A local exclusive unicycle store would go out of business immediately. The LBS tell me they sell 1 unicycle a month, but I don’t believe business is that good.
The web is the only way to go. Tom Miller at the unicycle factory, (not exactly your mom and pop store ) will tell you how the web competition (and cheap imports) has taken his business away from him.
UDC has done a remarkable marketing job, they are on the web and in the local stores. The LBS go to UDC for their unicycles. Also UDC is great if there are any concerns after the sale. Mom and pop stores, especially those not aligned with UDC do not have a chance. UDC is the walmart of unicycles.
My 2 cents.
Also I go to UDC or other web stores, becase they have the best selection and price. UPS does the rest.
Mom and Pops need to have a creative way to attract new riders as well as servicing the existing ones.
You need to have sales people that dream about unicycles(specialists)
All that so called service that is done through the mail (who has 3-5 days to wait for an exchanged component that was damaged out of the box due to shipping),?.
The pressures are different when your choices are: (Live or Web)
a) Not being able to feel or touch the product live.
b) Not being able to take that uni home with you to ride that day.
c) Not knowing the exact date the uni will show up in the mail.
d) Not being able to return it that day for the better model.
e) UDC would do best if it were able to concentrate on
wholesale distribution.
f) But, the salespeople in the brick and mortar locations aren’t educated enough to get the uni’s in the hands of the consumer.
Enter our new device, Now bike shops will have the ammunition they need to move unicycles.
If consumers have no place locally to go that offers the expertise necessary to make them feel comfortable they will fall back on the next best resource(the Web).
Tell me you wouldn’t love to Cruise down the block and try out the new (?) model unicycle that just came out on a great obstacle course etc?
Not having a local shop to turn to forces everyone to buy from the only place they find when surfing the web.
Certain things are great to purchase via the web. Unicycles and most products involving service are not as with bicycles. At the moment people don’t have much of an option.
Just One Wheel has the solution. Our goal to build on to the existing rider ship while servicing the existing ones.
With our recently patented device we will be able to allow bike shops and alike all over the world the opportunity to give their customers a ride on a unicycle without ever learning how to ride. Tell me that won’t increase the number of unicycles in consumers hands.
This device will also be mass marketed to consumers as a device similar to a bicycles training wheels but with the ability to prevent fall within 360 degrees.
Tell me honestly how many people would be riding bicycles if it weren’t for training wheels?
This device has allowed us to build a new and unique business model around unicycling.
[I]
Why the device?[/I]
It’s part of the answer to Brians questions.
In order to grow unicycling you need to Motivate and Educate the consumer.
How else would you convince an average consumer:
a) They too can ride
b) This is what it feels like
Just One Wheel will be filling the gap that has prevented unicycling from growing at the speed we would all expect.
By finding the proper way to nurture the sport locally.
This facility will be the first of its kind and all about fun.
The way in which we will expand the growth of the sport nationally in the future will be through specialty franchises of our model.
We hope to launch before the summers end.
Have Fun!!
P.S. Brian, the device is now beed patent protected and is also set up for training as well. You being the only one part of the unicycle community to view this device.
Every bike shop in the Seattle area seems to have a couple Torker unicycles in stock. Harvy’s Bike Shop in Seattle also carries a large number of unicycles in stock. Most of what they carry is from UDC, but they also get Torker from SBS. Kind of neat to walk into a bike shop and see a Coker hanging up from the rafters.
The answer has already been mentioned, and is quite straightforward. Any LBS will tell you they sell a couple of unicycles a month. Even the Pashley shop in Stratford, which has 3 or 4 unicycles of varying specifications in the window and on prominent display hasn’t sold any in the past 6 months (that was when I was last in there, a few months ago).
Roger, in a peak period (i.e the week before Christmas) is selling, processing, packing and shipping 50 unicycles a day. And at normal time’s he’s processing 20 a day.
i live in australia and udc is just taking off here.
if i do a google search (refined to australian pages only) the top of the list is an LBS in brisbane (GAP cycles for those who know it). UDC australia is not even there . i have to key the actual URL into google to find it. not good for Guy at UDC.au who i have a lot of respect for (and who sponsors me).
GAP cycles sell GP unicycles -basicly summit/kh04. they also sell nimbus unis and a few others. from what i have heard they also do a bit of custom work and are happy to put together unis to your specifications.
GAP cycles sponsors Alex Toms, Andrew Carter and Dan Cowling -some of the top aussie riders.
UDC Austraila hasn’t been around as long as gap unicycles, and i think udc is going to take over pretty soon. because they have a much bigger range, get new stuff more regulary and there website is heaps easier to use and order from.
Wish we had a Bedford’s in Sherbrooke… or even Montrieal :’(
. i have to key the actual URL into google to find it. not good for Guy at UDC.au who i have a lot of respect for (and who sponsors me).