Behind the counter hisses the espresso machine. On the brick walls hang a few wheels and pictures of regional artists, on stands there is some sportswear. The offer in the business of BoBikes in Cologne-Ehrenfeld is reduced.

Less is more - that's just what the store wants to do against online competition. Customers are increasingly ordering wheels in the network. According to the Zweirad Industrie Verband (ZVI), nine percent of bicycles were purchased online in Germany in 2012, compared to 19 percent in 2017.

Radläden as a longing with style

By contrast, creative approaches and a lot of service, in particular, help to sell high-quality wheels, says BoBikes owner Bernd Over. "We do not bind customers by selling a single bike, but by providing advice and additional services," he explains.

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BoBikes and Co.:Dream stores for bicycle hipsters

Wheelchairs around the world are increasingly presenting themselves as longing places with style, not just in the racing bike sector. Shops such as Butchers and Bicycles in Copenhagen and Pavé in Barcelona dominate the scene. The Danes make custom and handmade cargo bikes. At Pavé, customers can buy mountain bikes as well as high-class racing bikes - at high prices.

"Recreational athletes with ambitions like triathletes spend more money than they used to, which we notice on more expensive and better equipped racing bikes," says David Eisenberger from the ZIV. In 2017, dealers in Germany sold around 3.85 million bicycles, including about 100,000 racing bicycles.

Real estate agent saddles

BoBikes boss Over has pedaled, modified and modified the wheels of racing bikes for more than 25 years. At street races in the Rhineland and Switzerland, he found like-minded people and found that there is a market for high-quality racing machines and comprehensive advice in Cologne.

In the summer of 2016, the real estate agent decided to sell bicycles. His shop should score points with advice for racing bikes and gravel bikes. A year later, he put his plan into action - since early 2018 in a backyard loft of a former nursery.

"We want to offer customers an experience," says the 43-year-old. These include test bikes, pick-and-place service in the Cologne city area, wheel alignment and individualization of components as well as road bike training. On Saturdays, there are guided tours around Cologne within the cycling season.

Components from the 3-D printer

The five Bobikes employees drive their own racing bike and test wheels. Among them are machines from BMC, Trek, Pinarello, Look, 3T and Liv. On customer request, two-wheel mechatronics engineer Merlin Heyde customizes frames, brakes, shifting components and wheels. Components that can not be bought are produced by the employees with a 3-D printer. Depending on their size and features, the carbon racers weighing between seven and eight kilograms cost up to € 12,000.

In this price segment, it could make sense to advise customers comprehensively in the shop, says Philipp Elsner-Krause, Managing Director of the accessory dealer driver Berlin. Often wheels would be staged like a unique individual product, but in truth they would come "off the shelf or out of the warehouse".

It wanted to do better order wheel in Berlin. The company offered unique pieces and cargo bikes tailored to the customer, and the employees took great care of the interested parties. "But many did not understand that costly manufactured individual pieces cost several thousand euros," explains owner Nico Wünsche. He closed the shop and continued with an e-bike store.

Some retailers require consultancy fees to earn immediate service. For many customers, however, this is still a deterrent, says Elsner-Krause.

The measurement of the customer

BoBikes employee Julian Sorge advises customers on the right diet for free. The biologist launches for years as a semi-professional at international triathlon competitions. In lactate measurement, spiroergometry, performance or energy diagnostics, BoBikes collaborates with partners from the environment. Next door, a personal trainer in an athletic room offers fitness classes. "Ergonomics is very important in cycling, so we integrate that into the advice," says Over.

First, the customers are measured. "With cycling shorts and the right shoes we put the wheel on the respective body," explains Over. In Germany almost every second owner is too big a bike. An intensive consultation takes up to two hours.

Quite plausible, Claudia Pirsch of the trade association federated service and bicycle (VSF) finds: "The better a bicycle fits the cyclist, the longer and painless he can drive with it." Ergonomics is very important in cycling. " For hobby racers who travel for hours, she recommends a comprehensive survey. "The more ambitious the athletes drive, ie stretching more than 60 kilometers at a time, the more important it is to avoid pain or discomfort." For drivers who are only a few minutes or kilometers per day, a comprehensive survey is secondary.

Know-how for everyday cyclists from the Tour de France

On the grounds of the Cologne bike shop BoBikes has settled another sports health specialist. Oliver Elsenbach manufactures Solestar insoles for racing bike shoes. This keeps the foot stiff in the boot and transmits maximum power to the pedals.

"Every bike and every driver is very individual, the two have to be coordinated," says the 49-year-old sports scientist, who looks after professionals and amateur cyclists. For example, the wheel height, inclination, handlebar stem, handlebar width, seat position, crank length and pedals can be adjusted on one wheel. It is about using a lot of power from your legs, but also finding a healthy sitting position.

Foot position, knee, pelvis and neck position are measured

"Anyone who drives without pain, has more fun and also does more," says Elsenbach. In his assessment, 70 percent of cyclists sit badly on the bike, causing back or neck pain. "Especially e-bike buyers spend a lot of money, but do not think about the right attitude of the bike."

Elsenbach needed around two and a half hours for the configuration. Without deposits, the service costs 220 euros, with deposits 470 euros - compared to the top of 12,000 euros that makes no four percent - a cappuccino from the expensive machine is then free.