LIFE IS A TRIP
Charles T James & Daisy Chiu grew Crimson Bikes from a broom closet to multiple locations by building a community of cyclists.
CAMBRIDGE, MA
I was parked at the Harvard initiative known as Zone 3, talking with folks coming by for free business advice. The intersection of Harvard and Western Ave is a swirling nexus of commuters in cars, running apparel, busses and bike. Never in all of the Mobile Incubator’s travels have I ever encountered this many cyclists.
It got me thinking. Bikes might be the first form of pure freedom we get. So what is bike culture? And how do you sell bikes?
The oldest purchase that I still own today is my bike. It’s a 1976 Schwinn Collegiate. It’s sparkly green. It came with a pair of side baskets on the back, with a headlight and taillight combo with a generator. My neighbor gave me a 1950s vintage bell to put on the handlebars.
I bought this classic bike 12 years ago in Oshkosh Wisconsin for only $10. How many days have I spent tuning it up over the course of my life? And at 42 years old, I’ve put about $300 of repairs and upgrades into it. When I ride it people turn their heads and they ask where I got it.
Maybe before we ask how to price a bike, we should ask what is the value of a bike? It’s more than a means of travel, it’s also about the look, the feel, the cool factor, the speed, the weight, the mobility, and the access that it gives us. A bike is not a commodity for most of us, it’s personal, and it’s cultural.
So I lined up an interview with Charles T James and Daisy Chiu, owners of Crimson Bikes. Charles and Daisy love to show people the feeling of freedom that comes from riding a bicycle.
Charles fell in love with biking when he rode his friends bike to try and catch a goose. Daisy has a disability that requires here to be in a wheelchair, and is a huge proponent of adaptive cycling and accessibility to exercise for disabled people. Charles and Daisy met with in school at Harvard and founded Crimson Bikes as a co-op style program centered around a DIY community.
After graduation they tried to step back to try and start a more traditional career but realized that helping people experience bike riding was a more fulfilling move. The company first operated out of what they describe as “a broom closet” with only 6 bikes before they were able to “get the tires turning”. Today they’ve expanded into brick and mortar and mobile repairs across Cambridge.
PODCAST
DISCUSSION
Daisy and Charles’ first shop was in a broom closet, yet they were able to generate a community of bike sharing and sharing bicycle tools. Over time that community generated demand for bike parts, bike sales, and more services.
Q: How will you create a community around your work? What is the brand of that community?
Charles says that the central value around a bicycle is “mobility”. Due to a disability, Daisy’s relationship with her motorized tricycle is around “access”. Lucas says that his bike is a “conversation starter” for him to make new relationships.
Q: How will you sell a relationship with your product or service?