In 2014, the quality of bicycle servicing in Northern Johannesburg was poor. Established bike shops were either understaffed and rushing jobs, or lacked the expertise to repair and maintain high-performance bicycles at the highest level. The Bicycle Service Company was established and immediately got busy. Nine years later, it’s still busy. Here’s why…
Paid partnership with Bicycle Service Company
A high-performance bicycle is a lot more than just a bicycle. When you spend money on a decent bike, you’re investing in your health and happiness. The time you spend riding your bicycle is an investment in your fitness, confidence and self-worth. The Bicycle Service Company places high value on these factors and that’s part of what differentiates this bike shop from others.
“It started out with my mate Roger Blewett, a top bike mechanic, struggling to cope with the demand. When you find someone that knows how to get your bike into perfect riding condition, you stick with that mechanic and you generally tell your mates. That was happening to Rog. I was doing skills coaching and helping my clients source components and bikes to suit them. And I was sending them to Rog for their bike maintenance and repairs. I was also getting really busy so Rog and I teamed up and The Bicycle Service Company was born,” explains Danny Fowler, co-owner of BSC.
The store is located in Fourways, north of Johannesburg. Unlike most bike shops that tuck their workshop away from the showroom, BSC has built the store around its workshop. You can comfortably have a conversation with the man that’s working on your bike.
“We encourage customer engagement and interaction with our bicycle technicians. Your bike is important to you and we understand that. We value the relationships that we have built with our customers and making it possible to speak to the man working on your bike plays a big part of that. For the technicians, this also increases their sense of accountability. They’re not just working on a bike with a job number, they’re working on Steve or Jane or Piet’s bike,” explains Fowler.
By being very particular with the type of staff it employs The Bicycle Service Company has a surprisingly small team. But each employee must be a passionate bicycle rider or racer. This immediately brings knowledge and passion into the workplace which also elevates customer confidence.
“We insist on our staff having a good understanding of and love for bicycle riding and racing. Most of our clients are committed to a life that revolves around a race calendar or a healthy, exercise-based lifestyle. To hire staff that that don’t share that leads to a disconnect. And we have seen how important it is to have a strong connection between our staff and our clients. The world is highly digitised, but old-fashioned relationships and human connections still drive good business and customer satisfaction,” explains Fowler.
Speaking of customer satisfaction, the fastest way for a bike shop to lose a customer is to return a bike from a service or repairs that’s not performing as it should. For BSC, this is everything.
“We pride ourselves on carrying out exactly what the customer requested and/or agreed to. We then not only test ride that bike once, but we get a different staff member to double check that everything is perfect with a second, critical test-ride. We don’t let a bike leave until we are 100% satisfied with our work,” says Fowler, adding: “We have gained many clients simply because they were unhappy with the performance of their bike after getting it back from a service from their local bike shop. We have customers that drive from Pretoria or even other provinces to have their bikes serviced with us.”
BSC is a fully stocked bicycle shop. It’s primary bike brand is TREK with a full range of mountain bikes, a range of road and gravel bikes, and of course eBikes. BSC also stocks a range of high-quality kids bikes.
While Bontrager is the dominant gear brand, BSC also stocks other brands to ensure good customer choice. Shimano and SRAM components and Maxxis tyres feature prominently at the store.
Here’s a brief introduction to the full-time staff members at The Bicycle Service Company.
Elisa Gianchino
Worked for BSC for eight years.
Elisa is responsible for admin, procurement, stock management and customer engagement/sales. Hers is the smiling face you notice from behind the counter when you walk into the Fourways store.
“I enjoy being a part of the BSC family. Danny and Rog really are like family to me. I like to help get things organised here and I feel that I’m good at what I do. I certainly feel valued by my colleagues and customers.”
Elisa has been an athlete her whole life. She started track cycling in 2010 and has achieved numerous South African titles and records. She races in the 45-49 age category internationally but also competes against the Elites domestically. She’s aiming to compete at the 2023 Track World Champs in Manchester, England and wants to break a world age-group record. Elisa was named as Gauteng Track Cyclist of the Year for 2022.
Clement Mabula
Worked at BSC for five years
Clement is a Bicycle Technician who focusses mostly on road and time trial bikes. The 29-year-old lives in Diepsloot and started his passion for cycling at the Diepsloot Academy.
