a convenient mobile bike shop that will fix your bike at your home or office. times inevitably change. The new world of direct-to-consumer Internet shopping and low-profit margins is shutting down countless bicycle shops.

Velofix, a mobile bicycle-repair service, which comes in a brightly painted red, black and white Mercedes van to fix your broken bike at your home or office after you book online, enter your zip or postal code, select your service and your preferred service day and time and wait for them to arrive.

It's a Vancouver-based franchise business, so each van is locally owned. In some busy territories, such as Vancouver, Seattle and Toronto, franchise operators have multiple vans, equipped with Wi-Fi and a coffee machine.

The company has expanded to most major Canadian and U.S. markets, with close to 100 franchises. The company bills itself now not as a curbside repair service but as a complete, mobile bike store, selling "anything you need for your bike, any parts and accessories," Mr. Guillemet said.

For instance, Velofix has deals with 26 bike manufacturers, including Eddy Merckx and Ellsworth. You can order a bicycle and Velofix will deliver it and properly fit it for you – in other words perform all the functions of an ordinary bike shop.

The company has found another revenue stream in contracts with corporations to fix commuting employees' bikes and in-house bicycle fleets. "Microsoft is a great client. Google, Facebook, Starbucks' head office, Intel, companies like that,"

The franchise fee is $25,000. Operators need to purchase the Mercedes van and stock it with parts, wear a Velofix work shirt, and the head office gets an 8-per-cent royalty from gross sales.

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/the-challenge/mobile-bike-shop-expands-in-high-gear-across-n-america/article34576123/
https://www.velofix.com/