Business Ideas
 

I’m trying to develop a homebased business. I’d like to do something with dealing with bicycles, and I need to know the what demand for certain accessories. I don’t want to develop something and no one buy it, lol. Here are a few ideas. What do you guys think?

Make and sell recumbent specific bags and panniers, clothing and raingear.
Make and sell custom bicycle flags, ankle bands, gloves for high viability and safety.
Design a reverse hydropack. A hydro pack that fit on your front side.
Sell an ebook on how to make your own touring gear.
Design bike clothing for big guys like me.

Thanks

bike clothing for big guys sounds like a good idea!

and you could combine that with the custom bike bags.

any sort of bike clothing/gear i'd think could be profitable if you make stuff that looks normal and not the "space-bike-gear" i see all the time that is made plain ugly in it's quest to be advanced.

i really like things made outta wool....

The front-mounted hydrapack has been done:
http://www.thebeerbelly.com/

I think the recumbent-specific stuff idea is the best from a business standpoint. Less competition.

I've considered setting up a bicycle headhunting/matchmaking service for folks on a budget (say under $300) that want a decent quality reliable commuting bike. Most shops here won't carry used bikes unless they're higher end and Craigslist is a bit of a crapshoot if you don't know what to look for.

The problem is I don't want to be a bike shop, and really there's a lot to be said for the convenience for being able to walk into a shop and walk out with a bike. Private sellers can be really flaky, and the prospect of unknowingly helping people buy stolen bikes doesn't thrill me. Still... I think there are people out there who would be willing to pay finder's fee for a nice old bike.

I thought something that might be kind of cool would be to make bike racks out of old bikes. You could weld a steel rod into the seat post cradle and mount it upside down in concrete. You would take the wheels off and maybe replace them with something like conduit bent into a circle and welded in place. The bikes could be painted differently almost as a work of art or something to make them more attractive.
Just a thought.

Andy
www.myvemma.com/unbent