(Photos J. Maus)
If you think it’s hard to find a bike parking spot around town, try finding one at an event (especially if it’s bike-related). Last March, a local entrepreneur set out to solve that problem and so far his business has been “amazing”.
Jeff Castro, a former product designer (with stints at Harley Davidson and Yakima), took a bit of a gamble when he invested in a concept called BikeRacker. The idea was to provide a turn-key, secure, easy-to-use, temporary bike parking solution.
With the busy summer season behind him, I caught up with Castro recently to ask how things have gone.
the Tour de Fat in June.
He says “it’s been an amazing first year” and that he’s provided services to 15 events including the Tour De Fat, Sunday Parkways, Symphony in the Park, and an event at the Oregon Zoo.
Castro says he’s gotten “overwhelming support and positive feedback from the racks” and from the service in general. “It’s been fun and educational to watch how the community has interacted with the racks, and utilized them in expected and unexpected ways.”
Portland has been a perfect testing ground, Castro says, due to “the diverse bicycle mix”. His racks have parked, tall bikes, recumbents, long tails, and tandems.
This fall, Castro plans to continue to be at various events, including the Oregon Manifest Handmade Bike Show, where BikeRacker racks will be used in the parking area set-aside for custom bikes.
By next season, Castro says he’ll double or triple his capacity to keep up with demand and he plans to consider new parking solutions, including some permanent applications.
“To say the least,” he says “it will be a busy winter.”
— Check out the newly revamped BikeRacker website.