We are growing into the Cedar Falls historic post office. Having outgrown our current space years ago, this space provides the room for our business and services to grow for future years while highlighting historic preservation efforts in Downtown Cedar Falls.
Bike Tech focuses on customer service and knowledge - two items that the internet and larger stores can't provide. Since 1996 Bike Tech has been keeping the Cedar Valley and surrounding areas rolling with bicycle sales and service expertise. Purchased by Brent Johnson in 2006, Bike Tech has doubled its sales in just under 7 years. Since that time, fitness equipment has been added to give a much needed boost to weak winter sales and to help retain year-round employees.
We are extremely excited to expand our product range to include recumbent trikes. This category of product does not have any dealers located in Northeast Iowa and has the potential to make our store a regional destination. New customers will be entering our store and community to shop our selections.
Having already had moderate success with professional fitting services, our new location will allow us to provide for a dedicated room and will let us perform fits before, during, and after regular store hours. Our current space only allows for fits to be conducted after store hours and by moving multiple store displays to make room for the various pieces of equipment used during the process.
Our competition varies greatly in terms of size and style of service. We have big box retail along with the smaller independent bicycle dealers. Bike Tech's move will aim to blend the benefits of both - a large spacious floor with attractive displays and professional appearance blended with friendly, knowledgeable, down to earth staff whose goal is to make your next bike ride the best ever. All in a space full of historic character helping to balance them all together.
The funding provided by this contest would help Bike Tech with the significant build out expenses associated with moving to a new space. These would include lighting and flooring, new computer and service equipment to increase efficiency, and an increase in inventory levels to fill the larger space.
The additional space will also allow us to expand our product range to increase sales and services to under served demographics in the Cedar Valley and Northeast Iowa. We hope to do with dedicated space and products for aging Iowans, fitness equipment shoppers, and premium bicycle fitting services.
With these new offerings we hope to provide a better, more modern customer experience that consumers will be expecting from bicycle specific retailers in the future.