The vehicle would assist customers as a traveling repair shop
By Steve Yablonski
Greg Mills of Murdock’s Bikes in Oswego is adding four wheels to the business.
He is augmenting his brick and mortar store with a van, which will be equipped not only to pick up and deliver bikes, but also to serve as a mobile repair shop.
He has been in business on West First Street since September 2017.
“To come into an existing business is a blessing,” he said of taking over the business. “There is familiarity, people know the product. Even today, I still have people from the area that have never been in here; never heard of the place. They were going by, going some place, and decided to walk in and see what we are all about.”
“I think if you look at the demographic of this area, what we are gaining with the LITATRO building and Riverwalk, the people living in those properties are living there for a reason; ‘I want to be downtown. If I live in the country, I own a car, but if I live in the city I want to be right here,’” he said.
Bicycles and more
“The majority of what I sell is going to be bicycles. But we also have clothing, footwear, equipment, snowshoes in the winter and more. Everything is sourced and made in the United States,” Mills said. “With the van we’re going to be able to do bicycle repairs wherever. It makes the business mobile. The idea behind the van is to mobilize the bike shop, without having to have another bike shop. Four wheels take me to wherever somebody has a need.”
“We have a bike shop in Oswego. We have one in Waterloo. We have one in Rome. So, how do I access Pulaski? How do I help Camden, Mexico?” he said rhetorically.
“If they can’t bring the bike here, I go to them and bring the service to them,” he said as he explained the reasoning behind the acquisition of the van.
The van should be fully operational by early 2022.
“The other benefit is pick up and delivery. You bought a bike. But you’re driving a small car, you going to put that bike in the back seat? How are you going to get that bike home?” he said. “We are going to bring it to you.”
Or, if all of a sudden you need to get a tune-up, but hesitate to get the bike fixed because you don’t know how to get it into the shop, he said for example. “So I’d come and get it and bring it here. I’d do the job on site, if I can,” he said. “That’s the idea. The idea with the mobile bike shop is to be able to do the repair right there, right in the driveway.”
“We’ll be able to pick up or deliver the bike when the weather is bad. I’ve been doing that for a while now. But I have an open back truck. With the van, the bike is out of the elements,” he added. “Now, I can fit a trike, I can fit a bike and deliver it in an enclosed vehicle; that is a big difference.”
He said he got a great deal on the vehicle.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. We put a hitch on the back of it. Hopefully I’ll have it fully equipped by the first quarter of 2022,” he said. “That is typically the slower time of the year for us. It gives me time get it equipped and be up and running.”
Mills grew up in North Rose.
“So I have people coming from there, Wolcott and Red Creek, Fair Haven. But there is nothing between here and Rochester. Nothing. So why not go to people? The van will enable me to do just that,” he explained.
He said he wouldn’t charge for a 10-mile radius.
“Outside of that, it would be like $25, outside of 50 miles maybe $50. I’m happy to go to Binghamton for a bike job, but you’d have to pay for it,” he said. “We hope to mobilize the shop to make the service a value to people.”
Greg Mills, owner of Murdock’s Bikes in Oswego, wants to make the lives of his customers easier. He is adding a van service that will pick up and deliver bikes to customers. “The idea with the mobile bike shop is to be able to do the repair right there, right in the driveway,” he says.
