The Art of Bike Room Design

When creating an attractive space that accommodates a variety of users who can park and navigate their bikes with ease, it can be challenging to meet budget, bike parking density, and usability requirements. At Sportworks, we're passionate about making bike rooms functional and accessible, no matter the budget, size, layout, or specifications. Here are three unique bike rooms that demonstrate a variety of solutions available across the spectrum.

The Ava (pictured below), located in an apartment building in Redmond, Wash., accommodates 192 bikes. With 184 Vertical+ Floor Mount racks and eight horizontal Heavy Duty Inverted U racks, a total of 11.1 square feet is utilized for each parking space. The remaining 50% of floor space is available for aisles and clearances, allowing for easy and safe bike navigation. The combination of easily accessible, horizontal racks mixed with high-density verticals provides a good balance between density and usability. Standard easy-to-lift road bikes, for example, can be parked using vertical racks, while e-bikes, cargo bikes, and fat-tire bikes are accommodated by horizontal racks. With accessibility for a wide range of people and bicycles, the Ava Bike Room represents high density at a low cost.

The Bike Café, located in the Circa Central apartment building in Phoenix, Ariz. (headline photo and below), offers 90 total parking spaces and utilizes the VelopA Easylift Premium two-tier bike rack system. This is one of the most space-efficient and user-friendly bicycle racks available. The upper-level trays feature a gas spring, taking care of the heavy lifting, and the lower tray offers easy slide-in ground-level parking. A bike wash station, repair stand, floor pump, and a vending machine supply all the amenities any bicycle commuter would need, including essential bike replacement parts. This is a great example of a highly styled, functional, and usable environment that anticipates the needs of cyclists. The Bike Café represents both high density and higher cost, providing an equal number of upper and lower parking options without losing space efficiency. Keep in mind that with high-density two-tier racks specialty bikes including cargo bikes will be excluded. Reserving some space in the plan for horizontal racks (perhaps located near outlets to accommodate e-bikes) is highly recommended.

Finally, in the headquarters of Expedia’s corporate campus in Seattle, is a space that prioritizes accessible bike parking by offering mostly horizontal bike racks. The Expedia bike room can accommodate up to 400 bikes with 180 horizontal bike parking spaces (Tofino No Scratch®) paired with 220 vertical bike parking spots (Vertical+ Wall Mount). This high-density model was achieved by placing vertical racks along the perimeter of the room and horizontal racks throughout the interior. While less space efficient than the previous two bike rooms, it offers the most universal and user-friendly parking. All racks feature Sportworks No Scratch® bumper, so riders have peace of mind that their bikes will be parked without damage or scratches. The horizontal Tofino No Scratch® racks can accommodate the broadest range of bikes, including long-wheelbase cargo bikes and e-bikes that might be too heavy to lift. The Expedia bike room shows that you can achieve a moderately dense and efficient, highly functional bike room with a focus on usability and versatility.

Consider these key questions as you decide which solutions are best for your room design:

1. Desired bicycle capacity: How many bikes need to fit? Are there any building code requirements for spacing between bikes?

2. Usability and accessibility: Can the room be reached without stairs, by inserting ramps or large elevators? Ensure there is adequate space for aisles and clearances so people can maneuver bikes around the room without damaging walls, equipment, or other bikes.

3. Security: Is access limited to cyclists? Are all the racks compatible with U-locks?

4. Convenience: Is the room near showers, lockers, and restrooms? Can you supply amenities to enable bike repairs? Be sure to leave space for parking electric bikes within range of outlets.

5. Budget: How much can be invested in the bike room? Best practices including good utility and design often lower future costs of repairs, as well as claims that may be submitted due to bike damage or theft.

Our bike parking design team can help you navigate these questions and design the perfect space for your next bike room project. Want to discuss your bike room build requirements with an expert? Contact our team for a consultation.