Day 2 — Velobar Cold Outreach: 10 Emails to Reach Tbilisi's First Repair-Cafe Customers

RECIPIENT: University students (bike commuters) — Tbilisi State University / Free University SUBJECT: Your derailleur is probably one click off Hi [Name], I counted six bikes locked outside the TSU main building last week with chains skipping gears — that's a five-minute barrel-adjuster fix, not a new drivetrain. We're opening Velobar, a repair cafe in Vera where you bring your bike, borrow the tools, and a mechanic on shift shows you the fix for 15 GEL/hour instead of paying a shop 60 GEL to do it for you. Want a free 10-minute tune-up the week we open, no strings, just so you know where we are? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Expats and digital nomads — Digital Nomads Georgia / Vake-Saburtalo renters SUBJECT: The bike you bought for 150 GEL on Facebook Marketplace Hi [Name], Half the secondhand bikes traded in the Tbilisi Expats Facebook group need new brake pads or a chain within the first month — sellers rarely mention it. Velobar is a repair cafe opening in Vera: rent bench space and tools by the hour, or drop the bike off and we do it while you get coffee next door. If you post in the group, I'll send you a one-line intro plus a first-visit discount code to share — want it? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Bike rental shops / tour operators SUBJECT: Your rental fleet's off-season maintenance bill Hi [Name], Zoom Rental and a few other operators near Rike Park run 20-40 bikes through daily tourist traffic all summer, then let them sit half-broken until spring. Velobar can take fleet maintenance off your hands at a flat per-bike rate between October and March, done in our Vera space, cheaper than paying a mechanic by the hour. Can I send a fleet quote for 20 bikes so you can compare it to what you paid last winter? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Corporate offices with bike-to-work employees — EPAM Tbilisi, TBC Bank SUBJECT: The bike rack outside your office has three flats in it Hi [Name], I walked past the EPAM building on Chavchavadze and counted three visibly flat tires in the bike rack — a five-minute fix each, but nobody has a pump at their desk. Velobar runs a repair cafe in Vera and can send a mechanic on-site once a month for basic tune-ups as an employee perk, billed per visit, no contract. Want me to send a one-page proposal for a trial session in October? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Local cycling clubs — Cycling Tbilisi / Tbilisi Bike Community SUBJECT: Your Saturday group ride needs a pre-ride check point Hi [Name], Your Saturday rides start at Vake Park and I've seen at least one rider turn back in the first 10 minutes with a slipping seatpost or dragging brake. Velobar is opening a repair cafe five minutes from Vake Park — happy to open early on Saturdays so riders can get a 5-minute safety check before you roll out. Can I come to your next ride and hand out cards, or would a group post work better? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Food delivery couriers — Wolt and Bolt riders SUBJECT: 40 GEL a week in chain and tire wear Hi [Name], A courier doing 60km a day on Tbilisi's roads burns through a chain in about 6 weeks and a rear tire in 3 months — repair shops charge tourist prices for both. Velobar is a repair cafe in Vera where you can do the swap yourself with our tools for the cost of parts, or we do it in 20 minutes between deliveries. If I gave you 10 discount cards to hand to other riders, would you take them? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Parents of kids with bikes — Vake/Saburtalo neighborhood families SUBJECT: The training wheels come off around age 6, then what Hi [Name], Once training wheels come off, most kids' bikes sit in a stairwell for a year because nobody has time to true a wobbly wheel or fix a rusted chain. Velobar is opening a repair cafe in Vera with a kids' bench on Sunday mornings — free tool use, we just charge for parts, and kids can watch us fix it. Want to bring your child's bike by on our first open Sunday, no appointment needed? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Neighborhood cafes and bars near the planned Velobar location SUBJECT: Foot traffic swap for the block on [Street name] Hi [Name], You get a lunch rush and we're about to get a Saturday-morning crowd of cyclists waiting on repairs one door down. Velobar is opening a repair cafe on [Street name] in Vera — I'd like to put a stack of your menus at our counter if you'll let customers waiting on a coffee order see our flyer by your register. Want to grab 10 minutes this week to set it up? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Established local bike shops (as referral partners) SUBJECT: Overflow repairs you're currently turning away Hi [Name], When your queue runs 3-4 days out in peak season, some customers just leave and never come back. Velobar is a DIY repair cafe in Vera, not a shop that sells bikes — we only do labor and walk-in tune-ups, so we're not competing for your sales. I'd like to send you overflow customers and send our sales leads to you. Open to a quick call this week to see if the split makes sense? — [Your name], Velobar ---

RECIPIENT: Hostels and guesthouses that rent bikes to tourists — Fabrika, Envoy Hostel SUBJECT: Your rental bikes after a week of tourist use Hi [Name], A rental bike that's been ridden by five different tourists in a week usually comes back with a loose headset or a squealing brake nobody reports until a guest complains. Velobar is a repair cafe two blocks from Fabrika — we can do a weekly 15-minute check on your fleet for a flat monthly rate, so guests don't hand back a bike that's worse than they found it. Want a quote based on how many bikes you currently rent out? — [Your name], Velobar