Our (well my) Story
The Early Years: When I was about 7 years old, me and a buddy (Jeff) started a little bike shop in my garage at 2988 Quitman Street. Basically, we lined up all our bikes (that weren't really for sale) and told everyone we had a bike shop.
Post Early Year: Many, many years later I started another business with the hopes of getting into the bicycle business when I had "figured business out". When the other business had lost almost all it's money and heartbeat, a guy walked in with an old Peugeot (that I still have) and asked me for directions. I said "wanna sell your bike". And it all began.....
The Beginning: I wanted to call the new business "Denver Used Bike Shop" but a friend said it was too bland. She suggested Fly Bike Shop and I ran with it. In 2006 Fly Bike Shop began at 5817 West 38th Ave. It was crazy! I have been in sales, sales management and a sales training professional (since about 1993), and when I applied my skill set and experience in training and growing sales in a corporation, Fly grew. And grew super fast! We started with just a little space 300sq ft.space ($68, 000 in sales) and in two years took over the entire north end of the the large building AND three garages for just storage. We went from me and a buddy to 7 full time employee's and 2-3 part time. Then the next year I bought the bike shop on 6th ave and Downing (now Velowood Bicycles) and added an additional employee. We were doing over a $1,000,000 (1 Million) a year in sales with all our stores. Tons of employees and tons of expenses. About $28,000 a month in overhead...ugh!.
The Middle: The internet market started to change and everyone was in the game. The major problem with that is all of us in business with buying power, employees and overhead, can do the volume to get the profit, but it's not worth the investment/frustration. What also happens is that inexperienced business men/women come in and ruin the market. They sell product for $10 over cost out of their garage (and sell a lot) but then realize that after having to hire an employee (to support the volume) that its not worth it and usually go out of business. They confuse activity with accomplishment and it becomes a price driven market, oddly enough, by the sellers. Overhead was high, sales were high but margin was low and so I decided to let everyone go, except for one guy, and shut the internet division down. I let the store manager go at the Denver store and moved in with a fresh new outlook for the NEW-Fly Bike Shop era and we were going to kill it. Then I sold it two months later!
The Bicycle Broker: Okay, how can I be a great husband and a great father to my wife of 26 years and my children aged 7 and 8? By working by appointment? I disapprove of the "Books for Dummies" series. When you factor in evolution and what we humans represent and have accomplished, it has always disgusted me that these books are printed with that title. So, I see a book called "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Working Less, Earning More". I am always willing to test my bias, prejudice and ignorance, so here we go. ( After all, we only grow when we try to understand what we don't understand?) I read it and it made sense. I forced myself to believe it, I applied it, I pissed off a bunch of customers, I changed the name to The Bicycle Broker, I sold only by appointment, I figured it out and today (04-13-2010) I am kicking butt with tons of happy customers. I won't get rich but when you walk into my shop, I will greet you, shake your hand and give you an experience you will not forget in the bike business. "I am a bike nut with a bike shop"! If I do my job, you will be happy that I listened to you, and gladly pass me your hard earned money. Your dollars allow me to live my dream and allow me to pass on my love of the bicycle to the next person. Your experience with me was paved long ago.......
.The Way Bike Shop's Should Be and Use To Be.......
UPDATE
December 2023
The bike world is changing (again) but what a great year!
October 2022 -
What a crazy world we are in!
Bike shop is doing wonderful thanks to all of our kick arse customers.
September 2021 - Business is back to usual - about 10% up from 2019.
October 2020 - Business was good but it was bitter sweet for so many reasons.
October 2019 - OMG, it's going to 17 years next year that I started this crazy thing!
April 13 2022 - Thank You!!!
Jan 2020- OH WOW!
July 2019....awesome!!!!
February 2018...still....going.....strong.....:D
November 2017..busy and loving you all
January 2016 and We're Super Busy
August 2015...still kicking booty...
August 1, 2014 - We're still kicking butt....
The Early Years: When I was about 7 years old, me and a buddy (Jeff) started a little bike shop in my garage at 2988 Quitman Street. Basically, we lined up all our bikes (that weren't really for sale) and told everyone we had a bike shop.
