It’s that time of year. Again, it’s been a while between blog posts but I thought it would be timely to reflect on what has been another big year at Melody Wheels.
Snakes and Ladders (again)

Coming after the Covid19 Bike Boom, the bike industry is well and truely into its “bust cycle”. I’ve heard, although not confirmed, that up to 15 bike shops in Perth have closed in the last 12 months. Less than ideal. Covid was like a big drug hit for many in the bike industry – an unnatural high of demand – in an industry that typically “limps” along. It seems that many of the industries that did well during Covid are suffering a similar fate. As my business is niche and serviced focused, the “bike bust” hasn’t affected me as badly. Most of my customers are seasoned riders who care about their bikes and value the services that I offer. However, there are fundamental changes in the broader economic environment with heavy discounting of new bikes and components, and purchase decisions that were brought forward a few years. Massive discounting and “clearance” pricing is a market signal that affects all players whether you choose to engage in such practices or not — everyone looses. Perceptions of value are lowered, discounting becomes normalised with a “race to the bottom” on price, and all good practices for maintaining a profitable and sustainable business get thrown out the door. Ironically, while there has been aggressive discounting on many bike goods, this hasn’t always “trickled down” to retailers. Amongst a number of product categories I sell, Ive noticed significant price increases from wholesalers. It’s hard to understand these fluctuations in pricing dynamics. Some blame the lower Aussie dollar, inflation, geo-political uncertainty… whatever, but its made it harder to be profitable and or take more considered approach to inventory. I wouldn’t describe myself as a ruthless business person, but I am ruthless when it comes to making sure that the products I stock are reasonable “profit earners” and not so-called “loss leaders”. Small bike businesses like my own have felt increasingly squeezed on profitability. This issue is nothing new, but it’s accelerated in the last 12 months.
The Big Move
2024 was the year I/we made the big decision to move shop. Like choosing a place to live, choosing a place to physically locate your “bricks and mortar” workspace is a big decision – full of pros and cons, hopes and compromises. The process took around 4 months in total. I would have liked it to have been quicker but I am confident that we made the right choice. I’m now based in a much smaller 60sqm shop in an active urban centre. Ive gone through the process of getting rid of years of accumulated “stuff’ and only keep the things that are core parts of my business. My workshop has never been better organised. Ive even developed some new habits like cleaning the shop every day. It takes about 5 mins. Previously it would have taken me about a days work to dust and vacuum the old factory. I’m now working much closer to home and finding a lot more time in my day for the ever growing list of after-school kids activities that fill up our week. The workshop space is small and cosy and easy to keep cool or warm. In my small shop, I’m now surrounded by fitness studios, physiotherapists, legal offices, and cafes. I miss the camaraderie of the tradespersons I used to work next to. I can’t run a noisy air-compressor anymore, but I’m managing just fine without one.
About the Bike
2024 was defiantly not a great year on the bike if my fitness was anything to go by. Ive found myself drifting backwards through the bunches. I used to enjoy pushing myself on the bike, but nowadays I feel more like “the little engine that could”. Not having a road bike ride for 2 months didn’t help. Unfortunately my old titanium Guru frame cracked so I had to find a new frame. Finding a replacement frame for a rim brake, mechanically geared, external cabled traditionalist wasn’t exactly easy. Thank you Mr Ritchey:
In spite of my declining fitness I still did a full cyclocross season and even managed to get an Equal 1st on points in the Open Category of the Numbat Cup. I am reminded of the old saying: “Showing up is half the battle”. My best result in any race over the entire series was 3rd place, however I did manage to complete every race. I love the WA Cyclocross community and how it manages to balance competitiveness and inclusivity at the same time. It’s been awesome to be part of it for another year, as both a racer and sponsoring business.
This year I also did the Tour of Margaret River for the fourth year a row with my teammates from the South Perth Rouleurs. Again, I’ve found myself drifting back into the lower grades… which one teammate, Ash Brown, aptly named “Joy Division” aka Div J. I was hoping to build fitness and train properly for this event but found myself going through a bizarre cycle of sickness and recovery in the two months that preceded the race. We scraped through the 3 days of hard racing and just managed to hang onto 2nd place in the teams classification. Not an entirely bad result.
Christmas and 2025
Christmas is peak period of cycling activity and this year I’m expecting this year to be one of the biggest ever, with advent of the AusCycling Road Cycling National Championships here in Perth. Currently I’m fully booked for wheel builds until Friday 22 December. However I will have time available for repairs before Christmas and right through the Christmas to New Years break. This year I’ll be working throughout the festive season and into early January. I’ll then take time off in the later half of January before school goes back.
As far 2025 goes, I haven’t consulted my crystal ball or tarot card reader yet. My motto for this year has been “Survive to 25”. 2024 was a tough year because of cashflow challenges and so much uncertainty while I moved shop. Thankfully, I/we managed to get through it. Our online retail shop at Bicycle Spokes Australia has ticked along but I’d like to put a lot more energy into it in 2025. And despite the current “bust phase” the bike industry is in, there is certainly no shortage of demand for professional bicycle mechanics. One has to be optimistic for this work, however I still feel that the business model for serviced focused bicycle business needs to evolve to ensure that the business fundamentals are sustainable. In spite of these challenges, I’m still excited to continue working in and being a part of the community of people who love riding bikes.