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.

 

[Jameshow]

I think you need to be on a scenic area within about 30km from a major town or possibly within that town so that cyclists want to come to you.

Depending on the demographic will decide your clientele and therefore your menu. Greggs to Ilkley won't do it! Nor Avocado on toast to hull!

I think l you would need a manager for the cafe and one for the bikes. Decide which one has the priority is it bikes with coffee or a coffee shop that welcomes cyclists.

Also welcome walker and dogs is broaden your customer base.

Good luck 👍

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Something I have seen some cycle cafes lay on is film nights showing a variety of cycling adventure films. Plus talks if anyone locally has done some amazing cycling stuff.

Plus consider; what will make it different to a cafe that cyclists visit?

Plus as above, will it be on a route a lot of cyclists use. What is your likely footfall and how does that look spread over the week, months and year?

 

[Webbo2]

Theres a cafe on a farm in East Yorkshire Tibthorpe barn, which now has a guy repairing bikes there. It’s an add on rather than a dedicated bike cafe.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Thanks for the responses; as usual there are lots of useful ideas in there...

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.

I've written pretty much the same for 1 and 2, and oddly I'd been working on a paragraph suggesting what point 3 says, not least because I would love to have a small performance space in the café.

Its on a major long distance route -C2C- which helps. ...

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

Plus as above, will it be on a route a lot of cyclists use. What is your likely footfall and how does that look spread over the week, months and year?

Rottenburg is on the Neckar River Cycle Route which is one of seven heavily promoted long distance cycle routes: it can get fairly congested in summer, which will be good for a café (but it's a pain when I'm trying to get home with my groceries...) There are also a number of locally promoted routes "Tour De Rottenburg", the Castles tour and the Tour of the Valleys, which encourage semi-local cyclists so we get a lot of day touring cyclists. We also get more racing bikes than is normal because the 20km between Rottenburg and Horb is the one part of the valley where the "main" road isn't a major trunk road so it's fairly devoid of car traffic.

I think you need to be on a scenic area within about 30km from a major town or possibly within that town so that cyclists want to come to you.

Depending on the demographic will decide your clientele and therefore your menu. Greggs to Ilkley won't do it! Nor Avocado on toast to hull!

I think l you would need a manager for the cafe and one for the bikes. Decide which one has the priority is it bikes with coffee or a coffee shop that welcomes cyclists.

Also welcome walker and dogs is broaden your customer base.

Good luck 👍

We are in a very scenic area, and about 10km from Tübingen which is a tourist hot spot, and very cycle friendly: Rottenburg is a popular day trip from Tübingen and there's at least two paved traffic free routes between the cities, one being the long-distance Neckar Cycleway.

The demographic point is a good one which I hadn't considered, thanks: We will need to start fairly small, because of budgeting, but also because even if we have five clients on the books we have to assume some or all of them won't turn up on a given day for various reasons, so in an emergency we have to be able to open with just the "full time" staff, but I see your point.

Interestingly, I went to a place I used to work and had a chat with the catering manager there yesterday, and he said the same: there needs to be a workshop manager and a café manager. He also said that if we expend beyond a coffee and sandwich level, we'll need a service manager too, mainly because our job is primarily to look after our clients.

I see the point about dogs, will add that in the concept...

 

[Andy in Germany]

Something I have seen some cycle cafes lay on is film nights showing a variety of cycling adventure films. Plus talks if anyone locally has done some amazing cycling stuff.

Plus consider; what will make it different to a cafe that cyclists visit?

Plus as above, will it be on a route a lot of cyclists use. What is your likely footfall and how does that look spread over the week, months and year?

I like the idea of films: I was thinking of something similar, not just with cycling films but all kinds of evening events.

I think our clientele may be a bit different because we have a lot of people here who ride bicycles but wouldn't consider themselves "cyclists": Our customers are likely to include mums on cargo bikes and older couples on Ebikes out for an afternoon trundle. I expect we'll have to start and tailor the wares based on feedback.

 

[Andy in Germany]

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

Just spotted this. Yes, that's something I really want to encourage. Not only for the income and footfall, but also because my experience in this organisation showed me how good that is for clients: this essentially a local arts centre for eastern Stuttgart, and most of the staff are long term unemployed people, generally with some kind of psychological or addiction issues. It's remarkable how different people feel when instead of saying "I'm in a programme for unemployed people" they can say "I'm helping run an arts centre for the community"

 

[Once a Wheeler]

Try and cover all the basics:

• Good covered cycle parking where people can do DIY repairs en route and finish off with a good loo, wash basin, coffee and food.
• Put a shower in the loo area. You might be surprized how this ups the importance of the venu.
• Lots of cheap, portable edible goodies: bread pudding, gels, dried fruit, nutty bars and so on.
• Drying facilities. Could be anything from a roaring fire in winter to a drying room with heater and hangers.
• Really big coffees: 33cl+. Jugs of water on all the tables.

You get the idea: good luck with it all.

 

[ivegotabike]

Theres a cafe on a farm in East Yorkshire Tibthorpe barn, which now has a guy repairing bikes there. It’s an add on rather than a dedicated bike cafe.

https://www.fieldhousecamping.co.uk/coffeebarn

Very good it is too. The indoor cycle racks are especially appreciated.

Bike repairs at the site are https://www.facebook.com/thebikecavedriffield/?locale=en_GB

In the many times I have visited the cafe, I have never once seen the bike repair place open. I am sure it does open, just that I've never seen it open.

 

[annedonnelly]

This is our local one, the website gives you an idea. https://www.thecyclehub.org/

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.

That was Recyke y'bike. The charity still exists in Byker. The cafe was run independently but as you saw they shared the same space. The cafe stayed for a while after Recyke moved out but the whole building is due for demolition/renovation so the cafe has gone now too.

 

[Webbo2]

https://www.fieldhousecamping.co.uk/coffeebarn

Very good it is too. The indoor cycle racks are especially appreciated.

Bike repairs at the site are https://www.facebook.com/thebikecavedriffield/?locale=en_GB

In the many times I have visited the cafe, I have never once seen the bike repair place open. I am sure it does open, just that I've never seen it open.

The mechanic in question apparently had a workshop next the cafe in Bainton which is now part of the cafe. He also worked at a cycle cafe in Driffield. Aparently he’s a bit marmite.

 

[richardfm]

This is in the middle of Cardiff. It may give you some ideas.
https://www.thebikelock.co.uk/