“I enjoy mostly mountain bike stage races and marathons. I raced as part of the Exxaro Academy, but when you turn 26, you are too old to be eligible for the Exxaro category at the Cape Epic. So now I work full time at BSC, which helps me to be able to keep riding.”
Among others, Clement has completed five Absa Cape Epics (all on hardtails!), three editions each of Tankwa Trek and Attakwas and three editions of the Double Century.
Mpho Sebopa
Worked at BSC for seven months
Mpho is a Bicycle Technician who works mostly on mountain bikes. The 28-year-old discovered mountain biking through his time at the Diepsloot MTB Academy.
“I raced for the Exxaro Academy from 2018 until 2021. I love racing bikes and now that I’m too old to be a member of the Academy, I am working at BSC where I enjoy being in a cycling environment every day. I live in Diepsloot about 10km away from the shop and I run to and from work most days. I am busy building up a mountain bike – a Trek Superfly – so that I can start riding and racing again.”
Among other races, Mpho has completed four editions of the Absa Cape Epic.
Bradon Webster
Worked at BSC for two years
Bradon is a Bicycle Technician who works on all bikes, but specialises in mountain bikes and mountain bike suspension.
“I enjoy the set-up here at BSC. The technicians get to engage with the customers while we are working. This allows us to build trust, which leads to loyal customers. It’s also a little more of a social environment compared to a classic bike shop workshop.”
Bradon races Enduro and Downhill and is the 2022 Gauteng Elite Enduro Champion. He has just completed his second Absa Cape Epic as a support technician for BSC clients.
Sascha Kreft
Worked at BSC for three years
Sascha is a Bicycle Technician who also helps with sales and manages marketing and the website.
“I do a bit of everything at BSC. I like the challenge of having something new to do each week. Whether it’s finding new ways to remove seized bolts or how to build new fat bike wheels, every week working at BSC brings a new challenge and an opportunity to broaden my skill set.”
Sascha enjoys marathon mountain bike racing. He’s not super serious about racing, but has finished third Under-23 at the 2022 Jackal Dash and ninth at the King Price Trailseeker, Sondela.
Danny Fowler
Co-owner BSC
Danny manages the day to day running of the business, but also oversees marketing, staff management, rider sponsorships, supplier management, procurement and general growth of the BSC brand.
“I have a small family now and I try to stay fit and strong for racing. So I rely on our staff to make that balance possible. It’s not always balanced though because I spend a lot of time after hours on my laptop but I do have a passion for what we do and commitment to customers to deliver the best quality bicycle service available. This is what drives me on a daily basis!”
Danny is a fast mountain bike racer! He has competed in XCO, Marathon and Stage Racing at the highest level in South Africa, regularly finishing on overall podiums and usually winning his age category (he’s 42). He’s currently focussing on Enduro racing and usually finishes top five overall at national-level events. He is a true thoroughbred bike racer! He also does some coaching and is one of the coaches at The Threshold, a power-based coaching business.
Roger Blewett
Co-owner BSC
Roger ‘semigrated’ to the small town of Groot Brak, near Mosselbay in 2021. Because of his reputation as a top bicycle wrench, it wasn’t long before he was being asked to service bicycles in the area. This quickly led to the establishment of a satellite branch of BSC, which is now open six days a week. It’s currently primarily a workshop but there are plans to expand in the future.
Rog raced BMX in the 1980s and has represented South African in XCO racing in his age category. He finished 8th at the 2002 World’s in Bromont, Canada. He also completed one edition of the Cape Epic, finishing 32nd overall (in 2005). He’s currently getting his riding kicks from a Trek Fuel exE 9.8. He’s focused primarily on being a sought after bike mechanic for the past 15 years and heads up BSC’s Cape Epic service centre. He’s personally wrenched for a number of top Cape Epic teams over the years too.
“At BSC, we treat everyone who walks in the door the same. We don’t want anyone to feel intimidated or unwelcome. We also pride ourselves on our attention to detail. You can only do that if you have the experience and knowledge. Hearing customers say their bike has never felt better is all the motivation we need. I also need to give Dan huge kudos. He’s been the driving force behind BSC and I couldn’t have asked for a better business partner.”
You can visit The Bicycle Service Company in Fourways. You can also book your bike in for a service online.
For more information on The Bicycle Service Company, check out the website. Follow on Instagram, and on Facebook.
