Hiring bike bags and boxes - business idea
Discussion
Evening all, wanted to try and run a side project business idea past the PH collective.
I’m thinking of setting up a up bike bag (for mountain bikes) and/or bike box (for road bikes). I been away for riding trips over the years and have got my own bag but due to living in a flat I had to store it way from home. With now being a home owner and a man cave that can store everything in one place. The wife’s got into road a few years ago and is starting to do trips away and is borrowing/horsing boxes for this but could be interested in buying her own. With these being stored most of the time I was thinking of setting up a side business of hiring of both but want second opinions.
Have you hired before or own? Are you comfortable in packing the bike away or would that be something you would happily pay someone else to do? Would the ability to pick up mid week after work be a factor you would choose over using a bike shop that isn’t opened up late mid week?
Sure there’s loads of of questions I could ask but just want to bounce the idea past overs that ride and travel/want to travel
I’m thinking of setting up a up bike bag (for mountain bikes) and/or bike box (for road bikes). I been away for riding trips over the years and have got my own bag but due to living in a flat I had to store it way from home. With now being a home owner and a man cave that can store everything in one place. The wife’s got into road a few years ago and is starting to do trips away and is borrowing/horsing boxes for this but could be interested in buying her own. With these being stored most of the time I was thinking of setting up a side business of hiring of both but want second opinions.
Have you hired before or own? Are you comfortable in packing the bike away or would that be something you would happily pay someone else to do? Would the ability to pick up mid week after work be a factor you would choose over using a bike shop that isn’t opened up late mid week?
Sure there’s loads of of questions I could ask but just want to bounce the idea past overs that ride and travel/want to travel
I have no experience of using bike bags or boxes but my first thoughts are the logistics of getting the bags/boxes to your customers.
Would you be happy with customers collecting from your house?
Also what about any damage that may occur? Is it the renters obligation to fix or is it the airline? How would you prove this and you would need to have some form of contract and a deposit to manage this.
Some bike shops rent these so I would check to see what the local shops offer as they may already have control of the market.
Would you be happy with customers collecting from your house?
Also what about any damage that may occur? Is it the renters obligation to fix or is it the airline? How would you prove this and you would need to have some form of contract and a deposit to manage this.
Some bike shops rent these so I would check to see what the local shops offer as they may already have control of the market.
I've hired a bike box multiple times before from https://www.bikebox-online.co.uk/ but am buying my own bag this year...
Are you comfortable in packing the bike away or would that be something you would happily pay someone else to do?
I wouldn't pay someone to do it - using the boxes is really, really simple and you still need to rebuild it when you get there and then pack your bike at the other end when you come home so if you're not comfortable enough to pack it for heading outbound, you're screwed when you get there/come home! On a mountain bike with a hard case its slam the dropper post down, wheels off (I remove the rotors as well to stop them getting bent etc), pedals off and stem off. Oh and I take the mech off as well. So 5 minutes with an allen key and its in bits.
Would the ability to pick up mid week after work be a factor you would choose over using a bike shop that isn’t opened up late mid week?
The above website is mega flexible in my experience - think I've picked up/dropped off on my lunch break but they're open after work etc as well (its just been more convenient for me to go at lunch).
Hard cases are ace for many reasons but they're heavy and take up a LOT of space so consider that if you want to buy some to rent out. I'm getting a soft case this year (but a decent Evoc one) as they're that much lighter it'll allow me to pack more in with the bike - tools etc mainly.
Are you comfortable in packing the bike away or would that be something you would happily pay someone else to do?
I wouldn't pay someone to do it - using the boxes is really, really simple and you still need to rebuild it when you get there and then pack your bike at the other end when you come home so if you're not comfortable enough to pack it for heading outbound, you're screwed when you get there/come home! On a mountain bike with a hard case its slam the dropper post down, wheels off (I remove the rotors as well to stop them getting bent etc), pedals off and stem off. Oh and I take the mech off as well. So 5 minutes with an allen key and its in bits.
Would the ability to pick up mid week after work be a factor you would choose over using a bike shop that isn’t opened up late mid week?
The above website is mega flexible in my experience - think I've picked up/dropped off on my lunch break but they're open after work etc as well (its just been more convenient for me to go at lunch).
Hard cases are ace for many reasons but they're heavy and take up a LOT of space so consider that if you want to buy some to rent out. I'm getting a soft case this year (but a decent Evoc one) as they're that much lighter it'll allow me to pack more in with the bike - tools etc mainly.
