tjspiel

I'm sort of in this position. I'm not the big boss, just head of a small IT staff. Our main office is composed of two suites. It's in an old cool warehouse and I like it. Of the two suites, one has become sort of the office backwater. It's where a lot of junk is kept. It is also the place where several employees keep their bikes.

A few years ago, an employee of mine wanted to be moved to a quieter place because he was around people that were constantly on the phone (part of their job). When I enquired as to what might be available for him, I was told there was plenty of room in the backwater suite. He jumped at the chance.

Our organization is growing, available space is shrinking and last year I was asked if I'd be willing to move my entire staff (at the time myself and 3 others) to the backwater. I said no. There were good reasons why my support staff should remain near the bulk of employees and frankly I was tired of being asked to take less desirable office space as I have several times over the years.

Fast forward to this year. I have a couple of contractors working for me now, along with a new full time developer. They all went to the backwater because there was no room for them anywhere else. It now makes more sense so I'm moving, - with the understanding that some of junk will be cleared out.

So, what to do with the bikes? I can keep my bike in my office but everyone else is in cubes and there's no room. I'd like to have the area be presentable, but I want to support other people commuting too.

I may be in the position to push the company to do something a little innovative but space is limited. Complicating this is the fact that the building now has an indoor bike storage room. It's not monitored and there are no locking cages. Basically it's a big room with a lot of well spaced racks and some cubbies for helmets and such.

Thoughts?

SouthFLpix

Perhaps petition to have one of those fancy 'bike trees' that are virtually theft proof, and also protect the bike from the elements, installed. I have no idea of the cost associated with that though.

Edit: Here's the link:
https://www.biketree.com/

Seattle Forrest

If you're in an old warehouse, can you attach hangers to the walls or ceiling, like a bike shop?

4000Miles

Could you expense a small bike rack and fit it in an unused corner somewhere? Perhaps screw a couple of those red rubber-coated hooks into a wall and have people hang their bikes vertically (as in the above post)?

billdsd

I worked at one company that had bike lockers. They were nice.

Here's one example:

https://www.cycle-safe.com/CycleLockers.tab.aspx

caloso

Do the racks in the bike room allow for the use of locks?

wunderkind

Why not just enhance the existing indoor bike storage room with some security features and use it.
Depending on the type of organization, bicycles inside the office is not kosher. Therefore as an organization that recognizes and promote cycling, bicycle storage facility should be provided. In your case, I think you have already good place. It just needed to be secured which shouldn't be a problem.
There are worse situations for cyclist whereby, they had to put their bikes outside on the street.
My organization has recently built a secured bike area with lockers. All kinds of bicycles go in there from $$$ carbon bikes to $200 big box specials. So no reason to wheel bikes into the building premise.

tjspiel

We're just tenants in the building so we can't dictate how the bike storage room is configured or managed. I did go down today to take another look and found that it was locked which might be good. The building management quietly announced it's availability via memo to its tenants maybe 3 weeks ago. In our case, the memos get posted next to the sign-in sheet and often go unread.

A couple of weeks ago it was unlocked and completely empty even though there must be at least a dozen fair weather commuters in the building. I've left a message with the building management to see if it's really supposed to be locked and if so how to get a key.

It's a viable option but I'd be tempted to still keep my bike in my own office. I'd feel a little hypocritical insisting that my staff keep their bikes in the basement.

tjspiel

Yeah, they're your basic U-shaped loops bolted to the floor. From looking at it I'd say the intent is for people to look their bikes to them. The cubbies they provide for helmets aren't secured in any way.

The only reason I know about the storage is that I happened to be bringing my bike up in the elevator with a member of the building management staff. She told me they were about to open it. I could have easily missed the memo. After taking a look at it and finding it not secured, I elected not send an email out to our whole staff because I was worried that if our upper management found out, they would insist we use it.

wunderkind

Lead by example right?
The fallout ramifications for such hypocrisy would be future team deliverables.

chipcom 

Leadership is best practiced by example...which means the shared misery of the common bike room is in your future - at least at first .

The security of the room from an access perspective would be my concern. How are you going to control access without it being a real PIA?
IMO it would be best to have the room open and let the individual be responsible for securing their bike and gear within it. Hopefully the overall building security will at least ensure that only tenants have access to the room.

tjspiel

This has some possibilities since it wouldn't take up a ton of room. We're an energy efficiency organization and having bikes in the office could be a positive thing aesthetically and otherwise as long as they aren't haphazardly placed wherever. We definitely don't have room for a bike tree or bike lockers. Since this is a historical building there's some limitations on drilling holes in beams and in brick walls, but an interior sheet-rock wall would be OK.

