Bike Parking & Storage Solutions for Commercial Industrial Settings

With a focus on security considerations and efficient space utilisation, establishing well-designed bike parking & storage solutions in commercial and industrial settings is key to encouraging sustainable transport alternatives, contributing to reduced carbon emissions while promoting better health and wellbeing.

With a variety of bike parking and storage products available on the market, ranging from stands and racks, to larger units like bike stores and hubs, obtaining the right knowledge and advice on key considerations is imperative to successfully accommodate specific requirements and determine the most effective solutions within commercial and industrial settings.

Key Considerations for Setting

Integrating bike parking & storage solutions in commercial & industrial settings provides cyclists with a designated storage area that helps to ensure bikes are parked in an orderly manner and therefore unable to cause obstruction to site users. Assessing who will regularly use the facility, as well as how, will determine specific capacity requirements, mode of access and what level of security it needs to provide for users.

As a primary requirement, any bike parking & storage solution needs to be of a durable, high-quality build and able to withstand daily wear and tear. Periodic maintenance can be a key component for ensuring this, while providing effective shelter against inclement weather should be strongly considered to encourage use and ensure optimum protection for stored bikes. Providing appropriate lighting fixtures might also be a requirement to assist with access during non-daylight hours, in addition to aiding bike theft prevention by providing visibility over the designated storage area.

Consider whether the design should prioritise security over visual appeal. Effective designs should coordinate with on-site design and integrate well with their surroundings to reduce visual impact, while installing units in a prominent position and within convenient distances of nearby buildings will help to enable ease of access for users. Options for access control accommodated within unit designs are also highly useful and often sought after to restrict access to site-specific users and offer overall peace of mind.

Bike Parking & Storage Solutions

Bike Stands, Racks and Shelters

Available as standalone installations or configured to maximise capacity in bike stores and hubs, as well as providing cover from inclement weather, bike stands, racks and shelters enable short lead times, variations on capacity format, and cost-effective pricing.

Sheffield stands are the traditional bike stand, offering a classic, minimalist design that provides quick-access bike parking. Separate locking of both the wheels and frame helps to keep the bike stabilised, while minimum spacing between individual stands and between rows should be considered. Sheffield stands are a cost effective solution for environments that require small to medium capacity storage and ideal for short-term bike parking.
Semi-vertical racks have a trough-like design that supports both the front and rear wheels in use. They are often installed to maximise available floor space, offering efficient footprint utilisation for both width and length and requiring minimal storage depth, enabling bikes to be secured in close proximity to one another.
Two-tier racks are designed to achieve the maximum quantity of bikes stored per square metre. Where the available footprint is restricted, two-tier racks offer close to double the capacity in the same space, establishing them as an ideal solution for bike parking in high-density environments. Two-tier racks will typically offer an integral gas-assisted lifting system as a standard specification, enabling ease of use for bikes to be stored on the upper tier tray.
Bike shelters provide a sheltered bike parking facility and can be combined with bike stands or two-tier racking, with a single or double row system typically installed. A reliable, cost-effective option, a semi-enclosed design that can be supplemented with additional modules to form an enclosed bike shelter compound. Bike shelters are typically more appropriate for enclosed sites and short-term parking.

Bike Stores

A highly versatile format for in-line storage, bike stores are ideal for settings and users that require the benefits of secure, easily accessible bike storage that enables effective shelter from inclement weather. Offering a highly configurable design platform, bike stores can accommodate vertical, semi-vertical and level housing of bikes, typically a single-row layout with options for stand and rack types.
Designed to offer consistent use and both short and long-term storage, bike stores provide effective utilisation of available footprints, with the potential to incorporate a sequence of units with individual door access to each. Offering design versatility, units can be specified as fully enclosed or open-faced, with a range of cladding materials and options for access control.

Bike Hubs

Providing broad capacity within a secure, covered structure, bike hubs offer multiple options & configurations and are designed to accommodate the optimum number of bikes within the available footprint. Bike hubs are ideal for high-density settings with relative foot traffic and are effective long-term storage solutions, easily accommodating single and double-row layouts with stand, semi-vertical or two-tier rack types.
Bike hubs offer a variety of options for access control, with enhanced security measures attained through a strong manufacturing build to ensure bike theft opportunities are restricted. Opportunities to incorporate practical features such as bike pumps and repair tools, boost functionality and offer users on-the-go maintenance, while the integration of rainwater systems can be incorporated to ensure reliable water drainage in external locations.

Bike Modules and Lockers

Typically installed in environments that require individually secure parking, bike modules and lockers are appealing for owners of high-value bikes. Their enclosed design provides assured protection from inclement weather, as well as shielding the bike from view to act as an effective deterrent for bike theft.
Ideal for on-the-go users, bike modules and lockers are often installed close to surrounding buildings to enable clear lines of sight, with bikes stored individually in an upright position and locked to ensure they remain stable. In settings with restricted footprints, sequential positioning can be utilised to form a connected series of units.

The urbanspec Approach

Offering an extensive product line that spans bike stands, racks, shelters, lockers, stores and hub buildings, bike parking and storage solutions from urbanspec utilise an integrated design and engineering methodology that combines volume manufacture with custom build capability.

The prevention of bike theft is a central to urbanspec product design, with bike hubs, bike stores and bike modules able to meet Secure By Design specifications, accredited by Sold Secure. Access control options for bike stores and hubs, such as mechanical keypad and smartphone access systems, are accommodated within a high-quality steel door and frame design.

urbanspec bike parking & storage solutions enable specifiers to select multiple options for customisation with cladding and finish varieties, making site wide design coordination and single source procurement a realistic achievement for commercial and industrial settings.

A substantial resource and knowledge base enables urbanspec to simplify specifications, utilising CAD models, NBS specifications and datasheets available for download. Supporting CPD programmes provide clarity on the optimal approach to aspects such as security considerations and effective space planning.