Bicycle Dealer Magazine

Goodness Comes in Small Packages

Bringing would-be bike commuters into the fold.

by Laurel Goldstein

May is Bike-to-Work month, and it’s a great opportunity to generate interest in bike commuting. A thriving population of bike commuters is important to the success of any shop – commuters ride on a daily basis and they’ll come in, even in the height of the off-season, for parts, service, accessories, and clothing. Although they might not always be big spenders, they are a steady, dependable source of revenue.

For the customer who’s thinking about bike commuting, it’s important to show them a bike that’s going to make them happy, get them riding, and keep them coming back for everything from spare tubes and chain lube to cycling gloves and rain gear. So this spring, when customers come in to your shop looking for the bike they’ll be riding every day, you want to find one that fits – this means fitting both their body proportions and their lifestyle. And for an increasing percentage of the population, this will be a folding bike.