vrkelley

I'm moving to another office on the other end of town that throws up some problems for the commute. The commute is 3 miles further, more traffic, no bike rack, no place to hang my sopping wet stuff.

The office manger says the bike can come inside anywhere and it'll fit nicely in my office. I'll cover it with a motor cycle cover to hide the muck. But how do I prevent tire marks and dirt drop-off from ruining their carpet (and other people's chances to bring in their bikes?

I'm an engineer and don't get many visiotors but whats the best way to arrange the office so the bike can come in easily but not be a distraction to visitors?

max-a-mill

if you threw it over your shoulder i'd bet it wouldn't make many more marks on the carpet than you dripping wet, just walking down the hallway would....

i bet that carpet you got in your office is pretty burley too and soaks up stains quite nice.

if it's a "new" office building maybe there is still an unused closet downstairs somewhere you could score a key to as your own personal storage locker???

Tree Trunk

Boiler room or mechanical room you can use for storage of the bike and/or clothing? I sometimes hang my clothes on my bike. My company has a large mechanical room -- it used to be the boiler room -- and I store my bike there. I carry my bike over my shoulder so I don't mess up the floors in the morning. Some of my bike clothing I just hang at the coat rack.

vrkelley

Carrying in the bike is cool. But there doesn't seem to be a network closet or mechanical room big enough for parking.

Judging by the dirty spot in our garage, it should sit on some sort of mud-proof pad to protect new carpet. Yet the pad/rug I bring will probably show dirt and draw winers.

late

Could you buy a bike rack and set it up outside?

vrkelley

Yeah I'd spring for a 2-bike model where do they sell those?

super-douper

Here in the bay area, they're closing schools at the rate of what seems like 2 every week. If you were around here, you might be able to talk to someone at the school and get a large rack for free.

You could get some plastic drop cloth from a hardware store to set the bike on. Rinse it off once it gets real dirty. Or put the drop-cloth down and throw an old sheet over the bike to cover it up. The sheet would hang all the way to the floor, so the dripping and stuff wouldn't be seen.

Sloth

I've heard that the city where I work will install bike racks if requested to do so, for a minimal charge ($50?) You might talk to your employer about something like this - there are almost certainly credits available for promoting bike commuting.

late

Hi,
you will either need something fairly big, or something you can bolt down, to deter thieves.

https://stacksandstacks.com/html/product361_2.htm
https://www.rackattack.com/shopdispla...cts.asp?page=2
https://www.bicyclebuys.com/HTML/BicycleStorage.htm
https://www.dero.com/mr6_rack.html
https://www.madrax.com/

bhchdh 

Check with the buildings facilities staff, many buildings rent large "door mats" for their entry ways, perhaps you could spring for an extra to park your bike on.

supcom

Keep a rag in your cycling bag and wipe down the bike when you arrive on wet days. A quick wipe down of the tires and frame will keep up appearances and protect the carpets and floors. Shouldn't take more than two minutes.

vrkelley

Good ideas...I just noticed the carpet is a light tan

Camel

People are funny. I was banned from bringing my bike into my office (in a hospital) by security. They initially said it was because of all the "germs", then it was the blanket response-what if everyone rode bikes and wanted to take them inside (wow, I often live in a "what if" world).

Sounds like the office manager is pretty cool. On wet/muddy grimey days, give your ride a "quick" wipe down before taking it inside. Rolling it won't drop much more dirt than what comes off the bottom of shoes, or shoulder it. It may drip anyways, so a large towel, or drop cloth on the ground where you're going to store it will protect the carpet/floor. I wouldn't bother covering your bike in your office-but that's up to you.

jnbacon

How large is the organization you work for? And does the city have some sort of traffic-reduction program? If the answer's yes to both, your organization might have a traffic-reduction target, like so many carpoolers, busers, flex-timers, and bikers, that it has to meet and might be responsive to a suggestion that they install a bike rack. I know that the college I work for installed a lot of racks for that reason. I know, it's a college and there are lot more bikers, but it might be one avenue to check out. For the employer, it's $500 or so for good gov't relations.

Rowan

Wipe-down works to a degree, but it's actually the fine dust created by the brake blocks, plus oily grit fallling off the chain that cause the most problems, in my experience.

The brake block dust is demonic, especially after being mixed with water -- I think it's worse than oil/grease, because you can't remove it with thinners from carpet. My bikes live in my unit, and I recently had to have the carpets professionally cleaned because of mainly brake dust deposits, but also chain cr@p.

Really, for the scenario you suggest, the only way is to carry the bike from the door to the work area, and have something like a drop sheet, another layer of carpet, or even a large bath towel on the floor under the bike's wheels when the weather outside is wet.

As an aside, I had a rear puncture on the way to work yesterday morning. I hadn't washed down the bike in a while, and my hands were f-i-l-t-h-y when I finished. When I got to work, I used sugar soap (from a painting project) to wash my hands, and it has been the best by far for getting brake block dust off.

Hemlock

I work for a small engineering firm. I just put my back in the back room/workshop area. No carpet there, anything that falls off get cleaned with the typical workshop stuff when it goes. I also don't have to deal with snow and slush. It wasn't a problem when I started commuting with a mountain bike. Maybe you have a place like that you can leave your ride? Not sure how big a company you work for, and if you can trust everyone there with your pride and joy. At least it sounds like the people there are reasonable.

Guest

If you want to get really creative you can do a few things:

1) Fully wipe the bike down before you bring the bike in so that there's not a trail of snow and mud

2) Get those hooks from performance and install it on the wall or get a big bike hook from Lowes or Home Depot that you can install in the ceiling and hang your bike from. Do it in a corner of your office that gets no use or traffic.

3) Get one of those curtain rods and extend it from the wall out to about 3- 4 feet. Then go to Sears and get some curtains and use it to cover the bike when it's hanging.

You're an engineer. You can build it. If you build it, they will come (or not come for the bike and conficate it to the outdoors).

Koffee