Also if you're thinking of hiring out a single box and a single bag (if I read your post right) then I suspect it'd be too much hassle than its worth. The place I used charges a very reasonable fee to hire (and a 10% discount for repeat custom) but they have scale - eg if someone brings back and box and its knackered, the next person isn't going to be affected as they have a garage full of the things. In your scenario if Bob returns a bag and the zip is bust and Steve is due to collect the bag the day after, its a potentially sticky situation you're in as you may not be able to supply the bag.
Loads of places do it already - I'd steer clear of the faff TBH.
Loads of places do it already - I'd steer clear of the faff TBH.
Logistics of getting boxes delivered to peoples homes and then returning them will be an cost that will make it difficult to compete with local bike shops who hire. I thnk you'd need volume to make money ... that means a lot of boxes out at once. Prices would need to be cheap to be attractive .... when potential customers factor in box hire and flight carriage vs renting at the location and the ease of that, taking your own bike can become more expensive/more hassle.
I have my own box and take my own bike, then again I spent 7 weeks in Spain last year so it wasn't really a hassle based on the time away.
I have my own box and take my own bike, then again I spent 7 weeks in Spain last year so it wasn't really a hassle based on the time away.
mattvanders said:
Evening all, wanted to try and run a side project business idea past the PH collective.
I m thinking of setting up a up bike bag (for mountain bikes) and/or bike box (for road bikes). I been away for riding trips over the years and have got my own bag but due to living in a flat I had to store it way from home. With now being a home owner and a man cave that can store everything in one place. The wife s got into road a few years ago and is starting to do trips away and is borrowing/horsing boxes for this but could be interested in buying her own. With these being stored most of the time I was thinking of setting up a side business of hiring of both but want second opinions.
Have you hired before or own? Are you comfortable in packing the bike away or would that be something you would happily pay someone else to do? Would the ability to pick up mid week after work be a factor you would choose over using a bike shop that isn t opened up late mid week?
Sure there s loads of of questions I could ask but just want to bounce the idea past overs that ride and travel/want to travel
Owned and still own a Bikeboxalan. I count myself lucky that I have space to store it. I’m comfortable packing a bike in it (and I think that has to be a given, because one has to rebuild it at the other end, and then repack it for the trip home). I m thinking of setting up a up bike bag (for mountain bikes) and/or bike box (for road bikes). I been away for riding trips over the years and have got my own bag but due to living in a flat I had to store it way from home. With now being a home owner and a man cave that can store everything in one place. The wife s got into road a few years ago and is starting to do trips away and is borrowing/horsing boxes for this but could be interested in buying her own. With these being stored most of the time I was thinking of setting up a side business of hiring of both but want second opinions.
Have you hired before or own? Are you comfortable in packing the bike away or would that be something you would happily pay someone else to do? Would the ability to pick up mid week after work be a factor you would choose over using a bike shop that isn t opened up late mid week?
Sure there s loads of of questions I could ask but just want to bounce the idea past overs that ride and travel/want to travel
If I didn’t own one, was space-limited, and wanted to rent, I’d want a service that delivered it say Wednesday, ideally in the evening, and collected it say the following Tuesday (assuming a weekend trip). Going to collect it wouldn’t be ideal - they are big things that don’t fit into a lot of cars.
A soft bag might be better for collection and drop off, but I would take a carbon fibre frame in a soft bag when a hard case is an option.
There are BBA rentals on eBay if you want to look at the market rates, and how others do it.
I've hired a few times.
Always hired from someone off eBay or Marketplace, not a business. There's people doing this all over the country, so no need to get things delivered. There's a chap a few miles from me has about 20 Alan's hard plastic cases that he hires out at £8 per day from his garage. If you can make things work at those prices then worth a go.
As for packing - no chance. As a renter I want to take my time packing the case in the comfort of my own home with all my tools at my disposal, so that when I'm returning and having to pack my own box in a small hotel room, exhausted and with a stinking hangover I can still strip the bike down and get it in the box.
Also - if you offer to pack someone's box and their bike gets damaged in transit, you may get accused of packing it incorrectly.
If you do go ahead - I will only rent hard cases now after one of my bikes was damaged in transit in a soft bag, baggage handlers are not the gentlest of people.
Hope it goes well if you do go for it.
Always hired from someone off eBay or Marketplace, not a business. There's people doing this all over the country, so no need to get things delivered. There's a chap a few miles from me has about 20 Alan's hard plastic cases that he hires out at £8 per day from his garage. If you can make things work at those prices then worth a go.
As for packing - no chance. As a renter I want to take my time packing the case in the comfort of my own home with all my tools at my disposal, so that when I'm returning and having to pack my own box in a small hotel room, exhausted and with a stinking hangover I can still strip the bike down and get it in the box.
