Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Burnsed.
Hi Stephen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I was 6 I would go out with my grandfather on heavy trash days to pick up fixable items. My grandpa would pick up washers, dryers, lawn mowers, weed eaters, refrigerators and more to fix at home and resale in his front yard. I would tag along and pick up all the bikes we found. There must of been over 100 bikes in a pile in the backyard at one point. We obviously didn’t come from a lot of money so we would build the bikes we could never afford. I would ride a bike, build another bike, and give my old bike away to another kid in my neighborhood who couldn’t afford their own. I did this ever few months till I got to high school and bought a car. After about 10 years of life with ups and downs I found myself back on a bike to relieve the stresses from day to day. I got back on the bike as an adult riding around town on a Fit Bike Co 20 inch BMX bike. Downtown became my playground and all I could think about was being back on my bike whenever I was at work. I was a CNC Mill machinist for 14 years going through multiple layoffs and went into sales during the oil recessions. In May 2020 oil started to take a bad turn and now with 2 kids I couldn’t depend on being without work so I started offering bike mechanic work out of my house. WI fixed up multiple bikes a week and everyone was helped by setting appointments off Facebook. Within a few weeks I knew I had something and created the brand Fixed Up Bike Shop. A shop to help get current cyclists to the next level from lighter bike parts, stronger components, custom paint and more. We started a Facebook and Instagram business account and try to be a part of the community more than show off. We host pop ups for local venders and groups as well as host the monthly3rd Ward 3rd Saturday Crit race for anyone to attend. Fixed Up Bike Shop is a single speed, fixed gear, and BMX bike shop as far as sales but we work on all kinds of bikes. We take pride in treating everyone the way we would like to be treated and we always try to save money where ever we can. We hope to become a staple in the community and bring cyclists together.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Biggest challenge along the way was to ignore everything I’m used to and take a bet on myself. As long as we do everything to a higher standard and correct people will always come back and refer others. Growing up in a low income area and no College degree starting a new business comes with lots to learn quick if you want to be successful. We now are a licensed LLC with Facebook, Instagram, and web presence. Being a single speed and fixed gear bike shop many people don’t find the gears they come in looking for but they get to hear why we are a single speed shop in Houston Texas. It’s very flat in Houston compared to other cities. In most cases, we find the best application is the simple one. Single speed, easy to identify what the problem is. Keeps you on a nice budget while still having style.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Here at Fixed Up we take current cyclist to the next level. We aim for current cyclist because we want people who have rode their bike and they are coming in to get to the next level from new parts, lighter, stronger components, new paint or repairs. Many first time buyers take on a big cost buying a complete bike and we have some complete bikes for sale but we specialize in building dream bikes. This takes most customer’s months of going back and forth picking their brains to find out what components they would love to have on their dream builds. We build bikes from the frame up with every single part being custom selected down to the custom color bolts for your seatpost. We try to keep all of our work to the highest standard and treat every bike like it’s our own.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The only things you can’t do in life are the things you tell yourself you can’t do in your mind. Keep your eye on the prize.
Contact Info:
- Email: stephenburnsed@gmail.com
- Website: fixedupbikeshop.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/fixedupbikeshop/
- Facebook: facebook.com/fixedupbikeshop
Image Credits
Anwar Rahman
