Velo Fit First Steps

I announced the birth of Velo Fit in early April.  I had my Retül certification.  The Retül equipment and other bike fitting tools had been ordered.  The business had been registered.  The logo was being designed.  I had a location for my fit studio.

There were still things to do.  Design a website for instance.  But I was confident that I would make my target of first appointments in June.

What is it that Robert Burns said about the best laid plans of mice and men?

I opened for business in mid-August.

Here is what happened.  The lease at Van’s Urban Bicycle Co. came up for renewal and the expected rental increase was more than Vanessa, Ray and their business partners was willing to bear.  So there was a scramble to complete the renovations at the new premises and to vacate the old shop.  That pushed the availability of space for my studio to mid-July.

Also it took longer than expected to find a carpenter to build a rotating platform.  The platform isn’t an absolutely essential piece of kit, but having it makes a fitter’s life much easier.  Retül customers in the USA get a completed platform as part of their equipment order.  It is a very heavy item though.  Not surprising as it has to support the weight of at least two people, a bicycle, and a turbo trainer.  So international customers get a box of screws, washers, casters and other metal parts, and assembly instructions.

In early August my cousin Yasmin put me in touch with a carpenter who could read plans.  Two weeks later my rotating platform was delivered to the newly-opened Van’s Urban Bicycle Co. shop in Kampung Tunku.

In the meantime I had accumulated the other bits and pieces I needed to equip my studio:  some chairs, a trolley to hold a laptop, a projector, tools etc., and a massage bed for the biomechanical assessments.  I was ready for business.

My first client was Mark.

My second client was Marco.  Thank you Mark and Marco for setting me on my way, and bearing through all the teething troubles as I got the equipment, and myself, up to speed.

As you can see I changed the studio set up as I went along.  Hanging a sheet on the back wall as a screen for the projector was a bad idea.  Here’s the studio as it is today.

Fortunately there is just enough space for the rotating platform to actually pivot.

I am excited to finally be up and running.  My website at http://velofit.org has already generated some appointments.  I am flashing my business card where ever I go.

Friends and family are helping me advertise.  The next few months will tell if this is a good idea.

In closing, here is a suggestion I got for a sticker that could go on each bike that comes through my studio:

Size doesn’t matter, but fit does!