception being
buying clothes which they don't carry (specific brand)
and ferretting out vintage parts/bikes on e-bay.
I do all my own wrenching, but consult the LBS
if things get over my head.

Marty

I checked all but own/work at a bike shop.
I "support" a few bike shops in my part of town.
When I can't find what I'm looking for at one of them I do online ordering. :(



Originally posted by Joe Gardner
Hunter, if you dont mind... For thoes who own a bike shop, please PM me, i have a project on my hands and would like to talk to a few shop owners. :)
Joe's Bike Shop and Software Support

Bike sales and repairs in the front.
Software support in the back room. :lol:

You can actually ink me in for the last 3 boxes... Forced to select only one of the three? - Do my own wrench work.

I support my LBS. No time to do much of my own work what with family and work.

You needed another choice: Wish you could do your own wrenching. That's why I support my LBS. Beyond cleaning my chain and changing a flat, I'm pretty clueless. Got some pretty tools, but can't use them properly.... :crash:

I do all my own work, except I don't build wheels.

I do my own wrench stuff, as for suporting LBS, i try to balance between the bikeshop and internet.

If i had my own bikeshop, i`d launch a high quality mail order/e-shop as well, you can reach more people and they pay for delivery too.....