Kojak

These look kinda cool, and could get bikes up off the floor (if that's a constraint). Apparently they can be used with a conventional bike lock for security.

https://www.cycloc.com/cycloc-features.html

DallasSoxFan

When you put in the order for cubicles, add an extra for bike storage. No desks.

sudo bike

I'd also look into bike hangers. They have some that fit over the door. How many bikes are we talking about here?

EDIT: Something like this maybe?



Or this?

tjspiel

That might be how it plays out.

On the positive side, the bike storage room is unmarked and in an obscure area away from much foot traffic. Like the showers, most of the people that work in the building will have no idea where it is or even that it exists. On the other hand, someone with inside knowledge could easily slip in there with some bolt cutters and make off with a bike completely unobserved. That would be harder to do to a bike locked up outside. There's no camera inside the storage room that I could see.

tjspiel

You'd think that would be an easy question to answer. There are 5 people that ride their bikes regularly (3 or more times a week). Two of these are relatively new employees that must keep their bikes outside. I generally know which bikes belong to who and I've never seen their bikes in the office but I do know they ride. We used to actively tell people to bring their bikes in and keep them in the backwater suite, but I think that has stopped. There are another or 2 or 3 that ride their bikes when they can but they often drive. There's another 5 or 6 who ride infrequently, maybe a half dozen times or less over the course of the summer.

There's not enough room to accommodate all the bikes if everyone who does ride decided to do it on the same day. I'd say from a practical standpoint with bikes hanging vertically, there might be room for 5 or 6.

wunderkind

Dude, you said you're in IT. www.newegg.com has all sorts of electronic gizmos to help you satisfy your "Homeland Security" fantasy.

KD5NRH

You're in charge of an IT department and not having a camera in a room is any more of a setback than, say, walking into a room and finding out that the lights haven't already been turned on for you?

Wireless camera in the room, receiver and an old PC in a nearby closet with an ethernet drop if the signal won't make it back to your area on its own.

tjspiel

We don't own the building. We're a tenant. I have no control over the bike storage room nor do I particularly want to be in charge of monitoring it. The other tenants may not appreciate their use of the room being monitored by us either.

confounded

My own take is that the bike storage room with a u-lock is adequate security. Concerns over an inside job seems like an overestimate of risk. Doubt it would fly with upper management either ... unless you can find an elegant solution within the backwater that ups your company's green cred.

bosoxmrkn

Each cube is too small for each employee to keep their bike with them? Mine isn't huge by any stretch and my bike sits in my cube with me all day.

KD5NRH

Am I the only one that doesn't like the idea of putting that kind of force on the top tube? Especially with a commuter, since any extra weight at the rear (lights, rack, panniers, etc.) will just be cantilevered off front of the TT, which is supported at only two small points.

EDIT TO ADD: it also looks like it won't work with step-through frames or most full suspension bikes, and will tear the heck out of the TT finish if you've got cables routed along the top or left of the TT.

snowman40

At least you have space for your stuff.

I will be moving here in about a month and I'm not getting any space. It is seriously like I'm an after thought at this place. I'll be in a suite with a company that is playing the 'green card' and the head honcho told me he didn't want my bike in the suite because it didn't seem professional. It didn't surprise me as they are extremely hypocritical, and do whatever makes the sale to include paperwork shuffle to remove options but keep the price that was agreed upon.

God I hate how shady this place is...

I like the empty cubicle idea and the double bike stand, maybe do double bike stand in a deskless cubicle?

squirtdad

Ok.....some points, mainly repeating what is said above

1) you are in pretty good shape there is a designated place to store bikes....way ahead of many business. I think that you are a little over concerned about the ability to lock the room...doing so puts security of the bikes in control of others and may put some liability on the landlords. It is still way better than having to lock bikes outside.

2) what size are the cubes.....I am still in an 8x12 (havent remodeled this part of the building) but current cubes where I work ar 8 x 8 tight but doable. a vertical hanger arrangment would minmize the foot pring

3) As a manager you have to do the Shackelton thing, lead by example or you are doomed.