Freestanding Bike Racks help maximize space in Bike Rooms
Freestanding Bike Racks are becoming more popular as a solution for providing bicycle storage inside confined spaces.
Indoor bicycle storage, or bike rooms as they are commonly called, are now included as amenities for many apartment buildings as an effective way to attract tenants.
Here are some facts to consider:
- There are now more than 48 million cyclists in the US. (According to Stastista.com).
- Millennials, in particular, prefer to travel by bicycle instead of automobile.
- Commuting to work with a bicycle is more popular than ever. According to the League of American Bicyclists, between 2000 and 2017 riding to work on a bike increased 43% across the country.
- For larger cities, the increase was substantial and even higher. For example, in New York City the number of bike commuters grew from 32,133 to 48,601 in an 11-year span, a 153% increase! Commuting by bicycle grew 165% in Washington, DC and 153% in Chicago during that same period.
- Some cities now count bicycle storage toward overall parking requirements.
- It is much less expensive to add a bike room as an amenity compared to other items such as a pool or exercise room.
- Many cities now require some sort of protected long-term bicycle storage for new construction. Cities invest millions to improve bicycling infrastructure and they want residents to have a secure place to park their bicycles.
- Bicycles today are much more expensive - road bikes on average range from $350 to $750. Mountain bikes easily cost $1000. Bikes with popular, lightweight carbon frames are even more expensive. You can be sure owners want to store those bicycles in a secure bike room.
- Vertical freestanding bike racks take up much less square footage than traditional bike racks.
Freestanding bike racks maximize space
We can see people love their bikes. Especially apartment dwellers.
You don't want these people lugging their bikes up the stairs. You probably don't want people storing these bicycles in their apartments, possible scuffing up walls and leaving dirt on the floors.
This is where a bike room can be the perfect solution.
But naturally, space will be tight.
Consider a Freestanding Bike Rack.
For example, our DoubleUp Single-Sided Freestanding Bike Rack for SIX bicycles only occupies a space that is 62 inches wide, by 30 inches deep. The rack is about 89 inches in height.
To maximize space, the hooks on the rack are staggered. This offset allows you to park more bicycles per square foot. It also varies the height of the hooks so there is no metal to metal contact.
Secondly, the DoubleUp comes with an optional locking bar. This bar allows the placement of a strong U-lock that goes through the metal loop, the bike frame and the front tire.
This creates THREE points of secure locking contact as recommended by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.
The frame of the freestanding bike rack is made with 2-inch steel square tubing with upright braces that are 1-inch in diameter.
The racks are coated with a tough, oven-fused thermoplastic coating. This polyethylene plastic coating is rust-resistant and won't scratch the bicycles. The frame is coated with a powder-coated covering that also protects the metal from rust.
All parts are MIG welded together for extra strength.
The advantage of freestanding bike racks is that they can be left unattached, so they can be moved around for different purposes. If desired, the rack can also be bolted into the floor.
(There are advantages to wall mount bike racks. These bike racks are secured to a wall and take up even less square footage).
Bike rooms grow in popularity
Bike rooms are one of the hot commodities now to attract tenants. You see more of them listed as amenities for new apartment buildings, including luxury apartments.
For example, in New York City, the City Tower touts their bike room with a view that is located on the 19th floor.
If you want to make your bike room even more appealing, considering adding some amenities.
One of the most helpful and more popular amenities is a Bike Repair Station or stand.
These stations come with a complete set of handy bicycle tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. The tools are tethered to the stand with a tough aircraft-grade cable.
Some of these stands also come with an air pump and gauge.
This feature is certainly appealing to any bicycle rider who needs to add air to their tires or make minor adjustments.
If you are interested in adding a freestanding bike rack to your building, contact The Park and Facilities Catalog.
Give us the dimensions of the space and we will be glad to provide a FREE layout showing you how you can optimize the number of bicycles that can be stored there.
Bike rooms are the NEXT big thing for apartments, dormitories and office buildings.
Freestanding bike racks can help you organize those bike rooms effectively.