Would you store/park your Riv in one of these?

[Sumehra]

I live in a walkup apartment building, and lugging my Riv up and down the stairs and through the narrow doorway has become quite annoying.

I have been toying with the idea of installing a bike locker in our parking lot for about a year now...  I pitched the idea to my condo association last year (see attached presentation), and although they wont fund the project, they have let me install one on my own dime.

I just wanted to get the groups thoughts--would you store your Riv in a bike locker, outside, in the elements?  Think about moisture/humidity affecting the steel, safety/security... (or anything else I haven't thought of).

Having one of these will definitely get me riding more.  I'm just afraid of what may happen to the bike...

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

[cyclotourist]

Love the idea of it (and the bike)!  Keeping it outside, but covered/secured would actually be somewhat better than moving it back and forth from heated rooms to cold outside.  The temp changes are supposed to be what cause problems.  Do you have road salt?  Not washing that off would be the bigger concern.  As for security, I just couldn't tell you.  Any lock can be defeated, etc... Maybe you could set a big eye bolt into the concrete/asphalt as well and chain the bike to it as well as the door lock???

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Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

[Benedikt]

I love the,"Not just for hipsters anymore" in your pitch!

On Oct 25, 9:45 pm, Sumehra <sume...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I live in a walkup apartment building, and lugging my Riv<http://www.flickr.com/photos/sumehra/sets/72157626345789636/>up and down the stairs and through the narrow doorway has become quite

> annoying.
>
> I have been toying with the idea of installing a bike

> <http://www.cyclesafe.com/options.tab.aspx>locker
> <http://www.ameribike.com/catalog/bike/350-series/351.html>in our parking

> lot for about a year now...  I pitched the idea to my condo association
> last year (see attached presentation), and although they wont fund the
> project, they have let me install one on my own dime.
>
> I just wanted to get the groups thoughts--would you store your Riv in a
> bike locker, outside, in the elements?  Think about moisture/humidity
> affecting the steel, safety/security... (or anything else I haven't thought
> of).
>
> Having one of these will definitely get me riding more.  I'm just afraid of
> what may happen to the bike...
>
> Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
>

>  The Bicycle Solution.pdf
> 2339KViewDownload

[Sumehra]

Thanks for your response!

That is interesting regarding the temp. changes causing the problems, in which case, it may be beneficial to leave it outside.

No, *thankfully* we don't have road salt in our parts... whenever it snows in Atlanta, the city shuts down for a week because we're just not prepared (with salt trucks, etc).

And, the extra eye bolt inside is a great idea!  Thanks!

[Sumehra]

Thanks!

[Forrest]

Yes, I would.  

[Minh]

Wow, good leg-work on your part! My condo association would never
agree to that. my only concern would be humidity and condensation.
Maybe that's not a big deal with a bicycle, and bicycles are made to
be used/worn out, so i say go for it if you can't deal with lugging it
in and out. Personally, i suffer through it :)

[Larry Powers]

From a climate standpoint I would store my bike in one of these.  It will keep the rain off and protect it from any wind driven debris.  I have stored my bikes in an unheated garage for years with no ill effects.  I believe the abrupt changes from cold outside to warm inside are more damaging then constant cold exposurer. 
 
 I would just be sure that the locker I was using provided adequate security. 

Larry Powers
 
Get a bicycle.  You will not regret it if you live. - Mark Twain

 

---

Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:45:32 -0700
From: sum...@gmail.com
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [RBW] Would you store/park your Riv in one of these?

[Steve Wimberg]

I've been toying with the idea of a bike locker for my wife and my commuter bikes, but haven't gotten to the point of getting quotes.  Have have you received any quotes?  If so, how much are they running?  I saw the one in your presentation for $2420, and am wondering if they would all be around that price.

Thanks too for the list of bike locker makers!

Steve

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<The Bicycle Solution.pdf>

[Jim Mather]

Steel bikes are tough; my bikes generally live in my open air atrium.
The locker is certainly as weather resistant as most garages. My
concern would be whether the locker is bolted to the ground, which
would add a lot to the security.

jim m
wc ca

On Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 9:45 PM, Sumehra <sum...@gmail.com> wrote:

[William]

It comes down to which locker.  

