Bike shop for North Mpls? (Minneapolis, Bloomington: middle-class, rental, co-op)

[audadvnc]

According to a series of articles (http://www.startribune.com/local/114840799.html - broken link) in the Strib, there are no bicycle shops in North Minneapolis or the immediate surrounding area. Now the city wants to get something - anything - going, and has a big old pot of money available for such a project, so of course a couple groups of "experts" are lining up to tell us how best to transfer said monies into their pockets. And maybe they'll sell or rent some bikes in the process, I wouldn't know...

Does anyone have insights into the history of bike shops around town? Could a bike shop in NoMi be commercially viable, or has the market for affordable bikes transferred off to the Targets and Walmarts of the world? How about a bike repair shop, a rental program, or a training center for kids?

[golfgal]

Is a bike shop in 'North Minneapolis" viable-probably not. A "bike shop" bike easily costs at least double what a bike would cost at Walmart. Overall the general income level in that are is not going to put $450-7000+ into a bike.

[uptown_urbanist]

I think it can be commercially viable. Bike shops aren't all just expensive, fancy bikes -- AND they also usually offer repair and tune-up services, as well as accessories. I assume that a North Minneapolis bike shop would target their offerings to their customer base. And I do think that the base includes enough people who are willing to spend money on what is, after cost of the bike and gear, free. And there are enough middle-class people over in that area who care strongly enough to go with the local option if available. People who are just riding casually a few times a year aren't going to go that route, but for those riding for transportation or who put a lot of miles on their bike then yes, I think they'll go with a shop and not Target or Walmart.

Bike shops have flourished in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood of Minneapolis for years; today that area has a lot of money, but it wasn't always the case. There also used to be a small shop that (from what I understand; I never saw the place myself) trained local kids to repair bikes, that sort of thing. Something like that could be a big asset for the community. There are also bike shops in poorer neighborhoods in South Minneapolis, and they seem to be working.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I always thought that it was a little ironic that the most expensive bike shop I've ever seen (Free Wheel Bike) is in Cedar-Riverside, which happens to be one of the statistically poorest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. It is conveniently located between Augsburg and the U of M West Bank though so there are plenty of students to keep it going. There are bike shops all over the place in every other part of the city. That being said it's a little hard for me to believe that a well placed bike shop on the Northside couldn't be viable if done right.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Slig

I always thought that it was a little ironic that the most expensive bike shop I've ever seen (Free Wheel Bike) is in Cedar-Riverside, which happens to be one of the statistically poorest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. It is conveniently located between Augsburg and the U of M West Bank though so there are plenty of students to keep it going. There are bike shops all over the place in every other part of the city. That being said it's a little hard for me to believe that a well placed bike shop on the Northside couldn't be viable if done right.

I wonder if there's not also a little bit of the "if you build it they will come" aspect to bike shops; while there are so many of them these days that you don't have to go far to find one, I'm assuming that people will travel out of their neighborhood or city if it means finding the right place or the right bikes. (kind of like all specialized gear; we always passed multiple sports shops on our way out to buy ice skates at the place in Bloomington that offered what we wanted.)

[audadvnc]

Originally Posted by Slig

... the most expensive bike shop I've ever seen (Free Wheel Bike) is in Cedar-Riverside...

Of course Freewheel didn't start as the most expensive bike shop in town. I remember when it was over on 24th St (?) and had a friend who was part of the co-op back when; it had a range of bikes that fit many price points, and a community repair area with experienced bike mechanics around to help as needed. Since then, Freewheel changed with the times, morphing into the high-end enthusiast money machine you see now.

A 70's era Freewheel Coop-style facility is what comes to mind when I think of a potentially viable, low overhead, NoMi-based bike shop.

[Camden Northsider]

It could not only be commercially viable, I think it could be very successful. A ton of my neighbors are bike commuters/ biking enthusiasts (in fact, I would say that a number of bikers are drawn to purchasing on the Northside due to the ability to live right on the Grand Rounds system and its connection to other regional recreational amenities). Regarding the "income level" argument- there are Northside neighborhoods with higher median incomes than the city average, not to mention residents in a number of pockets of the lower-income neighborhoods with plenty of disposable income (hell, a retired Vikings player lives in one of them), and the potential support of biking enthusiasts that ride in from surrounding suburban areas (and/or city areas like the North Loop). The younger demographics moving into a number of Northside neighborhoods right now doesn't hurt either.

It's unfortunate, however, that members of the City Council, and a certain organization with a lot of resources and influence, really flubbed this project and its timelines with their politics and general divisiveness- it's really time for some new political leadership on some parts of the Northside.

Edited to add: Here's an article with more detailed information about what happened with the process: http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/20...ns-take-detour

[uptown_urbanist]

Yes, I think it could do very well, too. It's a very large area in a very bike-friendly city to not have any bike shop, and the demographics do seem very bike-friendly. Not everyone is going to be out there riding bikes, but then again they don't in other parts of town, either, even in those areas where you can't cross the street without bumping into (yet another) bike shop or bike-themed art gallery or bike-themed coffee shop.

[audadvnc]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

...an article with more detailed information about what happened with the process:

I tried to read through that article, and was impressed by all the talk of RFP's and intellectual property. But the players didn't seem very focused on the goal; it still didn't make any sense.

I suspect that a "bike shop" proposal process is merely a front for money transfers from one insider political group to another. Maybe that's par for the course with Mpls politics.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by audadvnc

I tried to read through that article, and was impressed by all the talk of RFP's and intellectual property. But the players didn't seem very focused on the goal; it still didn't make any sense.

I suspect that a "bike shop" proposal process is merely a front for money transfers from one insider political group to another. Maybe that's par for the course with Mpls politics.

No, the City of Minneapolis' staff and most local government entities do a pretty good job of being very open, transparent, and fair in their issues of requests-for-proposals and funding decisions- most local nonprofits similarly are very open, transparent, and grounded by great missions.

It's the politics and attempts to exert influence on open/fair processes that sometimes gets in the way; and when people don't understand some of these inner workings (or are trying to avoid taking responsibility for them), all kinds of local misinformation can ensue.