A few times a year we (Peddler Bike Shop) get a call from someone at the University of Memphis who has lost their lock key and needs us to cut their lock or someone who is handicapped and needs us to change their flat tire. This past Saturday was the first time that I (though I'm sure there have been others) took a call from someone out on a ride with a flat tire and they wanted me to bring them a tube and change their flat.
A. We don't do that.
B. We don't do that, especially not on Saturday.
C. We don't do that, especially not on Saturday, even more so when we're short-staffed and there's a sale going on.
That's not to say that the Superman in me wouldn't love to get on my bike, race through Memphis streets to save an unprepared cyclist, because I would. But I have bigger responsibilities at the shop. Though I really love that you as the stranded cyclist are loyal to my shop even when my competitor is closer.
Fast forward to Tuesday when a customer and I are conversing about the aesthetics, anti-theft advantages and cargo capacities of Dutch bikes, bakfiets and "xtra-cycles" and she mentions that her husband and friend were on the greenline this past weekend and experienced a flat on a trail-a-bike. She relayed her idea for a mobile flat-fixing service. When I asked how much she would pay for such a service she said "$20. Most people when riding have a $20 bill on them." (paraphrased)
That implies, of course, tube and labor. At a shop you will pay about $6 for a tube, $6.60 with tax. Leaving you $13.40 for your labor. For a young high school or college kid with a love of cycling and free weekends you might be able to make some dough. Start-up costs would include several tubes in various sizes, a floor pump, sizes 13, 14, 15, and 17 wrenches preferred but an adjustable wrench would suffice, a few tire boots, and a backpack to carry everything. Then as you got established several different tires and a trailer to carry everything. So minimum would be about $100, after 8 jobs you could start making profit.
To be honest I'm not sure if the demand is fully there, but perhaps it's just because the service isn't available.
Then this customer and I started talking food carts: hot dogs, ice cream, gyros. That's a whole other post right there.
While on my initial bicycle rack picture taking expedition this wave rack in front of the Center City Commission (CCC) had the most bikes locked to it (aside from the Flying Saucer newspaper corral). This rack might even see more daily use than any other rack in downtown Memphis. I know I use it about once a month in early spring while planning Bike To Work Day.
These bicycle racks are a recent addition to Court Square, having been installed after last years Bike To Work Day Expo. Last year there was free valet parking provided by Livable Memphis. This year these two bicycle racks may be sufficient. Readers will recognize these as Jill Turman creations. I got a chance to email Jill and she calls them "squiggle racks" but has given us
permission to call them Memphis racks, as we are the only city to have them. A lot takes place in Court Square from the weekly Food Not Bombs meal servings on Saturdays at 2pm to the yearly Bicycle Expo for Bike To Work Day. Last year I had a table set up for the Bicycle Film Festival (Bikesploitation is taking the place of this for 2011). There were other vendors set up and people were distributing information and giving out freebies and a lady came up to my table with her hands full of stuff and asked what I was doing. I gave her a flyer and talked about the BFF and she was just nodding her head and when I had finished she asked, "What's this?" To which I replied, "My sunscreen?" not sure where she was directing her question. She said, "Yeah." So I explained to her the purpose of sunscreen and then she asked, "Is it free?" This lady actually wanted my sunscreen. When I told her "no" and that it was mine, she huffed off like I had wasted her time.
I see a lot of people drive drunk. Some of them are even my friends. After turning down a taxi I just have to hope that they'll be my friends tomorrow. The least that could happen is that they end up riding their bikes here; the LEAST.
Do you remember the first Powerhouse bicycle rack? Well when we take that 9 bike and add to it another comfortable 27 (I consider myself a professional when it comes to loading up a bicycle rack - 4 days a week for almost 4 years; fenders, racks, pegs, no problem. You can definitely get more than 18 on that long silver rack.) we have the potential to rack 36 bikes. 
The Cafe Francisco Bicycle Rack is yet another splendid creation from Jill Turman. Unfortunately, the area in which it is located, the Pinch District, has seen more populated times. It is very odd to me that this area, surrounded by an affluent neighborhood, a mixed-income neighborhood, a hospital, a "theme park" (Mud Island), a hotel and a convention center is so lacking in consumer amenities. A handful of restaurants and shopping are scattered on Main Street with other side streets severely lacking. The area is like South Main 10 years ago, but look how much that has changed; and it didn't take a big retailer like Bass Pro to turn it around.
