Ok, now this is pretty hot... bike trees?

[robertsdvd]

http://www.biketree.com/

That's just cool.

[vincenzosi]

Okay I had to be the first to say it:

Who says bikes don't grow on trees? :)

[jeff-o]

That's a FANTASTIC IDEA!!!

It's unfortunate that any savings in parking costs will be lost on this device, but I think it's worth it for the added safety. Awesome.

[LordOpie]

Brilliant! Besides the obvious benes, it makes it difficult to steal your pump, etc. So you don't have to pack 'em with you when you "lock-up" your bike.

[genec]

At first I thought... no way is any American city going to use this... but it just dawned on me that this would work well in a typical mall parking lot.

[ofofhy]

Can you store more bikes per m^2 this way?

[randya]

Another kind of bike tree.

[vincenzosi]

You know Randy... Somehow I think yours is even more secure :)

[ddaavviidd]

doesn't look like it takes that many bikes. 10? nevertheless, it would be nice to see some of them around town. maybe i should e-mail the city's traffic office about it.

[nycm'er]

That is very cool, one of the larger excuses people don't ride in NYC is lack of secure parking (according to the local bike group TA). I wish I had thought of it.

[umpadumpy]

Too tall for my garage, but I need one anyway.

[DieselDan]

Wouldn't conform to our building design laws.

[SpokesInMyPoop]

man... portland could use some of that. seems pretty awesome, but I like the other tree, too.

[CMcMahon]

No way is any American city going to use this.

Although you actually said otherwise, I have to agree with this statement. 99.9% of Americans do not like bicycles.

[Metro]

Nice design. There's even a canopy to keep you bike dry when locked (You rode it in the rain to get it there, so it kind of defeats the purpose). It looks too large to fit on the average sidewalk, but would work in a park or dedicated bike-parking area though.

Very nice.

[Grasschopper]

That is pretty cool. Other than a system to share the bikes it could be set up just to be used as a lock. Maybe you could charge like $0.25 per use or something for use.

I like it.

[jagged]

Thanks, but no. I'd be paranoid about my bike falling off accidentally. I'm also convinced that with all the moving parts, solar panels, computers, keycards, and everything else required to run that thing, something is bound to fail and leave me stranded. Give me a bike locker instead, please.

[webist]

At first I thought... no way is any American city going to use this... but it just dawned on me that this would work well in a typical mall parking lot.

In many malls they would actually look good inside the mall. :)

[webist]

Okay I had to be the first to say it:

Who says bikes don't grow on trees? :)

Lot's of places to hang lights in December too. :)

[jeff-o]

I wonder if they could make a straight version of this too, so instead of a tree it would be.. a waterfall. Then it could be placed up against a building, instead of sticking out so far.

[AndrewP]

With the bikes hanging in a circle, the narrowest part of the bike (tires) is at the centre, and the widest (bars) are around the circumference. If it were straightened to go against a wall, there could be problems with getting bars tangled together.

[catatonic]

I like it, given it's not much of a space saving over the traditional rack if at all, but it is secure, and far easier to use.

It would also allow for everyone to use their bikes without worrying about locks for the most part, you wouldn't have to undo panniers when shopping, etc.

I would gladly donate a testicle and kidney to see these all over my city.

Actually, this would get me back into using a rack and panniers if this went through...right now I use a messenger bag since I hate undoing cheap panniers and refuse to spend big bucks on the easy to remove ones.

[77Univega]

...99.9% of Americans do not like bicycles.
- - (I think "99.9" is a little high.)

THANK YOU robertsdvd for that contribution to Bike Forums. If we want to see more bicycling in these United States, then inventions like BikeTrees will help provide the necessary infrastructure to spark the interest of our fellow citizens.

.

[PurpleK]

I guess I'm the oddball, because I'm not too keen on the bike tree. No doubt it has good features, such as protection from the weather through use of a canopy. However, I think the beauty of bicycle parking lay in its simplicity. When I run an errand, I want to rack up, lock up and go. Therefore I prefer the inverted-U rack in a visible location over something that will take me awhile to figure out how it functions. For longer storage such as at work, I prefer a good locker or back room where the bike is totally out of sight. The fewer moving parts, the better. Anything that moves has the potential to malfunction. I also find the mushroom look to be a bit overwhelming.
I have to give it credit for innovative thinking, though.

[Alphie]

Very cool! I have the benefit of parking indoors, but we are moving to a new building soon, and I was horrified to have my HR manager tell me (proudly) that our new store will have a bike rack. Outdoors, of course. I will show him this correct type of storage facility. ;)