Відео

Speak your truth without letting others influence your opinions

Is the clock battery dead? appears to be stuck

I really like this guy. The micro is about bikes and business, but the macro is about meeting people's needs and wants via respect, attitude, understanding, and treatment. "NEW" can always be a trap. "NEW" is a shiny object, smells good, looks kewl and appeals to our tactile, intellectual, and business senses so it must be good, right? WRONG. We all have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).However one must also remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side, it's where you distribute the water. Basically be the be the best at your core strengths and products. This is the primary mission, then look to the new. This a fundamental for me.

You have got this very right!

I'm a combination of 3 & 1 I need a multipurpose bike & having the better stuff is nice but not if it means over paying when something just as good but not the latest trend works just as well

So true 😊

I'm in Ireland so not speaking for North America and I'm not absolutely sure which segment I fit into. I got back into riding a bike about 8 years ago. I had no interest in being a roadie so it was just for the occasional ride for fun or to leave the car at home. The bike was a Christmas gift so I didn't buy it. I soon got a set of panniers from Lidl and then racks, bags and baskets for every conceivable use and then I got a couple of big trailers and suddenly my bike was a real alternative to a car. Then I decided I wanted to go "e". I just took delivery of my first e-bike at the end of July last year. I spent several months going into a lot of different bike shops in a 50 km radius checking out what was available beforehand. I'm 2 metres tall (over 6'6) and 120 kg so I knew I was going to be limited to a smaller selection of what was available and it would probably have to be a special order too. Which is exactly how it turned out to be. I wanted what I described as an all round commuter cargo bike lite workhorse (but not an actual cargo bike) and showed photos and videos of what I was doing with my existing ordinary hybrid to warrant that description. A picture really is worth a thousand words sometimes. I still regularly got directed to the e-road bike and e-mtb sections although that was absolutely what I did not want. Oddly enough for whatever reasons, there seemed to be a pretty large selection of e-road bikes in extra large frame sizes available even though I didn't want one. I rarely saw family orientated or utilitarian bikes at all in these shops apart from kids bikes. And 80% of them who said they'd look into availability for something to suit me never made contact again. They appear to be selling almost exclusively expensive road or mtb bikes for the sport and recreational market or cheap crappy pretend versions of road or mtb bikes for whatever market that is. I ended up buying from a shop that persuaded me to buy a cheaper model with a less sophisticated but more durable and cheaper to repair drive system. Although that was still €3,500! A Cube Kathmandu One. I'm happy with being persuaded now. And I had to wait several months for the manufacturer to actually make more 62 cm XL frames but that wasn't a problem. But absolutely, most bike shops are not showing they are very interested in the utilitarian or family end of the market and are missing out on attracting a market that's ready to grow rapidly with additional encouragement. A long comment and perhaps not entirely relevant but my most relevant experience from dealing with bike shops. I'm enjoying your videos since they popped up and all pretty relevant globally.

Imagine an industry that can pick and choose the type of customers they choose to cater to. I can’t argue that this is a real phenomenon as I quit patronizing my previous shop for just this reason. My old shop (I had been going there almost exclusively for about 3 decades) was bought out by new owners and they changed the vibe almost immediately. Instead of a welcoming atmosphere it got all upscale and elitist practically overnight. The new salespeople were snooty and condescending and since I don’t present as a typical cyclist even though I have been riding my entire life and ride daily and so I was considered persona non grata and relegated to second class citizen status. I decided to vote with my wallet and take my business elsewhere.

So I just found out. i'm a freedom rider...

FREEDOM rider here. GREAT video. I don’t work at a bike but I’ve definitely seen & meet these people at bike shops….LOL…

econ 102, pricing in business/maximizing profit = econ 102❤❤❤

good vid, but your not looking at camera, put a sticker star where the lens is so you will make eye contact with us viewers

30-45 min assembly is crazy fast. Especially low end bikes are such garbage from factory. Bent rims, rotors and derailleur hangers, tyres not seated, front derailleurs misaligned, no grease in headsets etc.

You have an admirable business plan …Thank you for sharing. I work on bikes out of my garage for me and my family only but I do enjoy seeing how you run your company.

Haha I feel really called out by the "freedom rider" type. Bikes are the most important thing in my life but I don't care about carbon bikes and electronic shifting and the lightest of everything. I even ride a custom belt drive Surly Straggler as my daily driver! I'm glad you cater to the "Dave & Susan" type buyers. They're the ones who need bike shops the most.

Like the BikeFarmer dude said: “Practical bikes for practical people.” That pays the bills.

Cyclist here. I’m not mad about Dave and Susan, they do need a bike shop and they have LOTS of questions when they come to the shop I use because of the sticker shock. Whereas I am thinking “do I want the one piece cockpit and will it fit on my bike”.

You forgot the fifth character, Discount Des. Des comes into the store once a year at most and always bagels staff into a discount. He has not affiliations with any of the clubs, charities or other groups the shop supports but insists hw is entitled to a big discount.

I am cranky Carl and I do all my bike shopping on Amazon because they have my prices and my sizes always in stock. Surly Rocks!

Dave and Susan will buy those bikes and ride them once or twice and their butts will hurt so bad the bikes end up hanging in their garage for the next 10 years.

looks like im the third, cool

My name isn't Dave or Carl so it puts me into the Freedom Rider group although I need 2 more bikes to cover the last 2 days of the week 😅

This comment is meant to apply to all of your videos. While your content is good, what I extra appreciate about your videos is their short form. Love that I can consume the content in a 5 min to 15 minute video. While I like BikeFarmer videos, many nights I just do not have 30 to 45 minutes to dedicate to watching 1 video on UA-cam. Thank you for the shorter vids.

