SURPRISE NO.1 - A GREAT SURPRISE. A LONG LASTING RELATIONSHIP.

Chennai as a city has changed its outlook it recent times....with this there are some smaller business got affected also....

one of them is CYCLE REPAIR WORKSHOP in URBAN AREAS OF CHENNAI....

My friend who is an Advertising agency account manager told me....to get his daughter's bicycle repaired he has to hire an auto and reach mylapore from santhome....averagely 4 kilometer distance.

Puncture repair cost.= Rs.15. Auto Expense= Rs. 75 . 

so we did a small research in his apartment complex tried to calculate the number of bicycles there.... it has come upto 120+ ....where 60% of them were rusting for more than 1 year....

surprising....

and most of the cycles are Hercules, BSA .....

as we know about Manufacturer of these brand TI CYCLES ...is a part of USD$2 billion Murugappa group.

that means with the growing needs of traveling distances people have forgotten the habits of cycling....and switched to bikes and cars even for very short trip to near by Vegetable Market.

We came across the study on Why urban people dont ride bicycle anymore....the results are 

Heavy Traffic

Cycle is not Cool anymore 

Cycle is for school kids 

I got married 

and so on 

But the  major surprise result is 

what if my cycle got punctured on the way.? 

yes. reduced profit in the business of Cycle Repair Workshop has affected and been one of the

major reason why chennai urban people are not cycling anymore....

so we carried a small study in sub urban areas of Chennai...like PAMMAL, PALLAVARAM ...

there we found increase in bike mechanic shops but Cycle Repair Shops are still there....

and we see more people cycling to work...cycling to railway station. 

You might ask where is the surprise? 

So we called up TI cycles and informed them 

Our Apartment has 120+ cycles rusting can you help us out?

we thought in a country like india a cycle manufacturer would give a reply "

....its the duty of the Apartment Association to find a Cycle Mechanic from local area, bring him to the apartment and do the rest. we just produce cycles we dont service them" 

BUT WE HAD A SURPRISE ANSWER FROM THE CLIENT 

" when you want our repair team to be at your apartment?" 

yes, TI cycles has got a surprise that every urban cycle rider is looking for. " I WILL COME TO YOUR PLACE AND REPAIR YOUR CYCLE, BUT GET A GROUP OF CYCLERS, SO THAT OUR COMPANY DOESNT GET INTO LOSS" 

we informed the apartment association about this cycle repair service, you know the kids loved the idea.....and every rusted cycle is now waiting for full overhaul. 

Why i call this a surprise. because TI cycle has taken a step forward towards consumer.....a step further....a great surprise...and a long lasting brand relationship.