New temporary bike racks get their first real test

At yesterday’s press event to “celebrate” Portland’s new bike boxes, Jeff Castro gave his new BikeRacker product its first real test.

The BikeRacker in action.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Castro is looking to tap into Portland’s fertile market for bike parking. It’s a well-known fact that even though PDOT is trying hard to keep up, there is a significant lack of bike parking in this town — and that’s where BikeRacker will (hopefully) come in. Castro sees a niche in coming to the aid of business owners and event planners that don’t have enough existing capacity for their bike riding customers.

BikeRacker debut-2.jpg

Castro got a perfect chance to debut one of his racks at an event yesterday. Not only could he guarantee a big bike crowd, but the people that showed up — like Metro Councilor and BTA co-founder Rex Burkholder, City bicycle coordinator Roger Geller, bike planning expert Mia Birk, etc… — just so happened to be steeped in knowledge of such things.

Castro was thrilled at their feedback and said, “Overall, there was lots of great support for the rack.” Castro told me the crowd especially appreciated the modular nature and simple design that led most users to “get” how to use it without confusion.

One major lesson learned by Castro is that if he wants to put his temporary rack on the roadway (taking up a motor vehicle space), he has to work with PDOT to get the proper permits.

BikeRacker debut-4.jpg BikeRacker debut-3.jpg BikeRacker debut-1.jpg

Next steps for Castro will be to attend more events to get additional feedback. He’s also got a lot of work to do. “I’ve got to build, build build,” he commented, and then added, “Based on that event, I think I’ve got a viable thing here.”

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a paying subscriber.

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Toby
Toby
16 years ago

Hanging off the nose of the saddle is clever (assuming that will put the front wheel and downtube next to the leg of the rack – for locking – on most frames), but I wonder how many people are riding frames that are too big, and thus won\’t be showing enough seatpost to do it.

Also, am I paranoid, or wouldn\’t it make sense to add a few big eyebolts to chain the whole rack to something permanent?

Scott Mizée
16 years ago

[…]wouldn\’t it make sense to add a few big eye bolts to chain the whole rack to something permanent?
I think the idea is that these would be used at events where there are a fair number of people around. Thus, the likelihood of someone absconding with the whole rack is not very high.

Dag
Dag
16 years ago

I\’m still not sure I understand how locking to that rack is at all secure, since it appears that a lock could be slipped under the feet pretty easily.

Tako
Tako
16 years ago

This is the same sort of rack that you see outside of some bike shops in Japan. They don\’t lock very often there, so I don\’t think they are really meant for locking to, but it\’s a lot better than \”free-locking.\”

Austin Ramsland
16 years ago

If these are temporary, is he planning on charging for the racks or for the service?

Jeff Castro
16 years ago

Hello guys,
I have been working on different strategies for incoporating a security chain/cable to attach the rack to a immovable object. There is value in adding that extra bit of security to help ease users concerns about the safety of their bicycles.

Also, this rack is still my initial prototype that is lacking the extra security loop on each leg that will prohibit the tipping of the rack/sliding the lock off security concern. I will be retrofitting this rack, and all other racks currently in process will have this feature. For this event, I monitored the bicycles personally to insure we wouldn\’t have any issues…

Thanks again for the thoughts.

BikeRacker

Dag
Dag
16 years ago

I guess you also need recourse in the event that someone locks their bike to your rack and fails to pick it up before you need to tear down the rack. Ideally that wouldn\’t involve cutting the lock.

Andy B from Jersey
Andy B from Jersey
16 years ago

That\’s an excellent point Dag. That\’s an extra reason why I think this event / overflow bike parking should be a valet service. That\’s how it is anyplace else I\’ve seen special event bike parking.

Then again a system could be setup to have the bicyclist lock his bike to a special loop on the portable rack that could then be unlocked by the rack owner.

Good luck Jeff with your endeavor.

Donna
Donna
16 years ago

The Cirque du Soleil could really use one of those racks. The bike parking there is awful!

Nick
Nick
16 years ago

\”The Cirque du Soleil could really use one of those racks. The bike parking there is awful!\”

Wait, you mean those people on bikes can afford Cirque? Just kidding of course, but I wonder if that is about how much they really care about cyclists. Also, they aren\’t from Portland, so they may not be as bike friendly as our businesses.

Opus the Poet
16 years ago

I don\’t see anything there for the recumbent crowd. How are we supposed to kock up to that?

Opus

Hilton Meyer
16 years ago

Great idea. Good luck getting this project off the ground. Anything to encourage people onto saddles is never a bad idea. I especially like the Cirque du Soleil idea to help the clowns keep their act together:)

Ryan J
Ryan J
16 years ago

Whew! Nice Rack!

rye
rye
16 years ago

Upward pressure on a saddle is ill advised. brooks especially are made only for downward pressure.

Icarus Falling
16 years ago

Still wondering how these are supposed to work in a sidewalk application, as they look like they would take up much more of the sidewalk space than is normally allowed, let alone under special permitted uses.

As cyclists, and humans, we are also responsible for safe passage of the elderly, the handicapped, and anyone else using a sidewalk…

Jeff Castro
16 years ago

Hello,
Please let me try and respond to a few recent comments.

First, unfortunately this rack design is not compatible for recumbent applications. The only feasible way might be to slide under the crossbar and lean against the leg support. Unfortunately, I don\’t have anything to back this up, but will make an effort to investigate.

Second, all cycling saddles have a structural member to which the seatpost is attached, and it is my belief that this structure can provide ample support of the weight of most bicycles per this application. I understand that there are perhaps exceptions to this, and I can fully appreciate the concern.

Lastly, sidewalk applications will be assessed per situation, and at no time will safety or right of way of pedestrians be compromised. For this event, our primary focus was the vehicle parking spot. With the help and guidance of the PDOT representative, it was moved up onto the sidewalk taking specific care and caution to position the rack to comply with pedestrian right of way. This location does have the benefit of generous sidewalks, and I know that most sidewalks are challenged for space.

Thanks for your continued feedback and insight.

Regards,
BikeRacker