How to start your own small-town bicycle shop

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Moder...ycle-Shop.aspx

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice. My wife, Sharon, and I have run a bike shop for a year now
and feel sufficiently expert to pass on a few basics (enough, we hope,
to help you decide whether or not this trade will suit you as well as it
suits us).

[more]

On Apr 10, 11:47 am, Werehatrack wrote:
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:11:21 -0400, Eric Vey may
have said:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Moder...-03-01/How-To-...

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice. My wife, Sharon, and I have run a bike shop for a year now
and feel sufficiently expert to pass on a few basics (enough, we hope,
to help you decide whether or not this trade will suit you as well as it
suits us).

[more]

I haven't read it, but have a funny feeling that the real prospects
too often look like those of a sugaring operation in the Vermont
woods. "How do you become a millionaire gathering sap and making
maple syrup?" "Start with two million, and stop when you're down to
one."

(Something tells me that 90% of success is running a bike shop in a
small town is in choosing the right small town to begin with; I can
think of dozens near here, many of which are doubtless of nominally
suitable size and might be attractive if they had entirely different
demographics and terrain, in which the prospects would be much worse
than merely grim.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Hmmm.... that piece was written in 1974:
"First, why a bicycle shop? Because-as you probably know-a "bike boom"
is underway. In 1972, two-wheelers outsold automobiles for the first
time in modern history and someone has to market and service all those
millions of machines."
We can only hope that history will NOT repeat itself. Bike boom
would be nice but not if it will cause oil shortage and recession.
Bikers can be so unaware of the effects they have on others.

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:11:21 -0400, Eric Vey may
have said:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Moder...ycle-Shop.aspx

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice. My wife, Sharon, and I have run a bike shop for a year now
and feel sufficiently expert to pass on a few basics (enough, we hope,
to help you decide whether or not this trade will suit you as well as it
suits us).

[more]

I haven't read it, but have a funny feeling that the real prospects
too often look like those of a sugaring operation in the Vermont
woods. "How do you become a millionaire gathering sap and making
maple syrup?" "Start with two million, and stop when you're down to
one."

(Something tells me that 90% of success is running a bike shop in a
small town is in choosing the right small town to begin with; I can
think of dozens near here, many of which are doubtless of nominally
suitable size and might be attractive if they had entirely different
demographics and terrain, in which the prospects would be much worse
than merely grim.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

On Apr 10, 4:11*pm, Eric Vey wrote:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Moder...-03-01/How-To-...

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice. My wife, Sharon, and I have run a bike shop for a year now
and feel sufficiently expert to pass on a few basics (enough, we hope,
to help you decide whether or not this trade will suit you as well as it
suits us).

[more]

Step 1: Invent time machine.
Step 2: Use it.
Step 3: Ka-ching!

Joseph

On Apr 10, 11:09 am, Woland99 wrote:
On Apr 10, 11:47 am, Werehatrack wrote:



On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:11:21 -0400, Eric Vey may
have said:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Moder...-03-01/How-To-...

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice. My wife, Sharon, and I have run a bike shop for a year now
and feel sufficiently expert to pass on a few basics (enough, we hope,
to help you decide whether or not this trade will suit you as well as it
suits us).

[more]

I haven't read it, but have a funny feeling that the real prospects
too often look like those of a sugaring operation in the Vermont
woods. "How do you become a millionaire gathering sap and making
maple syrup?" "Start with two million, and stop when you're down to
one."

(Something tells me that 90% of success is running a bike shop in a
small town is in choosing the right small town to begin with; I can
think of dozens near here, many of which are doubtless of nominally
suitable size and might be attractive if they had entirely different
demographics and terrain, in which the prospects would be much worse
than merely grim.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Hmmm.... that piece was written in 1974:

Yep, and that $5k in start-up money is now over $23k in "2007
dollars", according to the Westegg.com inflation calculator. (And the
population of Independence, KS, has dropped to around 9,300 as of
2006.)



snipped

On Apr 10, 3:47 pm, Harry Brogan
hbrogan57_AT_NOSPAM_DOT_YAHOO_DOT_COM wrote:
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:09:50 -0700 (PDT), Woland99



wrote:
On Apr 10, 11:47 am, Werehatrack wrote:
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:11:21 -0400, Eric Vey may
have said:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Moder...-03-01/How-To-...

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice. My wife, Sharon, and I have run a bike shop for a year now
and feel sufficiently expert to pass on a few basics (enough, we hope,
to help you decide whether or not this trade will suit you as well as it
suits us).

[more]

I haven't read it, but have a funny feeling that the real prospects
too often look like those of a sugaring operation in the Vermont
woods. "How do you become a millionaire gathering sap and making
maple syrup?" "Start with two million, and stop when you're down to
one."

(Something tells me that 90% of success is running a bike shop in a
small town is in choosing the right small town to begin with; I can
think of dozens near here, many of which are doubtless of nominally
suitable size and might be attractive if they had entirely different
demographics and terrain, in which the prospects would be much worse
than merely grim.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Hmmm.... that piece was written in 1974:
"First, why a bicycle shop? Because-as you probably know-a "bike boom"
is underway. In 1972, two-wheelers outsold automobiles for the first
time in modern history and someone has to market and service all those
millions of machines."
We can only hope that history will NOT repeat itself. Bike boom
would be nice but not if it will cause oil shortage and recession.
Bikers can be so unaware of the effects they have on others.

