love2fly

This is already a potential pitfall in that you have 2 partners each likely wanting a fair slice of the income vs paying a techie......In the time I was in the industry selling to bike shops, I lost 7 customers in a year and that was pre-Covid. The odd bike shop opened to replace one which closed but it's rare that one guy can make a go of it where another couldn't. There are very few bike shops who can boast that they are operating at a high capacity and only one near me comes to mind yet I can think of 10 that are nowhere close. I would urge you to find another industry or venture where the prospect is compelling. Opportunity no longer knocks - It's running at full speed in the opposite direction so you have to work hard, smart and have a unique selling proposition to get Mr Customer to part with his money!

In my experience in most retail rental relationships, the only happy partner is the landlord. Retail rentals are just too expensive. The ideal would be a small "mini factory" but then you don't get enough passing trade........

An interesting side note about staff. I know one Techie who trained from nothing at my LBS, although I mostly dealt with the owner. After a year or so I see he's moved to another LBS - A family member of mine had him change his chainring from a 32 to something bigger for a gravel race. Lo and behold, when said trained Techie fitted the chainring (and new chain so as to keep things in a bit of a set), he kept chain same length so it would complain when in 50 tooth gear....Speaks volumes about on-the-job training and that both LBS were happy with his services. I agree with the previous poster, as soon as you have people working for you, life becomes helluva comlicated. They bring their personal problems, theft, performance etc. In our one family business we have had to deal with theft and then large scale mutiny trying to disrupt staff and encourage them to all leave and go to a competitor, but when someone needs a staff loan or advice or a lift to work for a week due to no transport..../Eish, life has become so complicated! 🙂

Order online & arrive a few hours later depends where you are. Cycling suppliers are mostly based in the WC and that means 24-48 hours to Gauteng. Suppliers generally charge customers for courier. My one principle charged courier (and marked it up) no matter how large your order so now you need a R200 part but get billed R150 for courier - Can you imagine the customers reaction when you bill him adding in courier plus your markup for courier because if you don't mark up every expense you pay you lose money?

Yeah, I've been waiting for them to set the course alight but not yet. His mate looks like he's recovering from a big prang with lots of facial injuries. Nine-Times Nino - I was done and dusted when he flatted, wow, that is the greatest comeback I have ever seen. Who comes on that strong to get back a minute or more on Pidcock! I am in awe!

Cycles United is a VERY different thing as they got together to bring in NORCO and cut out the middleman importer. I was once in one of the stores and heard how much the owner had to put in to fund another bike order from the US..........eye-watering. They each buy independently so there is generally no getting together to build volumes. At least one significant member has left the collective but that's another discussion.

The issue with several smaller bike shops buying collectively is when you need that "emergency" part for a customers bike and add a few other items to make it a worthwhile order - now you have to co-ordinate with your 5 mates and THEN, you have to disseminate the parts to eachother. Too much hassle. In theory things may seem simple but to apply them in practice complications arise.

Yip, people seem to think car dealers make the standard "retail" 30% + on a vehicle and that because you "know someone" or your wife also owns a car, you should get fleet discount. These days business is so tight, all dealers squeeze their margins and it is very difficult to get a better price...Plus, car dealerships generally belong to a couple of large groups such as Unitrans etc.... Remember the days of the Rand Show? and their special pricing? Now every day is a "Rand Show" day... Re bike shops banding together to buy....Nice idea but difficult to put into practice. The one large importer I worked for won't supply you unless you have a retail storefront not to mention minimum first order!

As someone with cycle industry experience working for some of the bigger importers in SA, Restaurant experience as well as some Hardware and my wife is in the Beauty industry: To the comment above about appreciative customers thanking you for getting a new item in: Yes, there are some appreciative customers but there are also some that are downright nasty and expect you move heaven and earth but don't want to pay. People by and large don't understand that retailers have a family behind them that need a roof over their head and food on the table as well as education for children and medical aid etc etc. They think we as retailers are making exorbitant profits and that we have room to discount everything by many%. The retail landscape in SA has changed significantly over the last years, mostly due to global recession and recently COVID which has seen many people either lose their employment or have the incomes cut. The conundrum is that as a smaller bike shop the importers don't care who you are and many won't supply you unless you buy significant volumes, so if you make a deal with a large LBS to buy from them, you are outpricing yourself as customers want it for nothing. I would hazard a guess that were you to inspect the books of a LARGE LBS (even that one that is a national "chain"), you would see that they are not making bucket loads of cash because of high expenses and inefficiency's due to mismanagement. I would suggest you rather work in another industry or open a different business and do the bike servive/shop thing as a hobby. That way you will have an income AND be happy.

Now those are the Shimano I remember. I like to only have to use one finger. Also ax I weigh 100kg I probably don't experience the on/off as bad. I run 180mm rotors front and back

Thanks to everybody who responded. I think I'll look out for a reasonably priced set of Shimanos and will give them a try. I'll keep my Sram s in case I'm not happy but get the sense I won't need to...

I weigh 100kg and like to go fairly fast (by my mediocre maybe standards) the Shimanos I had were like a button initially and even down the very steep lower Table Mountain trails one finger was enough ..

Thanks for the feedback

That made my Friday....and TLM stands for "Too Little Modulation!"

2k is nuts. I once recon'd my VW Golf racing car calipers.....very easy and probably didn't cost me R500 to do both....

I'm leaning towards something like XT or similar. Are Hope and Magura any good?

They're Level Ultimate (think TL or TLM), I'm not near my bike to double check. Latest set were replaced by CS less than a year ago.

In response to MarcW and porqui above: I'm so unimpressed with Levels... Im on my 3rd set after having 2 sets replaced under warranty. I just find them spongy and the lever gets ever-closer to the bars despite adjusting reach. On my first MTB - A scott 26"er I had Shimano brakes (weren't even XT etc just "blank") and they were stunning. One finger and not a lot of pressure needed. Ive had my brakes bled and re-bled and even from new they are at best mediocre.

Ok thanks, thats in line with what I was thinking.

Im considering swapping my Sram Level brakes for Shimano. 1. Which would be a fair comparison/upgrade without breaking the bank? 2. Would I need an adaptor for my Eagle GX shifter? Thanks in advance....

Pardon the slight high jack. My grips have been moved onto numerous bars to try different lengths and the end plugs have given up. Where can I get just end plugs? PS Sheldon (at Dagleys near Eagle Canyon) does his own foam type grip. They are inexpensive and have survived a year of riding and transplanting....

Why was the rear hub repair so expensive if just a bearing? I never replace my BB and replace the bearings only Sram GXP threaded probably R200 in total...As soon as I hear any sort of noise I strip, clean and grease.. prevention is cheaper than cure 😃

I drink USN Winners Energ... 1kg for around R140 😃

Yip. Although fasted rides DO play a role but not every day. They do help me lose weight and burn fat but only now and then

I second this, although it differs somewhat for me. I have a light breakfast of 2 thin slices of ciabatta with Flora & jam but MUST be 2 hours before ride. Any shorter and I feel tired. If I don't have breakfast I start to eat 10 to 15 into a ride. I start with an energy bar and move onto bread rolls with thin spread Flora and a slice of ham. I make each roll then cut into two and squash down and wrap in a little clingfilm. I enjoy the savoury after the sweet juice (I've done back to back comparisons with more expensive Biogen and the cheapest USN and I get the same results). Having over the years used Cytomax, Hammer, 32GI and many others I find them all similar. If you're fit you can eat and drink what you want and as little as you like and it's what you're accustomed to...