The bicycle market has experienced a boom in recent years. The variety and quantity of available two-wheelers is greater than ever before. Whether city bikes, pedelecs or cargo bikes, our roads need to be made fit for the mobility revolution that is approaching. Together with Munich-based expert Gronard, we identify the four most important trends when it comes to bike racks.
Speaking of trends: cycling itself is very much in vogue and will maintain the momentum it has picked up in recent years in terms of popularity over the next few years. Its many benefits for users and society justify paying particular attention to planning the infrastructure needed to make the switch from car to bike, for example for commuting, as easy and low-threshold as possible.
A good starting point for designing a bicycle parking facility is to identify the trends in the bicycle market. This ensures that the facility can be used for as long as possible and is not soon outdated. One example of a trend in recent years that is of significant importance for bicycle stands is the trend towards ever wider tires. Even on racing bikes, where the thinnest possible tires were used for a long time, tires over 30 millimeters wide are no longer a rarity. Not to mention mountain bikes or other bikes that can easily be twice as wide. The advantage of wide tires: they offer more grip and more riding comfort by using the natural suspension properties of the wide rubber. The only annoying thing is when the bike no longer fits into the stand because its adjustment width is too narrow. Modern bike racks take into account the trend towards wider tires and now allow tire widths of 60, 70 or, as in the case of the Felix® bike rack from Gronard, even up to 110 millimeters.
The increasingly common sight of cargo bikes on the streets is another trend that has gained momentum in recent years. They require special parking facilities, as they do not tend to fall over, but are particularly bulky and heavy. Leaning brackets can be offered specifically for this type of bike – but as you can read in the first part of our series on bike racks, other designs should be used for conventional two-wheelers.
Modern bicycle parking facilities offer much more than just a parking facility with well-designed bike racks. Increasingly, the offer is being supplemented by additional services. You can offer cyclists a welcome convenience by providing them with a maintenance facility, such as the Clorofilla Basic service station with air pump and tool kit. The theft-proof tools attached to self-retracting stainless steel cables are not only specifically designed for bicycles, but are also selected so that users of scooters and skateboards, for example, can use them to repair their vehicles.
It is becoming increasingly important to offer charging facilities for e-bikes, as the number of electrified two-wheelers has been rising rapidly for several years. Charging stations and charging cabinets, in which bicycle batteries can be charged in lockable individual cabinets, are ideal for this purpose.
The potential offered by the building itself should not be forgotten either. It can be transformed from a mere enclosure for the parking facility, for example with solar panels, into a building with additional benefits that covers the needs of an e-bike charging station or the building lighting with the solar energy it produces.
Cars are increasingly being pushed out of city centers and streets and parking spaces are being rededicated to cyclists and pedestrians. Especially in traffic-calmed zones, such as the increasingly popular superblocks, there is a need for more than just parking facilities for two-wheelers. City centers are increasingly becoming meeting zones and urban oases, uninterrupted by roads with cars. This should also be taken into account when planning bicycle parking concepts. Parklets, for example, can immensely enhance the surroundings of bicycle parking facilities, as they offer small social centers in the neighborhood with their green spaces and seating. In principle, bicycle parking facilities should be an integral part of a mobility concept rather than being considered in isolation and should be taken into account in the planning. Seating and other recreational facilities should therefore be directly included. Ideally, an overarching concept should be created that incorporates the entire district.
In terms of a neighborhood sharing strategy, bicycle parking facilities are also a good place to integrate locker rental systems. These locker systems can be used, for example, to borrow tools and equipment for communal use. In addition to neighborhoods, conceivable locations for such rental systems include schools or companies that want to offer their employees an additional benefit.
Sustainability considerations are finding their way into almost every area of life. Accordingly – especially against the backdrop of an intended service life of several decades – care should also be taken to ensure that the aspect of sustainability is taken into account for bicycle parking facilities. To this end, it is first advisable to inspect the existing facilities and examine the extent to which they can be upgraded through targeted measures. Example: A bicycle parking facility at a train station can gain significantly in utility value and acceptance with a retrofitted roof, because weather protection is guaranteed, users stay dry when parking their bikes and the bikes, especially their saddles, no longer get wet when it rains. And the roof itself can also be upgraded. As we know, green and solar roofs are very much in vogue in urban development; however, please note that the increased loads that such a roof with additional benefits entails require an assessment of the structural suitability of the building. With Gronard’s Kylon, green roofs can be realized even on the smallest scale. In the case of the bicycle garage with up to two parking spaces, it is possible to implement a green or solar roof at a later date without any problems. You can also be particularly sustainable if you choose products that allow you to replace any damaged parts individually instead of having to replace the entire system – such modularity is standard with Gronard bicycle parking systems. This also makes it possible to respond to future trends and needs. For example, the side walls of an enclosure can be replaced and different materials such as perforated sheet metal or wooden slats can be used.