I would lock my Rivendell in the very nicest bike lockers I have seen.  I would absolutely not park my Rivendell in the worst bike lockers I have seen.  The best bike lockers are as good or better than parking your bike in your home.  The worst bike lockers are nearly as bad as leaning your bike against a building.  

The bike lockers at the South Hayward BART Station for example are worthless.  The doors are thermoplastic, and can be fairly easily pried open enough to cause the door lock to pop open without defeating the lock itself.  Three commuters from my office locked bikes there and lost them.  It's South Hayward, and it's a BART station, so you'll have to assess what your risk tolerance will be based on who is going to be around.  

[Doug]

I rent a bike locker at work, same brand as you reference. It's great
- I have no concerns whatsoever about the security of my rivish
Resurrectio. I don't know what you're capital outlay for a locker
like this would be, but note that each locker can hold two bikes, one
from each end. If you can find someone else in your building who
wants to rent the other half you might be able to recover some of the
costs of buying and installing the locker. My employer charges $85/
year rental.

On Oct 25, 11:45 pm, Sumehra <sume...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I live in a walkup apartment building, and lugging my Riv<http://www.flickr.com/photos/sumehra/sets/72157626345789636/>up and down the stairs and through the narrow doorway has become quite

> annoying.
>
> I have been toying with the idea of installing a bike

> <http://www.cyclesafe.com/options.tab.aspx>locker
> <http://www.ameribike.com/catalog/bike/350-series/351.html>in our parking

> lot for about a year now...  I pitched the idea to my condo association
> last year (see attached presentation), and although they wont fund the
> project, they have let me install one on my own dime.
>
> I just wanted to get the groups thoughts--would you store your Riv in a
> bike locker, outside, in the elements?  Think about moisture/humidity
> affecting the steel, safety/security... (or anything else I haven't thought
> of).
>
> Having one of these will definitely get me riding more.  I'm just afraid of
> what may happen to the bike...
>
> Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
>

>  The Bicycle Solution.pdf
> 2339KViewDownload

[bionnaki]

I wouldnt want to use one of those...too much theft in my area. it would be broken into within a few days.

If your area has less crime, then, sure why not?

--

[Sumehra]

No problem!  Glad I could help in some way.

I just called AmeriBike for a quote today, but haven't received an email from them yet.  I would expect that one unit that holds 2 bikes ranges from $1000 to the low $2000s, but I'll let you know when I hear back.

[Rick]

Your area has a fair bit of crime, mostly of the disorganized
"opportunity" kind though (I'm in ATL, and am familiar w/ the Gaither
-- my best friend lived in a downstairs righthand side10th street
facing unit back in the paleolithic era). Did the Assoc. tell you
where you could put it? I'm assuming back of the lot on Argonne.
Chances are most of the people in our town aren't going to have a clue
what a bike locker is, but will take a crack at it if it looks like
it's got something valuable inside, particularly w/ the park
traffic.

You're going to have to have that thing bolted in securely. Best
option would be away from the street -- I'd imagine the Gaither's lot
is usually pretty full, and that way no one would be able to back in
and drag it into a truck with the intention of cracking the nut off-
site. If it's away from Argonne and vehicle access to it is
significantly impeded, and it was secured to the ground, I'd do it.

Sweet mixte, by the way. Pretty sure I saw it posted on the atlanta
bicycle coalition's blog a couple of months ago. Good luck with the
project.

[Sumehra]

If I do go through with it, I will most likely get one that holds two bikes and my husband and I will use both spots.  He also has a "nice bike," so security of the locker is key.  This will also help clear up some prime real estate within our condo unit, which is quite small as it is.  If he ends up not using it quite as frequently to warrant a spot in the locker, then renting is definitely something to think about!

[Sumehra]

That's the main concern--my area has a *lot* of crime, considering another mixte I owned was stolen from the same spot in broad daylight (it was locked to a secure pole, but with only a cable).. :(  Decisions...decisions.

[Sumehra]

Wow, Rick, small world!  Lots of people come and go through the Gaither.  It's interesting to hear their stories.

I am probably going to put it on the far end of my own parking spot, away from the street.  At night, it would be impeded by our car, but by day, I guess a truck could come by and yank it out of the ground.

And, thanks.  That's pretty cool, wish I knew where that blog post was...

