So in my dreams last night I opened a Bike Shop that purely and simply dealt in retro steel road bikes, none of the more modern materials like alloy or carbon fibre . It was a tough decision to make as I was worried about the location of said premises to start with but after a fair bit of market research I was happy with the location .
My opening stock is made up of a nice mixture of pre-owned British made bikes from the 60’s and 70’s all ready to ride off into to the sunset with their new owner aboard . My ideal customer is a male and in his mid-40’s with a liking for well-made products rather than the modern equivalent . Of course older and younger customers are welcome to come and spend their hard earned coppers with me .
P
Not only will this dream shop sell bikes it will also carry out custom builds and general repairs that can range from fitting new brake pads to complete overhauls that include a full paint de strip and after checking the frame over it can be repainted in required colours and finish and then re built . All this work is carried out on site apart from the repainting which is sub contracted out to a local automotive refinishing shop .
Any other repairs are carried out by our own trained bike technicians who have had many years experience . A lot of what we do is not standard work when compared to other bike shops that sell more modern equipment . Wheels are built using nickel plated spokes rather than plain galvanized or stainless ones unless customer request otherwise . We also hold a good level of stock on period style rims both in Alloy or chrome plated steel ones , we also have a selection of both small or large flanged hubs from a variety of suppliers .
As most of us are aware a bike shop is only as good as the service it provides to its customers who walk through the door , not only were the repairs I dreamed about being done, we also provided an excellent retro bike hire service. These bike were all serviced ready to go at a very reasonable rate for however long or short period the customer required .
So all in all this was a strange dream to have , but it was also a very nice one and one that I should think many cyclist have in one form or another.
P
biggs682 
The old bike shop across from Matalan has closed down now so there is a gap in the market that needs filling 🙂 Sounds great!!
dont tempt me
Count me in.
It took me 3 posts to cover the inspiration I got from restoring my 1960s Freddie Grubb
Great idea, after all there many specialists who solely restore vintage cars or motorbikes so why not bikes. But here’s my dilemma do I apply for a job or do I spend my hard earned on all those vintage components that I can’t live without
tough decision
The thing is if I was lucky enough to work in your shop you might just as well pay me in components anyway. And why not go the whole hog and build you own frames, thats something I’ve thought about many times
thats a bit more special
Yes but ultimately very satisfying seeing a bike that bears your own name, and not too difficult it just takes about 20 years experience