Post Early Year: Many, many years later I started another business with the hopes of getting into the bicycle business when I had "figured business out". When the other business had lost almost all it's money and heartbeat, a guy walked in with an old Peugeot (that I still have) and asked me for directions. I said "wanna sell your bike". And it all began.....
The Beginning: I wanted to call the new business "Denver Used Bike Shop" but a friend said it was too bland. She suggested Fly Bike Shop and I ran with it. In 2006 Fly Bike Shop began at 5817 West 38th Ave. It was crazy! I have been in sales, sales management and a sales training professional (since about 1993), and when I applied my skill set and experience in training and growing sales in a corporation, Fly grew. And grew super fast! We started with just a little space 300sq ft.space ($68, 000 in sales) and in two years took over the entire north end of the the large building AND three garages for just storage. We went from me and a buddy to 7 full time employee's and 2-3 part time. Then the next year I bought the bike shop on 6th ave and Downing (now Velowood Bicycles) and added an additional employee. We were doing over a $1,000,000 (1 Million) a year in sales with all our stores. Tons of employees and tons of expenses. About $28,000 a month in overhead...ugh!.
The Middle: The internet market started to change and everyone was in the game. The major problem with that is all of us in business with buying power, employees and overhead, can do the volume to get the profit, but it's not worth the investment/frustration. What also happens is that inexperienced business men/women come in and ruin the market. They sell product for $10 over cost out of their garage (and sell a lot) but then realize that after having to hire an employee (to support the volume) that its not worth it and usually go out of business. They confuse activity with accomplishment and it becomes a price driven market, oddly enough, by the sellers. Overhead was high, sales were high but margin was low and so I decided to let everyone go, except for one guy, and shut the internet division down. I let the store manager go at the Denver store and moved in with a fresh new outlook for the NEW-Fly Bike Shop era and we were going to kill it. Then I sold it two months later!
The Bicycle Broker: Okay, how can I be a great husband and a great father to my wife of 26 years and my children aged 7 and 8? By working by appointment? I disapprove of the "Books for Dummies" series. When you factor in evolution and what we humans represent and have accomplished, it has always disgusted me that these books are printed with that title. So, I see a book called "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Working Less, Earning More". I am always willing to test my bias, prejudice and ignorance, so here we go. ( After all, we only grow when we try to understand what we don't understand?) I read it and it made sense. I forced myself to believe it, I applied it, I pissed off a bunch of customers, I changed the name to The Bicycle Broker, I sold only by appointment, I figured it out and today (04-13-2010) I am kicking butt with tons of happy customers. I won't get rich but when you walk into my shop, I will greet you, shake your hand and give you an experience you will not forget in the bike business. "I am a bike nut with a bike shop"! If I do my job, you will be happy that I listened to you, and gladly pass me your hard earned money. Your dollars allow me to live my dream and allow me to pass on my love of the bicycle to the next person. Your experience with me was paved long ago.......
.The Way Bike Shop's Should Be and Use To Be.......
UPDATE
December 2023
The bike world is changing (again) but what a great year!
October 2022 -
What a crazy world we are in!
Bike shop is doing wonderful thanks to all of our kick arse customers.
September 2021 - Business is back to usual - about 10% up from 2019.
October 2020 - Business was good but it was bitter sweet for so many reasons.
October 2019 - OMG, it's going to 17 years next year that I started this crazy thing!
April 13 2022 - Thank You!!!
Jan 2020- OH WOW!
July 2019....awesome!!!!
February 2018...still....going.....strong.....:D
November 2017..busy and loving you all
January 2016 and We're Super Busy
August 2015...still kicking booty...
August 1, 2014 - We're still kicking butt....
Hours:
Shop Location
6190 West 38th Ave
Wheat Ridge, CO
Call or Text (anytime) 7 days a week
-303.900.1907
Shop Location
6190 West 38th Ave
Wheat Ridge, CO
Call or Text (anytime) 7 days a week
-303.900.1907