Please explain how a "bike boom" would CAUSE an oil shortage and
recession????


Simple: much of the petroleum that could have fueled Americas cars and
trucks is diverted to the manufacture of bicycle tires, tubes,
saddles, helmets, CF frames and bits, etc., etc., etc. The price of
gas spikes as a result, and Americans stop buying new gas guzzling
vehicles. Ford, Chrysler, GM, Toyota, et al lay off millions of
autoworkers and the American economy tanks......all because of a new
bike boom!


;-)


I guess I don't see the purchase of millions of
bicycles being the root cause of something that's already
happening.......
__o | Every time I see an adult on a bicycle....
_`\(,_ | I no longer despair for the human race.
(_)/ (_) | ---H.G. Wells---

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:11:21 -0400 in rec.bicycles.tech, Eric Vey
wrote:

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice.

and he didn't have the liability problems that bike shops now
have, either. one of our local dealers went out of business
because his liability insurance became so damn high and the
insurance company required so much paperwork, including having
customers sign waivers wben they bought new bikes or got warranty
replacements.

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:08:47 -0800,
(Dennis P. Harris) wrote:

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:11:21 -0400 in rec.bicycles.tech, Eric Vey
wrote:

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice.

and he didn't have the liability problems that bike shops now
have, either. one of our local dealers went out of business
because his liability insurance became so damn high and the
insurance company required so much paperwork, including having
customers sign waivers wben they bought new bikes or got warranty
replacements.

Dear Dennis,

Can you tell us more about these new-bike insurance waivers?

Are they just for certain bikes? Are they a common practice?

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Apr 10, 4:11 pm, Ozark Bicycle
wrote:
On Apr 10, 3:47 pm, Harry Brogan



hbrogan57_AT_NOSPAM_DOT_YAHOO_DOT_COM wrote:
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:09:50 -0700 (PDT), Woland99

wrote:
On Apr 10, 11:47 am, Werehatrack wrote:
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:11:21 -0400, Eric Vey may
have said:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Moder...-03-01/How-To-...

Here-for all the folks who want to get out of a big city and start a
little business in a friendly, peaceful spot-is yet another small-town
self-employment suggestion: Become a bicycle dealer in the small town of
your choice. My wife, Sharon, and I have run a bike shop for a year now
and feel sufficiently expert to pass on a few basics (enough, we hope,
to help you decide whether or not this trade will suit you as well as it
suits us).

[more]

I haven't read it, but have a funny feeling that the real prospects
too often look like those of a sugaring operation in the Vermont
woods. "How do you become a millionaire gathering sap and making
maple syrup?" "Start with two million, and stop when you're down to
one."

(Something tells me that 90% of success is running a bike shop in a
small town is in choosing the right small town to begin with; I can
think of dozens near here, many of which are doubtless of nominally
suitable size and might be attractive if they had entirely different
demographics and terrain, in which the prospects would be much worse
than merely grim.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Hmmm.... that piece was written in 1974:
"First, why a bicycle shop? Because-as you probably know-a "bike boom"
is underway. In 1972, two-wheelers outsold automobiles for the first
time in modern history and someone has to market and service all those
millions of machines."
We can only hope that history will NOT repeat itself. Bike boom
would be nice but not if it will cause oil shortage and recession.
Bikers can be so unaware of the effects they have on others.

Please explain how a "bike boom" would CAUSE an oil shortage and
recession????

Simple: much of the petroleum that could have fueled Americas cars and
trucks is diverted to the manufacture of bicycle tires, tubes,
saddles, helmets, CF frames and bits, etc., etc., etc. The price of
gas spikes as a result, and Americans stop buying new gas guzzling
vehicles. Ford, Chrysler, GM, Toyota, et al lay off millions of
autoworkers and the American economy tanks......all because of a new
bike boom!

;-)

I guess I don't see the purchase of millions of
bicycles being the root cause of something that's already
happening.......
__o | Every time I see an adult on a bicycle....
_`\(,_ | I no longer despair for the human race.
(_)/ (_) | ---H.G. Wells---

You got it. Just like in 70s - we need to stop those irresponsible
neo-Marxist bikers before they will destroy the economy again.
Just think about how many more quality hours you could enjoy
sitting in your Hummer on some leisurely moving picturesque
California hiway if they cut bike helmet production by just 10%.

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:30:09 -0700 (PDT), Woland99
may have said:

You got it. Just like in 70s - we need to stop those irresponsible
neo-Marxist bikers before they will destroy the economy again.
Just think about how many more quality hours you could enjoy
sitting in your Hummer on some leisurely moving picturesque
California hiway if they cut bike helmet production by just 10%.

Yeah, the savings in hot air used to expand the plastic would, all by
itself, keep lobbyisits in Washington healthy and vigorous for decades
to come.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.