ANDY SCHLECK CYCLES: A SHIMANO SERVICE CENTER WITH A SOUL
For Andy Schleck, life is, and always has been, about family and bikes. The boy who worked in a bike store had an illustrious pro career alongside his brother, and now, as the owner of his own store, Andy is always on the hunt for the latest technology and components. We are proud that for much of his career (and many components!) Andy has been connected to the SHIMANO family, and even more so since he opened Andy Schleck Cycles. It was vital to him that the store be a SHIMANO SERVICE CENTER.
Andy Schleck Cycles opened in 2016 in Itzig, Luxembourg. After retiring from professional cycling with a palmarès that includes victories in the Tour de France and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, among many other successes, Andy came up with the plan for a store that would aim for more than just sales and numbers.
“I wanted to create a unique place that everyone could identify with. We don’t just sell bikes, it’s all about cycling at our place. We organize races and events and really try to create a community. And that’s what the other stores lacked; they were big and beautiful, but without a soul.
I knew everything I needed to open a great store, and before anything else I wanted it to be a SHIMANO SERVICE CENTER. Today I can proudly say, because it works well, that we offer everything, all kinds of bikes, bike fitting, SERVICE CENTER, insurance and financing, leasing and even 24h service.”
Andy knew everything he needed to open a great store, and before anything else he wanted it to be a SHIMANO SERVICE CENTER. Today he offers everything: all kinds of bikes, bike fitting, service center, insurance, financing, leasing, and even 24h service.
Andy’s childhood and passion for SHIMANO
With a father who was a professional cyclist and two older brothers in cycling, it was inevitable that the sport would play an important role in Andy’s life from an early age. In his memories, bicycle stores were central.
“For me, ever since I was a kid, bike stores have always been exciting places. I was always going to see the new bikes, the new accessories. Other kids loved parks or video game stores, but I loved bike stores. Wherever I was in the world, maybe on a family vacation, if there was a bike store, I had to go in! Even today, when we get new merchandise, I have to be the first one to touch it. I have to be the one to open the boxes! New sets, new accessories, I must have them!”
Andy’s first SHIMANO equipment included carbon-soled shoes and Dura-Ace components. Since then, his passion for SHIMANO has never waned.
Thinking back to his first SHIMANO gear, Andy thinks of two particular items that stick in his mind, and both came through his family’s great passion for racing. First, there was his first pair of cycling shoes, SHIMANO’s original carbon-soled shoes, and then his first Dura-Ace components. The first of many, as he later had to discover.
“I don’t know how I got them, because they were quite expensive at the time, but I think it was just the kind of shoe that fit me, so my father bought them for me.
My first bike had an all-aluminum frame and to start with a normal gear on the frame. Then before long I got the old stuff from my brothers who were riding bikes, so I ended up with a Dura-Ace groupset pretty early on, the 600, if I remember correctly. It had a lever shifter, and I loved it.”
Moving on from the early days to Andy’s professional career, the love for components and technological development remained alive, Andy was on the cutting edge, and with the most innovative technologies he reached the top ranks of the world’s most important races. Did you have a favorite model among all those world-class bikes?
“Hard to say. I remember the special bike for the Beijing Olympics, which was a Cervelo with special paint job that I still have on display in the store today. Then the custom Trek with which I won the Galibier and Tourmalet stages [del Tour de France], and the Specialized with which I won the Liège-Bastogne- Liège. For these important victories, the bike is your weapon, so of course it is by your side and enters history with you.”
But, feelings and memories aside, would Andy still choose a bike from his professional career over the ones he uses today? Undoubtedly not, he replies!
“The market is very dynamic today, and quality is constantly increasing. If you have a two-year-old bike today, you have an old bike. With disc brakes and with Di2, SHIMANO was years ahead. The technology is there, it’s proven, it’s the best. I would definitely prefer a 2022 bike, a 2018 bike is already old.”
And which mechanic would Andy choose? One of those from his worldwide successes or a technician from his SHIMANO SERVICE CENTER?
