opening a shop

[noonoosdad]

:D People have more time and less money and so they're looking at a lot of DIY options.

Another possibility to consider is if you're selling bikes, recycle old ones. Give them a new lease of life with some paint and new parts. The more creative you are the more attractive they will be. See http://www.freshtripe.co.uk for examples.

Now that's a cracking idea !

[thirdcrank]

Once again I link to Ellis Briggs simply because they publish clear pricelists on their website.

http://www.ellisbriggscycles.co.uk/workshop.php

Interesting to see that they charge £35 (inc VAT) an hour for labour, reducing to £25 on bikes bought from them. This compares with £45 (+ VAT) an hour at the MOT testing garage down the road from me.

This is a very successful lbs with its roots in the history of cycling.

[olon1968]

Thanks for all the replies, mostly encouraging and constructive. I'll let you know how I get on.

Alan