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and in the future, they’d like to entirely do away with selling accessories and focus on becoming a one-stop shop for components. “We’re cutting off basically all accessories, and we’re going
to become a workshop. The idea behind it is at the minute there are thousands of pounds worth of accessories that no one’s really bothered about. It sits there all year, and we sell one in a blue moon.
“So you’ve got all that sat there, whereas what we need sat there is cassettes, chains for every different standard that there is now. We want to be that shop that you can call in and go, ‘I’ve got a race tomorrow. I need this,’ and we’ve got something that fits. So we’re running it all down to then build up all the cassettes and things there and become, in a way like a Kwik Fit of the bike world.”
Workshop focus Moving to a workshop-oriented shop also means that the Bike Mill doesn’t have to worry about storage space or putting down a lot of cash for bikes that they might not even sell. And this is all part of adapting to the current environment – something that Crayden-Reed thinks we’ll see more of from other shops.
“The industry has changed so much. Bikes have changed so much. And customers have changed so much that you can’t hang on to it. You’ve got to adapt. You can’t put people down for getting bargains online, because we all do it. “We all shop on Amazon. We all shop on Chain Reaction Cycles from time to time when they’ve got cheap stuff. So you can’t have a go at your customers for doing the same thing.”
Future market
Adaptation isn’t just taking place within the structure of the shop, however, as e-bikes become more and more popular. Crayden- Reed estimates that nearly half of all workshop queries are now for e-bikes.
8 | October 2023
“I reckon our repairs are probably 60% unassisted, 40%
e-bikes these days. My theory on it is people don’t go and buy bikes with cash anymore. They buy bikes on finance. So if you’re going to buy a bike on finance, and you’ve got five grand to spend, you either get a top-end manual bike, or you get a mid to high-end e-bike, and why would you not buy one with a motor?” Crayden-Reed is now a firm advocate of e-bikes and their benefits to the wider cycling community. While he may not sell them, he can certainly provide advice and mechanical know-how to customers who might not be entirely convinced. “I am a massive believer in the e-bike now. To start with, I wasn’t. I didn’t jump on board, because it felt like cheating, but then I rode one. I push e-bikes because they basically make cycling for everyone again. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a bit of an injury, or if you’re just not fit, have no motivation or no time to ride consistently. Jump on an e-bike, and it makes it so much fun.” E-bikes are just one of his areas of knowledge, but at heart,
Crayden-Reed is a mountain biker and has been since he was a child. The shop staff are almost carefully curated to balance out knowledge gaps, with Euan Cameron and Will Thompson the resident road racers of A. Fawcett Racing (a team that the Bike Mill sponsors). There’s even Ralph, the shop dog, who brings another level to the already relaxed atmosphere. Between them, they encourage customers to enjoy riding – and there is no discrimination for what they ride or wear. Even turning up to the shop, they insisted on coming out and looking over the electric city bike I rode there – a sign, in my eyes, at least, that they are cycling enthusiasts, not just salesmen or mechanics with a chip on their shoulder about brands that constantly produce bikes with squeaky brakes.
The future looks bright for this little workshop in a busy corner of West Yorkshire, with knowledge unbound, friendly faces, a playful spaniel, and an adaptable attitude, they’re ready to adjust to whatever turn the cycling industry takes next.
www.bikebiz.com
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