Is this the UK's poshest bike shop?

[Venod]

Dearne Valley lad. Worked at the Big K. Still got mates from Knottla.

So I was miles out, this explains the John Tanner connection, was you on The Donny Chain Gang ?

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/cw-meets-donny-chain-gang-122849

The only Chain Gang I know with a beer named after them.

https://untappd.com/b/stocks-brewery-the-donny-chain-gang/3206911

 

[Randy Butternubs]

The words "atelier" and "artisanal" were sullied long ago and should be consigned to history.

"Bespoke" has also been made a dirty word but unfortunately gets a pass as there is no easy replacement word (that I'm aware of).

 

[Pale Rider]

The words "atelier" and "artisanal" were sullied long ago and should be consigned to history.

"Bespoke" has also been made a dirty word but unfortunately gets a pass as there is no easy replacement word (that I'm aware of).

The dictionary says bespoke means 'made for a particular customer or user'.

I suppose that more or less applies here, although strictly the shop doesn't make anything, it assembles a bike from widely available parts.

Rose, with typical German precision, describe their business as 'bike assembly in Germany', bearing in mind most of the components are made elsewhere.

'Custom' is the only alternative I can offer, but I accept that has connotations of outlandish modification, as in custom cars.

 

[Dogtrousers]

They don't custom build frames so the bikes are merely assembled and not really bespoke.

Depends where you draw the line. Frame builders merely assemble frames from tubing or carbon fibre, with a bit of brazing or resin thrown in. Wheel builders merely assemble wheels from spokes, hubs and rims.

Anyway ... if they can keep their bike business going then more power to them, whether or not Cycle Chat likes their use of language or their poshness.

 

[Globalti]

We had Fell Bikes just outside Clitheroe, which styled itself as an upmarket cycling and triathlon superstore. I test-rode one of their own brand bikes and wasn't really that impressed by it. They lasted a few years. Other local bike shop owners couldn't understand how they survived as long as they did.

 

[rogerzilla]

There was one of those bike "boutiques" in Swindon until a few months ago ("The Bike Rooms"). Mainly Pinarello, never saw anyone at all shopping in there. My understanding is that the owner (Yellow Ltd) has an upmarket bike hire business in Majorca, so maybe that's the cash cow.

 

[Pale Rider]

so maybe that's the cash cow.

One never knows what's behind a business.

There's a bike shop in the North East which, rumour has it, exists at least in part to launder drugs money from one of the more successful Tyneside villains.

I know of a motor dealer where that was certainly the case - the two brothers who ran it are currently serving 16 years each.

 

[rogerzilla]

We need to change the old maxim slightly..."To make a small fortune in the bike business, start with a large fortune...or make it part of a criminal empire."

 

[Chris S]

"Curated brands" no less.
And they sell coffee too (of course).
"Colombia's finest roasted in Threlkeld, Cumbria"
View attachment 498403

If they really were posh then they'd sell cat poo coffee
https://www.theguardian.com/sustain...st-expensive-brew-made-sustainably-kopi-luwak

 

[nickyboy]

We need to change the old maxim slightly..."To make a small fortune in the bike business, start with a large fortune...or make it part of a criminal empire."

If you look at their published accounts you'll see they're well on their way

 

[Pale Rider]

If you look at their published accounts you'll see they're well on their way

Mmm, lots of figures in brackets.

Accounts are not my thing, but that is not usually a good indication.

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/rlz8HsiU3zJzSHg-Io9Wr8eBamFJuQNBBE6RRSD0EYs/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3J62MVTVG/20191231/eu-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20191231T130901Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=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&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=b73f7ab9ab9e0b14e8cf33f247ae547bde8dbb94bfee4acea462f19264f6564f

Apologies for the ludicrously long link to a PDF document, but at least it works.

 

[icowden]

They sell wheels for nearly £8,000.

I think that sums it up.

 

[AndyRM]

They sell wheels for nearly £8,000.

I think that sums it up.

Sums what up? It's not like it's a budget wheelset.

 

[icowden]

Looking at those accounts, they aren;t making much money. They are in debt to £135,000 but as they put up the money themselves, they are only in debt to themselves.

 

[Blue Hills]

.

Rose, with typical German precision, describe their business as 'bike assembly in Germany', bearing in mind most of the components are made elsewhere.

Good on Rose and the Germans. Rose also sell lots of sensible stuff the likes of Chain Reaction gave up on long ago as just so beneath the new golf.

I have a four "bespoke" bikes amongst my many - three of them built up from quality frames and swappable bits I got for £21, £30 and £30.

As you say, bespoke is more generally associated with gent's tailoring - maybe the link/derivation is it that it gives practitioners an excuse to measure inside legs.