"CS112_smb29" <
[email protected] wrote:
>We are thinking about creating a bicycle shop that has a buy, sell, trade option for customers. Is
>there a used bicycle market? This town is very bicycle friendly, and I think this would be a
>successful business venture, what do you think?
I think there is a market for that sort of used bike shop. When we were shopping in the $100 dollar
range for a BMX bike for my G/F's little sister we hit the discount stores first. Complete **** and
not that cheap. Next we hit a few pawn shops. Better bikes, but with some serious flaws that made
them unsafe/unridable without sinking some money into refurbishing brakes/bearings. In spite of
these obvious flaws the completely unknowledgeable sales staff would not negotiate on price. Again,
complete **** and not that cheap. Next we went to our favorite LBS, which got it's start doing the
used bike thing, but segued into a pretty standard LBS with the usual major brand, only with less
snob attitude, a clear vibe that -any- bike that gets ridden is a cool bike, and a willingness to
put odd things together to give the customer something that will work for their unique needs. (They
were amazing at putting together a small MTB with drop bars, bar end shifters and rigid fork for my
G/F who couldn't find a entry level touring bike for her very low stand-over height.) They had a
real bike or two but the deal wasn't that great. Quality merchandise, very limited selection, not
that cheap. Our final attempt was a bike shop in the campus area that strictly dealt in used and
typically funky old one speed cruiser style bikes. The selection wasn't exactly vast, but they had a
well used, but still very usable, mid-range BMX bike with a chrome frame, straight alloy wheels, and
fully functional brakes/bearings within our $100 limit. The kid loves her new bike after over a
year, regularly smokes the other kids on their discount store death traps, and constantly fends off
offers from other kids to buy or trade for her bike. Whenever someone asks about buying a bike for
basic beater transportation or kids I send them there. Another used bike shop has opened on the
other side of town recently so there may even be enough demand to support two such shops in Austin.