Still here

Oh, hey there. Yep, still here, 22 years and counting! It’s been awhile since my last update but I have plenty of excuses, trust me. So much to catch up on and share, I am not sure where to start. It’s been two seasons of running my little shop during a world-wide pandemic which was not in any of my business plans, oddly enough. It’s been trial by fire for so many small businesses, and I feel very fortunate to still be here to tell my tales. I have seen many small businesses, from restaurants to retail stores, close their doors over the last two years and it is sad and scary. I know what it takes to keep the lights on but the pandemic did not make it easy. Sadly, it looks like the next year or so will be no different. This means you can expect major delays in the bike world along with pretty much everything out there. We have been programmed to get what we want, when we want it and that will need to change.

In the last two years there have been many days when I did not want to come to work. Yes, I know I have a super fun job and I should be happy I was able to keep my doors open. I am very fortunate and thankful but life in the bike biz over the last two years is not what I signed up for. “Challenging” would be an understatement. But at least I now know what to expect over the next two years, so - it is time for some change. My loyal confidant and partner in the world of bikes, Chris Check, gave me some wise advice “it’s not that you need to make changes, you have to make changes”. True words to keep sane.

So, what does it look like at PRW over the next few years? Not doom and gloom, I promise! That said, supply chain issues will exist for at least another year - maybe longer. I feel we are in a good position with the brands we have partnered up with to get us through this. We can still build your dream bike but you will need patience. Things will take time and the timelines I receive from suppliers are not always correct, nor are they in my control. I do my best and I am not sure when things will be back to norm; if ever. So, in a nut shell: patience please ‘til the world sorts itself out.

We are always going to remain a small shop and I will continue to wear many hats. My obsessive nature won’t let me change how I do things. I have been a firm believer of managing growth and that is apparent now more than ever. I am not opening another store that is for sure! I’ve looked at ways to better serve you and add to the PRW experience. Here’s what I’ve settled on for now.

Firstly, going forward we will be appointment only. I have had two years to test this and it has been a huge success. I know it’s not for everyone, but it has proven to work by adding to the experience of what I expect from PRW. I know you can’t plan a last minute emergency and I don’t expect that. You can call last minute to grab something quick and if we are free, we will give you a hand, but if someone has booked our time for a consult then you may need to wait or grab later. I’m asking you to respect everybody’s time; everyone is busy.

Secondly, we will no longer offer fitting services or repairs for bikes not purchased from us. This is something we have been transitioning to over the last few years but this is a reminder to those that are new to the shop. This is not meant to alienate anyone, it is just something that needs to be done so we can mantain our high level of service. I have only so many hours in a day and I am not willing to compromise our standards in order to get more people through the door. It has never been about money and I won’t start chasing that now. I want to ride my bike just like you. That is one thing I have not been able to do enough of over the last two years.

Thirdly, we have finally added an online shop. Shocking I know! I still believe the best way to experience PRW is in-store; it lets me get to know each one of my clients. But, we have always shipped product to clients all over the world, but never really had a formalized set up. It was always the old school call/Skype/email method and most of these sales were to clients that knew the shop and what we offered. With COVID it became inevitable that we had to go this route. The online shop is not all of our products, but it is a curated selection of what we offer instead. I am not putting chains and random bits on it, but more of the unique offerings we have. Items that maybe a bit harder to source or items that are exclusive to us. This list will grow, so please be patient as web curator is now also part of my daily duties. The question of adding bikes was a tough one as I want to ensure we size and fit every bike we sell and make sure you are getting the right bike for you. Also, the fact is that the majority of our bikes are custom builds so it is hard to list every variable and spec for pricing. I chose to add some of our frames and Ride Ready builds. This will aid you in getting an idea of some of the pre-built stock options we have, which as always, can be customized to suit your needs. For those that follow us on the ‘gram or come into the store, you know this is just a small representation of what we can do. Priority will always go to in-store shopping but if we can reach a few more people to add to the PRW family I am happy.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far! Thank you to all my amazing clients and everyone that has supported this little shop over the last 22 years. Especially putting up with my various mood swings and strong opinions 😉. I have amazing staff, who without them, I would have not made it this far. I will try harder to better manage the many facets of PRW in 2022. I plan on taking more time away from the shop to ride and hopefully start travelling again. I hope to visit and ride with the many great brands that have been a part of this journey so far. Be gentle with the online store as I am, most likely, the guy packing your order or fixing it.

ciao ciao - Guri