Also - if you offer to pack someone's box and their bike gets damaged in transit, you may get accused of packing it incorrectly.
If you do go ahead - I will only rent hard cases now after one of my bikes was damaged in transit in a soft bag, baggage handlers are not the gentlest of people.
Hope it goes well if you do go for it.
Two bike shops local to me rent them, its pretty inexpensive.
I rented a BikeBoxAlan which was good, and a Polaris one which was a menace to pack. I agree with the other poster that I'd not pay to have someone pack it as I need to know how to do it for the return trip.
It would be helpful to be able to collect after work, but equally when I visit the shop its a good opportunity to get last minute gels etc.
This one looks brilliant, and I will seek out one to rent next time.
https://road.cc/content/review/buxumbox-ventoux-ro...
I rented a BikeBoxAlan which was good, and a Polaris one which was a menace to pack. I agree with the other poster that I'd not pay to have someone pack it as I need to know how to do it for the return trip.
It would be helpful to be able to collect after work, but equally when I visit the shop its a good opportunity to get last minute gels etc.
This one looks brilliant, and I will seek out one to rent next time.
https://road.cc/content/review/buxumbox-ventoux-ro...
curvature said:
I have no experience of using bike bags or boxes but my first thoughts are the logistics of getting the bags/boxes to your customers.
Would you be happy with customers collecting from your house?
Also what about any damage that may occur? Is it the renters obligation to fix or is it the airline? How would you prove this and you would need to have some form of contract and a deposit to manage this.
Some bike shops rent these so I would check to see what the local shops offer as they may already have control of the market.
Will reply to everyone and their points because they are all valid but might take some time.Would you be happy with customers collecting from your house?
Also what about any damage that may occur? Is it the renters obligation to fix or is it the airline? How would you prove this and you would need to have some form of contract and a deposit to manage this.
Some bike shops rent these so I would check to see what the local shops offer as they may already have control of the market.
I have looked around at what options are available locally to me to hire. There are two bike shops in the surrounding areas that hire bike boxes but not bags (so again that’s a market area that I would consider more). They both say pickup only. There are other companies on eBay/facebook/pink bike that other hire but not near to me. I would be happy for people to come to the house to pickup, the house and more importantly mancave has alarms, cameras and bike locked up to ground anchors etc the mancave is set up to work in it required for packing the bike down (was designed to be big enough to have projects in there). Depending on how things went I would look at postage eventually but would look at dropping off for local first at cost.
From what I have seen with the other companies I’ve seen most require proof of address and a £100 refundable deposit for damage but I would say that travel insurance by the renter (and proof) would be needed for lose of the bag (though they would be claiming for lose of bike and potential extra dates of bag hire etc). With damage, I would be responsible. There’s a difference between saying their packed chain lube spilt and dust/dirt marks from general traveling.
DaveyBoyWonder said:
I've hired a bike box multiple times before from https://www.bikebox-online.co.uk/ but am buying my own bag this year...
Are you comfortable in packing the bike away or would that be something you would happily pay someone else to do?
I wouldn't pay someone to do it - using the boxes is really, really simple and you still need to rebuild it when you get there and then pack your bike at the other end when you come home so if you're not comfortable enough to pack it for heading outbound, you're screwed when you get there/come home! On a mountain bike with a hard case its slam the dropper post down, wheels off (I remove the rotors as well to stop them getting bent etc), pedals off and stem off. Oh and I take the mech off as well. So 5 minutes with an allen key and its in bits.
Would the ability to pick up mid week after work be a factor you would choose over using a bike shop that isn t opened up late mid week?
The above website is mega flexible in my experience - think I've picked up/dropped off on my lunch break but they're open after work etc as well (its just been more convenient for me to go at lunch).
Hard cases are ace for many reasons but they're heavy and take up a LOT of space so consider that if you want to buy some to rent out. I'm getting a soft case this year (but a decent Evoc one) as they're that much lighter it'll allow me to pack more in with the bike - tools etc mainly.
Sounds like the exact same method i do to fit my bike in the bag, the only thing i like to do is add extra spacers where the stem has been removed and use top cap to keep all the headset together. The father in law did take his road bike away before and paid for the local show to fit the bike in and found and paid a local bike shop to build back up (and in reverse) when he was competing in a half ironman in Sweden. Even the wife could not do it by herself but to be done as more of a "show and tell" exercise to get the person conformable to do it by themselves with guidance. Road bikes can be a bit more difficult with internal cable routing but not impossible.Are you comfortable in packing the bike away or would that be something you would happily pay someone else to do?
