TreeHugger loves to ride our bicycles, but doesn't like to let them get in the way when not in use. Inspired by The Leonardo that we saw earlier today, here are some of our picks for ways to keep your bike handy but get it out of the way.
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1) The cute and curious Cycloc is essentially a plastic bucket that has two opposing "lips" that use your bicycle’s own weight to hold it in place. The void in the middle of the Cycloc keeps your gloves, pants clips, etc, close to hand, while holes in the cylinder allow you to fix a cable lock as well.
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2) Got lots of bikes? Something like the Cyclepod might be what you need. It provides eight secure spaces for parking your bikes, storing the bikes upright, and the front wheel and frame can both be locked in place. More good news: Cyclepod is made from 95% recycled aluminum.
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3) The New York Times helped us out with a conglomeration of handy bike storage options, along with an accompanying slideshow, to show how easy it is to get your bike off the ground. No more “I get sweaty” or “the roads are too dangerous, have you seen what drivers do out there?” excuses for not riding! Two more picks, below the fold...
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4) Bike Tree is a huggable outdoor solution for getting bikes out from underfoot and away from street signs and other sidewalk-dwelling storage. It's ingenious: rather than hitching your bike to a post at street level, swipe a smart card, enter your PIN, and your cycle is taken up the “trunk” of the tree to a dome that protects it from thieves and the elements.
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5) Lastly, get something like a eZee Quando, Cannondale Jacknife or the world's smallest folding bike, and fold it up and put it in a closet or something instead of having to hoist it up on the wall.
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You can walk into a home improvement store and pick up a cheap wall mount for less than $10. Real simple steel plate with a bar that folds out and gives two hooks to hang the top tube on. Only downside is you have to have a stud to mount to and drill some holes.
Bike specific stores will sell you something similar for at least $25 although theirs will have a nicer finish and a built in shelf.
Indiana BikePort has bicycle lockers available as well as inverted u-racks for bicycle storage. The standard IN BikePort lockers have the access via key. IN BikePort also carries electronic access lockers where you just need a cell phone to access the lockers (Park-by-Phone technology), once you've registered through the national bicycle parking network.
There are currently 46 bike lockers in downtown Indianapolis - Indiana Government Center, Merchant Garage and National Institute for Fitness and Sport. These locations are free to use via cell phone/Park-by-Phone. IN BikePort is a non-profit initiative to promote bicycle commuting through providing first-class bicycle parking in Indiana. For more information, visit www.INBikePort.org
Images of the bike lockers and inverted u-racks are on the website (www.INBikePort.org) as well as information about the current locations and park-by phone system.