![]() ![]() That reduces “rocking torque” while also enhancing a rider’s power transfer when cycling. lowers a rider’s foot about three centimeters. The pedal - created through his Pasadena Bicycle Manufacturing Co. “This is the residual mess.”Īnd if all of this wasn’t enough, Lubanski also invented a Side Mount pedal (SMp) that was introduced to the bike world in 2004. “I just got done building 80 bikes,” he said. ![]() On Monday the repair section of his shop was littered with discarded packing materials from a shipment of new bikes that recently arrived. Lubanski does everything from wheel alignments to bike re-builds. “But a single-manned brick-and-mortar store in Southern California? That’s more of an anomaly.” “There are still quite a few independent bike retailers out there in the U.S.,” he said. NBDA spokesman Michael Baker said Lubanski’s one-man business model is somewhat unique. The NBDA’s latest Cost of Doing Business survey reveals that smaller stores of around 5,466 square feet still have an average of 5.2 full-time equivalent employees per store. sales of bicycles and related parts and accessories totalled $6.1 billion in 2014, up from $5.8 billion the previous year, according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA). I don’t believe in wasting a person’s money.”īut plenty of money is being spent. “Bikes go up to $22,000 right now,” he said. Lubanski says he won’t stock higher-end bikes because they can get way too expensive. Open Road caters to beginning and intermediate-level riders with bikes priced from $400 to about $5,000. The Italian-made Bianchis are painted a “celeste” turquoise color, while the American-made KHS bikes come in a variety of hues. The shop specializes in road bikes made by Bianchi and KHS. It’s not like the bikes are an after-thought … they’re the whipped cream on the cake.” But you might sell them 20 pairs of shorts over their lifetime. That’s not a business model to me - especially since I’m working a one-man shop. You sell a person one or two bikes every five years. “There’s no one else in the United States who has 400 pairs of shorts. ![]() “I have 400 pairs of bike shorts in stock,” he said. He was quick to clarify that description. But some shops will sell 800 bikes in a year. “I might sell 150 to 200 bikes in a year. “Thirty percent of my sales come from bikes and the other 70 percent comes from accessories,” Lubanski said. Open Road has about 150 bikes and loads of clothing and accessories, ranging from wheels, components, gloves and lights, to tubes, tires and air pumps. You can go in there and find something for a 30-year-old bike, but you can also find parts for the latest and greatest carbon fiber bike.” “Steve is really enthusiastic about cycling and has stayed that way. “His shop is overwhelming,” said Hamilton, 61, who lives in Sierra Madre. Longtime customer Jeff Hamilton, who typically rides anywhere from 50 to 200 miles a week, says he won’t shop anywhere else. PHOTOS: Open Road Bicycle Shop in Pasadena. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |