alt Hacker NewsMy idea is converting to a bicycle mechanic. Very simple and doesn't require a huge amount of very expensive tools as upfront investment, just some experience and practice to do it efficiently.
By the way, my local bike shop has a one month long (!!!) queue for repairs. Just saying.
Where I live many, many older people are now on e-bikes. They are good paying customers, and most don't want to work on their bikes themselves (unlike hobbyists with the pushbikes).
I've worked at a bikeshop when I was a kid. That's long ago so my experience is dated, but here is my takeaway: There are good customers. There are also lots of not so good customers and there are a lot of jerks. People want their bikes ready yesterday, can't imagine why after they neglected their bikes for three years it can't be finished in a few hours.
And today they are taken aback by any reasonable hourly rate because a new bike from China costs less than a few hours of your work. Good luck! Oh, and if you really follow through on this make sure you copy Sheldon's pages just in case they ever go down, you'll have an edge over the rest.