sidewalk bike racks Custom outdoor bike racks in Palm Springs, CA

Outdoor bike racks with a custom motif can add panache to any town.

Take Palm Springs, CA, for example.

This city of 45,000 is not only a physical oasis in the middle of the desert but a cultural one as well.

For that reason, when city officials decided to add outdoor bike racks, they choose a design that was a little different, yet very obvious at the same time.

They installed custom bike racks, in the shape of, well, bicycles.

These artsy sidewalk bike racks are perfect for this artistic town.

Located about 100 miles east of Los Angeles, Palm Springs is a winter retreat featuring a variety of fun things to do. Those activities range from visiting several museums, shopping downtown at antique shops, checking out the Walk of Stars, hanging out at numerous resorts, riding on the longest rotating aerial tram in the world to playing at any one of their 130 golf courses.

It's an exciting place.

So exciting in fact, that it has a history of attracting celebrities from nearby Hollywood. Some of the rich and famous who frequented this desert hideaway include Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Eva Gabor, Howard Hughes and many others of that era.

Movie stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio still visit and own homes in the town.

Outdoor bike racks reinforce artistic character of town

Culture is big in Palm Springs.

Therefore, it's no wonder that the town decided to add these unique custom bike racks.

Some of the bicycle-shaped bike racks include the town's logo in the front wheel. Great way to reinforce the town's brand name and show its commitment to cyclists.

If the outdoor bike rack is not in the shape of a bike, then cyclists will find one in the shape of a coil.

In another area of town, to encourage more bicyclist than drivers (which creates unwanted traffic jams and pollution), the city took a parking space and created a bike corral. (In fact, the town offers free bike racks for businesses.).

That one spot with 5 bike racks can comfortably park 10 bicycles. That's 10 fewer vehicles on the road.

A town doesn't have to be a place like Palm Springs to feature interesting bike racks.

outdoor bike racks Bike corra

Available in virtually any design

With today's manufacturing technology, outdoor bike racks can literally be made into any shape.

Those shapes can include:

  • Flowers
  • Coffee cups
  • Beer mugs
  • Ice cream cones
  • Birds
  • Beach balls
  • Alligators
  • Fish
  • Turtles
  • Sailboats
  • Pizza slices

You name it.

There are two basic options.

The first type of outdoor bike rack, which Palm Springs used, is to form the steel tubing into the shape of an object. They cleverly ordered bike racks in the shape of bikes.

Another option is to create a design, and then laser-cut the art (and lettering) into a metal plate that is welded onto the bike rack.

This method allows for very intricate pieces and the ability to add lettering.

Basically, the only limit is someone's imagination (although very, very detailed pieces might be difficult to create. The simpler the better).

Even with artistic designs, outdoor bike racks can still offer steady and secure parking.

The sidewalk bike racks in Palm Springs are made with strong 1.9-inch OD metal pipes.

Another exciting aspect of these sidewalk bike racks is that they can be ordered in an array of vibrant colors - Navy blue, Kelly green, orange, yellow, red, etc.

The steel bike racks are then covered with a high-grade commercial powder coating. That coating resists rust, corrosion and harmful UV rays that can cause fading.

Since they are exposed to the elements 24/7, you will want to order sturdy outdoor bike racks are built to last.

Use outdoor bike racks to promote town's brand

Coil bike rac

Other cities and town might consider creating custom outdoor bike racks to follow the theme of their municipality.

Located near a beach?

Add bike racks in the shape of beach balls, turtles, fish, etc.

That reinforces the reputation of this place as a fun seaside town.

Located in the mountains?

Order bike racks with the outline of mountains laser cut into metal plates.

Skiers too.

That street art will help promote the area as a skier's paradise.

As we said the possibilities are endless.

But the benefits are many. (However, be sure to give yourself a long lead time for these custom products, they do require extra time. The laser-cut bike racks can be manufactured quicker).

Installing these artistic sidewalk bike racks sends a message that this town is a cool place to be.

These eye-catching bike racks also create the perception that this town encourages residents to cycle from one destination to the other instead of driving. That helps eliminate congestion that plagues many towns today, no matter how small.

In addition, more bicycles and fewer cars mean cleaner air.

One more thing to consider - adding artistic bike racks is not very expensive. It's a very reasonable way to add decorative buzz to your downtown area…and provide more bike parking.

Be like Palm Springs. Give your town a boost in pride and exposure by simply adding outdoor bike racks in some exciting designs and entice more people to hop on bicycles than jump in cars.