I honestly advise folks to pick the shop that will serve you best, not the brand. All the big names are good, but service can vary greatly. Heck, don't many of the brands come out of the same factory in China?

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

+1! Exactly! I go back to the same two shops over and over because they know their stuff, do an amazing job, and are honest about what needs to be done and doesn't need to be done.

It's not the biggest or the most well known company but I have been really impressed by my Argon 18 Gallium Pro and E-118 this year. I am really looking forward to trying the Nitrogen and the E-118 Next in 2015.

*Yes, they do sponsor my team but trust me, if I didn't believe in their products I wouldn't be saying anything about them!

I think as others have suggested, you need to look at your local demographics and competition and find a way to differentiate yourself. It goes beyond what brand you sell, but the entire retail ecosystem you create. Remember that your competition isn't just the other bike shops - it's Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, Target, etc., too.

If I were to start a bike shop, I would consider having 3 or 4 brands, varying from affordable to high end. You might want to have that cornerstone bike brand that has a really broad range of products (Specialized, Giant, Trek, Cannondale, Schwinn, maybe Scott) offering something for everybody from the tykes to the local Cat 1 folks. Add in a couple of more specialized or boutique brands nobody else in the area is selling to provide some uniqueness. You also need to look out for the agreements with the manufacturers and distributors, so they don't prevent you from selling another brand you would like to sell.

Focus on service with a smile, and please, please, please don't be a bike snob. I don't know how many new cyclists I meet that get really turned off by the local shops when they are looking to spend $500-1000 on a bike, thinking that's a lot of money, and are treated like a second class citizen. If anything, embrace the beginners. If that actually involves hugs, so be it. lol! You've got a bike and they've got a butt. The more of those butts that you get on bikes, the better. Don't think of your customer base as a dollar amount - think of them as a community.

I think I went off on a tangent there. Sorry about that.

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

Do you actually want to sell bikes or just be a snooty shop that sells the most expensive bikes, then goes out of business in 6 months? You're not going to make your margins selling the above bikes but you could afford to sell a few of them if you made your money moving a shitload of Specialized Hardrocks or whatever.

You'll want one major brand, be that Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Giant, etc. Then fill the store with smaller specialty brands. Bikes like: Cervelo, Orbea, Quintana Roo, Pinarello, Boardman, etc.

If you want to be successful, you will definitely want to favor the triathlon market as they are keeping many bike stores alive.

If I was daft enough to open a bike shop then one thing I would look at is making a house brand with no-name carbon frames built with components bought from the UK. A lot of individuals are building these but their mechanic skills usually suck and they would be better off letting someone experienced do the build.

You have clearly never worked in a bike shop, or if you did they are a serious outlier. Triathlon bikes do not keep a shot afloat, in fact bikes in general do not keep shops in the green. I worked two summers at two different very big shops, both had won dealer of the year awards for spec and trek and both had a very good reputation. In other words this is your best case situation i am going to discuss. Bikes have low margins and you sell very few high end bikes. Some of the best margins are on low end bikes under 1k. Even with amazing sales months we relied on the service department and accessories to keep us in the green. We even had a large triathlon section and marketed well and the sales are still much less than people think. Just to give you an idea of our sales breakdown,

In a typical month

50-60 MTB/Hybrids under 1k
10-12 MTB's between 1-2k
4-6 MTB's over 2k
3-4 road bikes under 2k
1-2 road bikes over 2k
1-2 tri bike, in the spring it might jump to 2

From a pure profit perspective our service department would make the shop more than all of our bike sales each month. Also many of the big brands will have some sort of deal where you can only sell specific competitors alongside their brands. So you will almost never see specialized or trek sold along side BMC/Cervelo unless your shop has an top notch sales and credit record.

Another big consideration for you is what restrictions certain brands will put on you. For example, if you decide to get in bed with Specialized they (typically) will not allow you to sell much, if anything, else. Different brands are different on this policy, and it also depends on the level/size dealer you are. If you want to sell really high end models the brand may demand a higher level of exclusivity from you.

Been a little over 10 years since I worked at a bike shop but when I did we had 2 stores. They were in neighboring towns and as the crow flies they were less than 10 miles a part. The brands that sold well and the type of customer varied greatly between those two shops, and they both carried the same brands.

The other thing is just because you want to sell a brand doesn't mean you can.

There is nothing anyone in this thread can tell you in regards to brands based on what you have given for information or the questions you have asked.

I have 2 bikes from them and love them. A 2011 and a 2014 Krypton. Both have been fantastic.

I'd love to have the newest E-118 from them.

Yes, with online buying, service is the difference. Sad to learn that the big guys dictate what you carry versus their competitors. If you go out of business, they lose anyway. Support the LBS! (if they please you with their service).

Highest sales volume? Trek and Specialized with Giant and CSG fighting for 3rd place.

-SD

Really?
Explain!

http://www.zeppelinbike.com/...oad-bike/5-zepp.html

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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain.

It all depends on what your goal is with the shop.

Are you trying to be a boutique/specialty shop? Better have the market base for that. And then take into account that many of those buyers are going to cross shop and research a LOT before they buy and many times this ends up being online because they know what they are looking for.

Bread and butter LBS? You need big brands, a lot of inventory and great service. Expect most of your sales to be in the < $500 range with most being hybrids, kids bikes and lower end mountain. If you earn a reputation for being a solid shop with great service and good selection, you can survive. But the market is fickle and very heavily loaded, so a few screw ups will have you out of business in not time.

Too often, potential bike shop owners see stars in their eyes with grandiose hopes of selling everyone Di2 equipped carbon dream bikes and plan on stocking 50 of them in all sizes. Well guess what ...... you'll be selling those below cost in 3 years when you can't clear your inventory on a seasonal basis if you are even able to stay open.

Like any other business, if you don't have business accumen and knowledge and a good reserve of cash, you are going to struggle to stay self sustaining. A passionate cyclist as an owner does NOT equal/make a successful business owner.

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_____________________________________________
Rick, "Retired" hobbyist athlete
Trying to come back slowly from acute A-Fib

https://www.google.com/...oad-bike%3B800%3B600

meant as a joke since all bikes i mentioned are no longer being built