“I always thought that we had the best mechanics, that the best mechanics in the world were on the World Tour teams, but we don’t! If you’re on a World Tour team, when something breaks they replace it, they don’t repair anything anymore. When I see mechanics in my store repairing 20-year-old bikes, rebuilding bearings to make a repair, those to me are real mechanics. No offense to pro team mechanics! Undoubtedly, you need to be good at replacing components as well, but certainly the mechanics in the workshops have more know-how than those in the World Tour teams.”
Initially, Andy did not plan to open a store. In fact, I had no plans for my career after professionalism, because if you have a plan B, it means you don’t believe in plan A. With so much energy still to spend and his great passion, Andy began to cultivate the idea of opening a store. So much time, money and energy went into designing the store and determining what the key features should be. Andy considers the customer experience a priority over material goods.
“I had to think, ‘What could I do to get customers to buy a bike from Andy Schleck Cycles, rather than buying it online?’ It goes without saying that I make sure my staff is well educated, knows their stuff, knows the materials, and knows which bikes can do what. We spend many hours behind the desk to really know everything from A to Z, and that’s how we find the right bike for each customer. It is very important to find the right people, with the right disposition, because a good disposition is the real starting point. Ninety percent of the people who come into our store need advice. They need someone to guide them and explain things.”
Being able to offer the services not available online was key, and a SHIMANO SERVICE CENTER is of course a perfect part of this solution. For the store it is a unique selling advantage, and for customers it is a guarantee of superior service.
“Mine is the only SHIMANO SERVICE CENTER in Luxembourg. It’s not just a label, it’s something that works. Being a Service Center is a huge advantage, because we get customers from all over the country and even across borders. Even bikes not bought in our store, especially e-bikes with the SHIMANO STEPS system, we repair them here. And then maybe people who bought their bikes elsewhere, maybe online, will buy them in our store next time. There are many good mechanics around, but for us SHIMANO organizes the training and courses to be able to solve any problem on SHIMANO components, while others struggle to find the problem, solutions and spare parts. We can do all this because my staff is well trained by SHIMANO.”
Andy has five full-time mechanics working at SERVICE CENTER, plus an apprentice. He occasionally finds himself in the shop to fix a puncture or assemble a bike, but he jokes that it wouldn’t be fair to charge the customer when he’s the one doing the work! Fortunately, SHIMANO-trained mechanics are quick to work, the industry has seen tremendous growth in the past year, and demand for bicycles, and consequently for cycling services, has exploded. So what will happen in the future? Will bicycle stores be able to maintain their sales volumes?
“Right now the problem is that we don’t have enough bikes! Today it’s easier to sell a bike than to find one, so it’s really hard to make preorders for components and bikes. The boom will continue, although maybe not like last year. However, I don’t think all the e-bikes we have sold are related to Covid, but more to the fact that they are very advanced and people want to try them. Covid helped, because people were at home and could ride more, but cycling is an addiction: most people who start, then continue for life, so I think the trend will continue.”
What about the future of Andy Schleck Cycles? The store is a successful business, and it supports racing teams and young talent, as well as offering a center of community and camaraderie for cyclists near and far. Seeing that little boy who grew up loving bike stores, then went on to win the biggest bike race in the world, we understand that it makes sense to pursue a passion to the end. Is Andy’s goal to leave a legacy and provide a launching pad for the next star of Luxembourg cycling?
“Yes, that’s my goal. I have a beautiful store and I want to do a lot more. Undoubtedly I want to expand and continue with the team and the athletes we support.”
We at SHIMANO are very proud of our SERVICE CENTERS and their role in many large bicycle stores. Working with Andy Schleck Cycles is a great honor and apparently the respect is reciprocated.
“For me, cycling and SHIMANO go together, like French fries with mayonnaise! For most of my career, I have raced with SHIMANO. Not only that, I did wind tunnel testing with one of the owners of SHIMANO, who I was really happy to meet. I did my first test with a disc bike on Mount Etna with SHIMANO. I am happy that I had the opportunity to become a SHIMANO SERVICE CENTER from the beginning, there was a lot of trust from SHIMANO in me. I want to continue with SHIMANO and feel part of the family.”
Bikes and family. From the beginning and into the future.
