VeloFix

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

I really haven't done anything more than talk to a guy who owned a franchise(don't recall the name).
Problems he saw were
-BIG expense to buy in..including the van
-very limited parts inventory
-as above..if he can't finish a job, he gets kinda 'tied' to that one and it snowballs
-lotsa time spent driving instead of wrenching.

Nice for consumers if it's a pretty straight forward job.

As a bike shop guy and for some customers..going into the shop was part of the
'adventure'..being able to look around, yak about this and that..

Nice for the bike shop owner also because as a retail place, browsing and buying is not an insignificant part of the biz..

BUT, I think there is room for both..if both have their stuff in one sock in terms of wrenching skill.

Well... I AM a mechanic for VeloFix, so...

My particular part of the DC area goes from Woodbridge to Warrenton and out to Purcellville and back over to the other side of DC. I have a LOT of windshield time. The other 2 vans the guy I work for owns stay a lot closer to their homes.

For example, today I drove the hour to SW DC, then up the GW Parkway to Potomac, MD, to just outside Reston, and then the hour-ish home. Worked on 4.25 bikes so made the boss $625-ish minus diesel, wages, and wear and tear on the van.

You can get a lot of stuff on the vans, but you can't carry everything a shop stashes away. Good thing *most* of the repairs are pretty generic. I go thru lots of tubes, cables and housing, brake pads, cassettes/FWs and chains. All of which are pretty easy to carry. Tires are tougher, but I have a small selection of road tires, a few pair of 26er tires, and a couple 29er tires

The people I see are appreciative that they don't have to schlepp their bike(s) to the shop, wait weeks (these days), then go get the bike(s) and schlepp them home.

Works out for me cause I make a living. I'm not tied to a shop. Works out for them because they don't have to wait for their bikes to be done. Win-win!

M

[morrisericd]

I spent quite a lot of time two years ago trying to make a Velofix franchise work here in Vermont. Lots of time on the phone with them, visited several franchise owners in the surrounding area, etc.

My take: in the right market (Vermont is not the right market - not enough density) you can make a living as a Velofix franchisee owner operator. You have to be at least one of the mechanics and there will be a lot of driving.

Their marketing department is pretty pushy and dreams big - one comment I kept getting was that their business model was about to explode as they were going to be the exclusive sellers of Canyon Bikes. I assume this did not happen as I can still buy a bike from Canyon online. Maybe they are associated with Canyon, but exclusive?

If you're looking for an investment (owner), maybe it could work in a densely populated area with 3 or more vans although the $625ish comment from Gummee above (thanks for your post!) makes me think maybe not so much. After paying for diesel, wear and tear, product and salary that $625 doesn't amount to much. The initial investment is about $100,000 for the van and setup. You do own the van though, so if it went South you'd have the worst camper van in the world!

I will say that their pitch is very polished. Their vans are really dialed, they have great contracts with companies for better prices on products, their training program seems good, etc. As others have said, many bike shops now do pick up and delivery. That's a better model if you ask me. Partner with a small(ish) size brick and mortar shop and provide either mobile service or a hybrid - easy service done on site, bigger jobs (like suspension tuning, etc.) done back at the shop.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Coffee Rider

FWIW, one of the shops around here (basically service only for most things) has alcohol, but does not charge for it, so I think that gets around licensing issues since people enjoy having drinks with him.

Kinda bike shop 101..a frig was one of the first things I bought for my shop..and yes, had soda and water in it as well...

For somebody that just wants to wrench, I think a viable option-van based bike wrenching. One of things I really didn't love was 'selling', mostly because it took me away from a job I was doing.

AND, it should be mentioned..for anybody that wishes to put stuff in a van and try to make a go of it..MUST have some sort of arrangement with suppliers and distributors for parts. Most won't sell to a garage or private van type operation.

I'm sure VeloFix has a gig with QBP or other suppliers..and for Gummee.....Does Velofix warehouse spare parts? Locally? How does the mother ship get 'stuff' to you?

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Does Velofix warehouse spare parts? Locally? How does the mother ship get 'stuff' to you?

We're just another bike shop. VF has almost nothing to do with the day-to-day running of the van other than a phone center (and online) for scheduling. You're responsible for your business like any other business

Wanna go broke? You can do that
Wanna make lots of $$? Wwweeeellll.... I suspect you can do that, but the fees are eating into your profit

M

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Gummee

We're just another bike shop. VF has almost nothing to do with the day-to-day running of the van other than a phone center (and online) for scheduling. You're responsible for your business like any other business

Wanna go broke? You can do that
Wanna make lots of $$? Wwweeeellll.... I suspect you can do that, but the fees are eating into your profit

M

So, suppliers deal with you directly? Stuff sent to?? Just curious as I have had some 'issues' getting product as a garage operation(mostly from QBP, who canned me cuz I didn't order enough stuff).

[Velocipede]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

So, suppliers deal with you directly? Stuff sent to?? Just curious as I have had some 'issues' getting product as a garage operation(mostly from QBP, who canned me cuz I didn't order enough stuff).

I have a friend who works for VeloFix in the DMV(DC/MD/) area. They have a warehouse space that stores and receives parts for their trucks. The drivers can buy stuff from a bunch of different companies including Q. When normal wholesalers didn't have tires and tubes, I sold some to my VF buddy. They are not independent so much as they work for the VF Franchise in that area. They have 3 trucks in the DMV and they drive to the customers that set up the appts with he VF office in that area. They can do it online or over the phone. It's a pretty well done system if they do it right.

[Ozz]

I like the concept of the mobile bike mechanic...as others have said, my time is too valuable.

My closest LBS is fine, but if I drop off my bike, it is 10-14 days before they even look at it. I can't bring it back it 10 days....they want to hang onto it.

Being able to schedule someone to come to my house (especially while WFH) is very appealing.

Never heard of VeloFix, but they do have a couple franchises in my area....there is another mobile guy that has been around for 20+ yrs (IIRC).

I am trying to most my own stuff...but some items can easily exceeds my skillset pretty quickly.

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

So, suppliers deal with you directly? Stuff sent to?? Just curious as I have had some 'issues' getting product as a garage operation(mostly from QBP, who canned me cuz I didn't order enough stuff).

Si

There's a nationwide Q account under which we all operate

Can't get anything from JBI tho

Swapped the corner pieces on a Bunch cargo thing today. I enjoy the 'interesting' jobs because they aren't the same old same old

M