As bike shops look for new ways to connect with customers, EU-made tool manufacturer Unior’s mobile Workshop Solutions offers a one-stop fix for how to set up your local bike mechanic in a full-service bikeshop on wheels. Unior partnered with a company that fabricates lightweight, modular storage solutions in Germany and a company near them in Slovenia who will custom fit it all into the van of your choice.
Unior Mobile Workshop Solutions in a van: bike mechanic’s #vanlife
This is definitely not one for the amateur home mechanic (although less extensive options are available too). But just as #vanlife has taken hold with roving adventure-seekers, the mobile bike shop in a van concept is growing as a way for shops and independent mechanics to reach out to a new customer base. And to be honest, it a time where more people are used to having everything delivered to their home or workplace, the end-user convenience of a bike shop that comes to you is undeniable.
Unior sees their one-stop-shop for a custom van workshop fit out as unique, offering flexibility and claimed reasonable pricing that could be especially appealing to independent shops that want to create their own individual setup (vs. buying into one of the existing mobile bikeshop franchises) or to racing teams looking to build up their mobile service course.
The way they see it is that Unior has extensive experience provide complete brick & mortar workshops for bike shops all over Europe and the US. They also have years of experience working together with some of the best pro teams racing road & mountain bikes across Europe. So they paired up with fellow Slovenian company Špan Mobility Center who has actually been creating mobile van workshops for years, and tailored workshop solutions specifically for bike mechanics.
The lightweight, aluminum storage solutions like racks, frames, shelves, drawers & other finishing bits are made in Germany by Aluca, then delivered to Špan for the custom install.
How does a custom Unior shop in a van work?
To get started, Unior’s in-house mobile bike mechanic experts will work with each customer to figure out what type of tool, workspace & storage solutions you need. Next, they turn it over to Špan who will finalize the mobile workshop plan and make sure it all fits, either into your existing or a proposed new van. Then, Špan will organize transport of your existing van to their shop in Slovenia, custom fit it out with the Aluca storage & a full suite of Unior tools, and deliver it back to you. (They can also locally source a new van too, and kit it out directly.)
The whole process is limited to European customers since Špan Mobility Center does all the work at their own facility. But much like Unior, they say their work in Slovenia allows them to keep pricing “competitive”. How much it costs entirely depends on the scope of the setup, whether you are putting a modular bike workspace into the back of your existing van, or building a full-service World Cup race support setup in a brand new high-roof, long wheelbase Sprinter.
Any way you look at it, Unior’s entirely made-in-Europe bike tools offer a premium quality and performance at reasonable prices. And their idea is to offer the same level of quality & value in a Mobile Workshop Solution for shops, independent mechanics, or race teams looking to step up their game.
Mobile bike shops are a growing trend around the world, offering a new level of consumer-focused service & convenience. And Unior wants to make it easier for those mechanics looking to make the leap into their vans. Find out more at the UniorTools.com mobile solutions page, and start your own custom build.