I wouldn't pay someone to do it - using the boxes is really, really simple and you still need to rebuild it when you get there and then pack your bike at the other end when you come home so if you're not comfortable enough to pack it for heading outbound, you're screwed when you get there/come home! On a mountain bike with a hard case its slam the dropper post down, wheels off (I remove the rotors as well to stop them getting bent etc), pedals off and stem off. Oh and I take the mech off as well. So 5 minutes with an allen key and its in bits.
Would the ability to pick up mid week after work be a factor you would choose over using a bike shop that isn t opened up late mid week?
The above website is mega flexible in my experience - think I've picked up/dropped off on my lunch break but they're open after work etc as well (its just been more convenient for me to go at lunch).
Hard cases are ace for many reasons but they're heavy and take up a LOT of space so consider that if you want to buy some to rent out. I'm getting a soft case this year (but a decent Evoc one) as they're that much lighter it'll allow me to pack more in with the bike - tools etc mainly.
Yer, i did by a cheap bag second hand and soon relied for the next trip i wanted an Evoc bag, so much easier. Boxes are a lot better for road bikes but pretty much all mountain bikes (other than an xc bike) would be too large or heavy. Storage and lack of use isn't a worry for you going fowards?
DaveyBoyWonder said:
Also if you're thinking of hiring out a single box and a single bag (if I read your post right) then I suspect it'd be too much hassle than its worth. The place I used charges a very reasonable fee to hire (and a 10% discount for repeat custom) but they have scale - eg if someone brings back and box and its knackered, the next person isn't going to be affected as they have a garage full of the things. In your scenario if Bob returns a bag and the zip is bust and Steve is due to collect the bag the day after, its a potentially sticky situation you're in as you may not be able to supply the bag.
Loads of places do it already - I'd steer clear of the faff TBH.
To begin with it would be one of each to see how things fair but have the space to store more if needed. I had already though of that case (pardon the pun) scenario and its why i would want to get more if i though i needed to or plan in not too tight turn arounds.Loads of places do it already - I'd steer clear of the faff TBH.
JEA1K said:
Logistics of getting boxes delivered to peoples homes and then returning them will be an cost that will make it difficult to compete with local bike shops who hire. I thnk you'd need volume to make money ... that means a lot of boxes out at once. Prices would need to be cheap to be attractive .... when potential customers factor in box hire and flight carriage vs renting at the location and the ease of that, taking your own bike can become more expensive/more hassle.
I have my own box and take my own bike, then again I spent 7 weeks in Spain last year so it wasn't really a hassle based on the time away.
I would also say your own bike is like a custom suit, fits you perfectly. I would not want to hire another bike unless it was a different type (have a trail bike for example and have take it to Spain and Italy before because they were week long trips, but if i have heading to more of alps bike parks i would consider a dh bike hire). 7 weeks makes complete sense for having your own bagI have my own box and take my own bike, then again I spent 7 weeks in Spain last year so it wasn't really a hassle based on the time away.
Do you really want the hassle of having to deal with arranging times for pick-up, drop-off, being in when people want the box/bag, having people coming around to your house (presumably you're a cyclist so also have bikes they might like to know the whereabouts of?) or dealing with having to deliver, collect, deal with deposits, etc? A lot of faff for not that much money.
DaveyBoyWonder said:
I've hired a bike box multiple times before from https://www.bikebox-online.co.uk/ .
Used the same company. Though the Windsor branch is now closed.Aside from the boxes, they also do a transport service where bikes are driven in a van to major events in Europe not disassabled.
To the OP. Maybe talk to them about operating a "hub" in your area. Its a relatively easy thing to run. Just need secure space for the boxes when not being used.
https://www.bikebox-online.co.uk/hire/hubs/
BunkMoreland said:
Used the same company. Though the Windsor branch is now closed.
Aside from the boxes, they also do a transport service where bikes are driven in a van to major events in Europe not disassabled.
To the OP. Maybe talk to them about operating a "hub" in your area. Its a relatively easy thing to run. Just need secure space for the boxes when not being used.
https://www.bikebox-online.co.uk/hire/hubs/
There was a great tour company near me that took their van down to the Alps or wherever with clients' bikes safely on board, run and escort the tour, then take the bikes home. Clients just flew down to the tour location, zero hassle. He had a good local following so it was easy enough to drop your bike off with him.Aside from the boxes, they also do a transport service where bikes are driven in a van to major events in Europe not disassabled.
To the OP. Maybe talk to them about operating a "hub" in your area. Its a relatively easy thing to run. Just need secure space for the boxes when not being used.
https://www.bikebox-online.co.uk/hire/hubs/
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