Starting a bike Cafe... maybe...

[Andy in Germany]

I appear to be writing a concept and business plan for a bicycle café.

More specifically, I'm writing a proposal for a local organisation for a bike café as a way of helping people with addiction related issues in our town. The idea being that up to ten people can work there doing various tasks, learn soft skills, build confidence, et c. The structure would be similar to what I've been doing for about four years now; taking in old bikes, repairing the usable ones and dismantling the unusable ones*.

I've worked where I am now for two years and built up another workshop in a different town for a couple of years before that; long-suffering members may remember the thread about that workshop. I'll be working in the current workshop while I get my bike mechanic's qualification, but I'm sending this proposal now to see if this organisation is interested.

Adding a café is a new step, but it gives a wider range of activities for people to do, and also to give the organisation another income source for the same facility, because non-profit organisations also have bills to pay. As I know next to noting about this, yesterday I went to a café/theatre where I was on a training placement, where the manager of the café generously answered lots of questions about how we could start up, so I have a realistic outline for how a café could start, what to avoid, and even some organisations that would be open to help.

Now a question for the members of this forum: Bike Cafés are still pretty much unheard of in Germany, so I only have what I've seen in the UK; being the highly cultured people you are, I'm sure many of you have patronised bike cafés and sampled their services. What have you particularly enjoyed, what would be a good idea?

*The reason for this, is that clients only get pocket money; 2€/hour, so they can't do normal maintenance because they're not qualified, and it would take work from trained mechanics.

 

[BrumJim]

Bike cafes that have had some measure of success have been the hub for other activities.

Having a bike club associated with it helps. The local one is closed down now, and not sure why that was, but may have been a personality thing. But went there for an end-of-ride cake and once for an authentic Italian evening meal. Another one is the centre of a lively and well-supported club, as well as serving cakes and coffee with an outdoor yard out the back. That one is still going.

So I would say it needs the following:

1. Bike shop and repairs.
2. Good cafe area with good coffee and great cakes, rather than just a few tables in the corner. Outdoors would be great, as cyclist can smell a bit.
3. A focus for other activities, such as a club, evening events, etc.

 

[Oldhippy]

Fabulous @Andy in Germany we need more of these types of cafe in the UK.

 

[tfc03]

This is our local one, the website gives you an idea. https://www.thecyclehub.org/
The website doesnt give a sense of how opening it was I understand quite a hard headed business decision, gap in the market etc. Its on a major long distance route -C2C- which helps. I like the fact that unlike other places you can go in wearing overshoes, dripping wet, etc and not feel weird, because as a cyclist its your place! Others value the cycleability lessons and the social rides. There was another place (workshop, cafe) in Newcastle in the city centre which i liked even more as it had better food and coffee. It also sold second hand bikes which were nice to browse. Whether city centre property rental prices did for it Im not sure.

Simon Battersby has done some research into these kind of things, if you google him you might get some useful intell.