| Andrew, we started doing doing repairs here in Des Moines, but eventually had to advise people we were too busy to take any more. First thing you should know is that drop-off repairs eat up a lot of shop space. We found that it was a very tight squeeze between bikes coming in and repair bikes. Also, there's a subtle difference between repairing someone's bike and refurbishing a donation. If a volunteer might completely ruin a part on a donation, we can usually find something to replace it. On a customer repair, we might have to order in a part and eat the cost. Also, you need to store repair bikes cautiously so that they don't get scratched or otherwise damaged. On the other hand, I don't think competition with LBSes in the area was a problem. In fact, most LBSes are so swamped early in
the year, they would probably welcome some competition. Our shop is situated in an area of town where there's no competing LBS. You may also be fortunate in that you have someone who understands repairs and is willing to do what it takes to move the business along. Our co-op was so swamped with repairs that we had no resources for getting donations out... which is our primary focus. We'd like to someday get back to doing repairs, as there is a real need for it in the area. Please let us know how it goes for you. Gervase Gallant Des Moines Bike Collective: Commuter Corner http://dsmcommutercorner.wordpress.com/ --- On Tue, 7/27/10, Davis, Andrew <ADavis@akronohio.gov> wrote:
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