iceratt

Are there places where you shop, eat, or get nonbike related services, that make you feel especially welcomed, as a cyclist? What is it that they do, that you appreciate? What else would you like to see?

Here in Minneapolis, Peace Coffee delivers free-trade coffee by bike, year round, which is no small feat. Spokes Pizza also delivers by bike. Kowalski's lets me wheel my bike into their grocery, while I shop, after midnight. I'd like to be able to go to a coffee house or sandwich shop where I can wheel my steed in with me, and there is a bike rack next to each table. I also wish that businesses that make a big deal out of their environmentalism, would give customers a token discount or chits to promote this Earth and community friendly form of transportation.

noisebeam

Many Tempe (city) public works department pickup trucks I've seen often have a bike (mtb style I think) mounted on a front rack. I'm not sure why, but need to inquire to find out what its used for (to get around a work site??)

Al

The Seldom Kill

The notion of a cafe, or restaurant where you can wheel your bike right up to the table is one that has been mulled over by many but attempted by few. There are a couple of good reasons for this.

One is the issue of internal real estate. Of course it would be lovely to have your bike parked up right next to you as you sup on your preferred form of java or tuck into a nice hearty plate of biryani. But, this is space that could be allocated to tables. The food services industry is one that isn't that good at making high profits and this is most true of the coffee shop/sandwich shop end of the spectrum. As a personal preference I would prefer that businesses that I like practice good business acumen and be as successful as possible. Also, one bicycle on the end of a table may be OK but what happens when a a group of four or five rock up? Not going to work so well.

Secondly is the liability matter. Accident litigation aside, people in a coffee shop or restaurant aren't likely to demonstrate the spatial awareness around bicycles at tables that they might demonstrate around those in a parking area. Accidents and incidental damage to bikes are therefore likely to happen. This is before bikes wheeled in on a rainy day causing slippery floors.

On the otherhand there have been a few coffee shops/restaurants that have built indoor bike parking into their design. The two that I have seen were in Holland.

Back to the original question.

The Dog & Bell pub in Deptford encourages cyclists to bring their bikes through the bar to the courtyard out back. If you have too much to drink they'll happily let you leave the bike locked out the back until you can come back in a more sober state.

Almost all new built supermarkets have cycle parking allocation in their parking lots although this is more to do with building code than a moral compulsion.

DieselDan

The Piggly Wiggly (yes, it is a real grocery store chain) at the corner of Boundry St. and Ribault Rd. in Beaufort allows patrons to lock a bicycle inside the store to the shopping cart barrier. This came about after I asked the manager to put a bike rack in front of the store, but he couldn't because of cost concerns, so he comprimised and allowed bike riding patrons to lock to the cart corral inside the store.

oboeguy

Metro Market on E45th St would let me roll my bike inside to get breakfast to go. They were totally cool with it. Also, the bagel shop on W44th was the same, though I'd fold the bike and carry it in when more than 3-4 customers were inside (narrow in there). I've also rolled my bike into the Subway shop on Broadway by the GWB.

iceratt

I like the points that you brought up. We'll never live in a bike utopia, but I wanted to get people thinking about how we could get closer to that ideal. Without asking them, I wondered why One on One Bikes( coffee, art, and bike can be purchased in one visit) wouldn't let their hard core comrades wheel in one end, and out the other. They have a certain noteriety, which wouldn't be increased enough, by totally going over to the wild side.

The Seldom Kill

I guess it depends on your idea of a bike utopia. I think that it's attainable without having the provision to take your bike into every single shop on the street. Personally I'm not looking for that kind of provision and think that we would be better served with a whole different set of measures.

sbhikes

Out in Santa Barbara we have lots of coffeehouse/bagelry/bakery -type places where you can eat outside. Maybe you can't park your bike at your table, but you can see your bike from your table, maybe lean it up against the fence next to your table. I don't even lock my bike when I go to my favorite coffee place. I just throw it in the pile with the rest of the bkes.

DieselDan

In a bike utopia, you wouldn't worry about taking a bike into a store, shop, cafe, restraunt, etc. You could just leave it outside and unlocked, as you live in a utpoia.

noisebeam

If there was bike utopia everyone would be cycling and I sure would not want anyone=everyone bringing their bikes into stores and shops. That would be a nightmare.

Al

EricDJ

Around where I live in LA, we also have outdoor tables and I can park the bike at the table.

There is a pizza place on Wilshire Blvd here that uses tricycle bikes to deliver their stuff to the offices and residential areas. Another favorite of mine by here is riding over to Wahoo's tacos. Get to watch some sort of surf, skate, ski, motorbike, bmx type videos while there with the bike. And they are large recyclers of all their bottles. Coolness.

vegcrow

Nothing in Sacramento that I know of.

eofelis 

Pancheros, a Mexican type fast food place here, has let us bring our bikes in and stash them behind the table we ate at. The manager said that us and our bikes was welcome there anytime. How cool is that?

I regularly bring my bikes into Bank of Colorado and US Bank, right up to the teller window with me. I have also taken a bike into the PO, in the teller line. Only got a few jokes from the clerks about mailing the bike.

I once took my bike into Safeway. I had my bike in one hand and a small basket in the other as I dashed around to pick up a few things. People and clerks just smiled at me.

iceratt

What a shame. I really like Sacramento. I wanted to move there, but my wife said that it's too hot in the summer. At least you have easy riding in the flatlands.

NextLevelMentor

My Bike Friendly Business is my own Business and now the Business of many other Cyclist!

www.ItsNotAboutTheTrike.com

You can do business with us without even dismounting if you have have wireless network and a tablet PC! We even offer Cyclist careers opportunities that can allow them to ride full time and afford nicer bikes )

Only in America

SamHouston

You should really register your domain name, though I couldn't see how that was a cycling related business. You sell trikes? I've been looking at trikes and cargo bikes awhile.

SamHouston

nevermind, I see now "Bike friendly" not "bike related". I get trikes and cargo bikes in my eyes when I think I'll be reading about them.