I fall into group one. I don't gate keep or do the snob stuff. Arguably one of the biggest harms to the bike industry has been chasing after group 1's pocket books. Thank you for shedding more in sight into the industry. Another great video.

I am the "Freedom Rider" with the Surly, complete with racks and panniers, of which I fill with dumpster dived items that are sold on eBay. Doesn't get more Portlandia than that, but it's totally true. I hate that I AM that guy, just because of the optics and how people perceive such a thing, but it's just how I ended up and I try to be as least annoying as possible. The problem trying not to be annoying is that this keeps me out of the bike shop when I need to be in there. I'm in the midst of challenging myself to learn things, but I'm just not good at teaching myself. Soldering, looking at a circuit board, truing a wheel, tuning a derailleur. There is only so much time in the world.

Great video! Work in a bike shop myself, we have the occasional “time suck” customer that talks and talks and talks 🙄. We treat everyone with respect and courtesy but sometimes it’s a challenge to get them out the door. Bike shops tend to attract “interesting” individuals. 😁

I am not sure exactly who I am in that group. I am not exactly a “cyclist,” although I ride a lot. I am also not quite a Dave or Susan. I am way more nerdish than that. You mentioned a Surly Midnight Special. I don’t have one of those; but I do own an All City Zig Zag, which I largely built myself. That’s a similar vibe, but with nicer steel and a carbon fork. I do not have a bike for every day of the week. I am closing in on one for every day of the month. Well, once I get about 10 more, anyway.

That was perfect So completely correct Thanks again for another great video 😊 Mark from Maryland

This is the most energy I've seen yet! Smart to go slow on the educational content, but more of the passion here too please!

Bravo to you sir!

Fail... CUSTOMER.. not consumer. New age "customer control" rather than Customer Service. You would not be my bike shop and I would not be your customer. Far too formulaic, veiled elitism and your mannerism and presentation are, in my opinion, a deterrent to purchase. Best of luck.

"Lol - Cranky Carl - spot on!! Yes, hard to get pleased ! Luckily there are the 3 other groups!

I live two doors down from Matt. Pretty awesome and down to earth guy full of great advice.

Bingo!

Thank you for your articulate and analytical posts. I have a small business, ‘The Bike Orphanage’ selling used bikes in Australia. We donate $500 each month to a registered charity (The Starlight Foundation) helping children going through cancer treatments. In Australia the donation is tax deductible but moreover, a lot of our customers give us their old bikes for our charity support. We also receive a lot of community support for doing this. It’s on our signage and social media posts. This practice may be useful for other small businesses although I understand each geographical location has different economic conditions. Goodwill can come in many forms.

👍video. Can you tell us your thinking ref your membership scheme, and the economics of offering this

For the love of Archimedes fix your damn clock behind you … that seconds hand ugh OCD is working overtime

I am sure that you have thought of this , but adding an "About This Bike" card to the handle bar might be a great way of telling a story about why that bike is Interesting/Great/Unique/Valuable. I was on FB Marketplace looking at 1990 MTBs. Saw someone selling for $200 a Rocky Mountain bike. I knew nothing. Thought Rocky Mountain was a Walmart marketing name. Went and Googled Rocky Mountain bikes and discovered that it was no Walmart bike. Then I wanted to own it!

Have sold hundred of used bikes. Anything exotic is a nightmare, Had a lot of success with durable bikes, they don't have to shift prefect or have a buttery fork, they just have to work, be presented clean and be reliable. So many people just want to pump up the tires and go for a spin randomly with the Kids.... that's their choice, not ours.

Very comprehensive and well worded, thanks again for the uploads

Nice video - as always! Interesting about the kids-bikes. But nowdays there are also very low ends Trek, Giants and Specialized - hardly to differ from those cheap bikes you mention. Do you take every bike only by name - or do you say yes/no also by how they look like?

I have a question for you. Does your shop charge a “corking fee” if a customer brings in their own parts? I was having a front triangle replaced on a warranty issue and was paying a fee for the rebuild. I decided it was a good time to upgrade the drivetrain. I found a good deal online, ordered it, dropped it off at the shop and then found an additional $200 “corking fee” on the receipt. Is this standard across the industry?

Look at the customer. Do they have a Lexus key fob, or a Rolex on their wrist? Do they have a cup from Dunkin' or Peets? Do they seem like they know anything about bikes? These are the things to look for to maximize profit on the bike you pulled up from the river bottom. Is the bike really rusty? Emphasize the patina.

To put in perspective these prices, can you please help me to understand? What's avarege salary in your area? (How much investment reqs from an average Joe?) What are these bikes used for? (Not the cargo nor the road bike.) Going to the corner to grab an ice cream, or daily commute? Does your city has an acceptable infrastructure to use bike "safely" instead of a TRUCK.

Just found your Channel and I am glad I did😀

We have sold "used" and new bikes for quite some time. The used category certainly changed during COVID, as it seemed that most wanted new bikes. Then about a year/year and a half into COVID, lots of folks were selling the bikes that they just bought..so "used" bikes took another hit. Like everything in the shop, you can do well if you pay attention to ups/downs of the bike industry.

Do you have a specific, or average, gross profit percentage in mind ?

Please stop calling criminals gentleman.

One wonders why the cycling industry don't follow the car industry example.......where you can buy used cars, or trade in for a new car.

Really enjoying the video's. Thank you.