[Sumehra]

Thank you all for chiming in!  Your insight has been very helpful.  Time for me to gather some quotes!

[Peter Pesce]

That locker is more weatherproof than my 90 year old garage, where my bikes are, so I'd agree that it's no problem.

One advantage of lockers is that thieves don't know what is in them, or even if there's anything in them at all. I would keep a lock on it even when empty so there is no clear indication of it being un/occupied. This will also keep your neighbors from moving in!

The added u-bolt in the ground is an excellent idea. If the locker door isn't your only defense, then take advantage of the fact that the locker makes it really hard for the thief to get inside and move around. I'd suggest locating the u-bolt in a place that would make it difficult to get bolt cutters on. (But not so inconvenient that you would be inclined not to lock your bike up!)

Good lock.

Pete

[Ginz]

I might consider one of these lockers as well. Perhaps I'd paint the
word "TRASH" on there so thieves would think it is a house for my
garbage cans.

[Rex Kerr]

They installed these at my office.  Within three days of the first rain my Trek 520 was covered with surface rust on every scratch, the chain, and the cheap steel chainrings...  I refused to use them ever again.

--

[Corwin]

I parked my Quickbeam in a steel bike locker at Ashby BART for several
years. I never worried about anyone stealing my bike - principally
because there were so many other bikes nearby in racks that were much
easier targets (cheap lock, etc.). Now that I think about it, the
locking mechanism on all the bike lockers I have used so far was of
the same type as the mechanism on a Kryptonite U-lock which was easily
defeated with the barrel of a Bic pen several years ago. I think the
best bet is to get a good steel locker, bolt it to the ground and use
a Mul-t-lock to secure the door.

Corwin

[John Blish]

Even though this thread is old, I find myself thinking about this question, i.e., Would You?  when I am out riding.

Thus, I took some pics recently:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/111838829033930119881/albums/5669475288427885009

These are lockers installed and maintained by Metro Transit in the Twin Cities at the NorthStar Station in Fridley, MN.

As Forrest said, "Yes, I would."

With these lockers I would have no hesitation.  The hinge runs the full length of the door / frame joint.  It is not possible to tell in what way the lockers are attached to the deck.  It is not possible to know what is in any given locker unless you saw something being put in or somehow made a hole in the exterior.  There is not just one locker.  There are 4 on each side of the station.  (I consider that number to be a positive factor compared to a situation where there is only one.)  There is probably 24 hour video that includes this location although I sure would not kid myself about anyone watching the video live.  I consider these completely worthy of any bike.

Is it possible that you already have lockers of perhaps this quality someplace close and could use those lockers and walk the distance there and back at least while you try out this idea?

These have no external lock to mess with, no plastic door or other parts and nothing to attach a chain to in order to pull the locker off its mount.  The mass of the 4-plex locker is an obvious advantage.

For me, the nature and quality of the locker is what would decide the issue.  Close behind as factors are where it would be located and whether it could be breached by brute force.  In some home burglaries I am familiar with the method of entry was simply brute force applied to a door. 

-jb       



 

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Minneapolis MN USA

[Sumehra]

John -- thanks for the photos!  Those do look like nice lockers.  You had asked whether it would be possible to try some lockers nearby.  Unfortunately, I have never seen any such lockers in the Atlanta area.

Ginz -- your painting "TRASH" idea gave me another idea... order one in blue and put a big white recycling symbol on each side!  And install it next to the dumpster.

Rex -- the locker that you had used, perhaps, did not have an adequate ventilation system.  I received a price sheet from one of the manufacturers recently, and apparently, you can pay $250 for the "Ventilation “High Flow” System: Solar-powered ventilation 24/7. Highly recommended for areas of high temperature, humidity or dampness. This system will move 24,000cuft air per day* providing the utmost in locker ventilation. System includes louvered stainless steel vents on each end of the unit for air in-flow with a high volume stainless steel Solar Day/Night exhaust fan on the top of the locker.

*Equal to removing all of the air in a Model #302 locker 285 times a day."

Anyone interested -- I've attached a price sheet from one manufacturer.

Thanks, again, everyone, for sharing your thoughts and experiences!  I think, for now, I will continue to carry my bike up and down the stairs, as such a project--done "my way"--will cost ~ $4000, installed.  Maybe something to put off until next year :)