Where do you park your bike at work?
 

I've been wanting to start commuting by bike again. It's been a long time since I've done it, and I'm only about six miles away, over mostly flat ground. There are a few hills to climb, but they aren't bad at all, and I know the back streets fairly well. And it's even more compelling in that while it might only take 15 minutes to drive home, more than 5 of them are spent idling in traffic ( on an average good day ), mostly to cross a bridge.

I don't think they'll let me bring my bike inside the building. I used to leave it outdoors when I biked to work in SF, and stopped commuting when my (not quick-adjust) seat was stolen. Plus, I live in Seattle now, where it's rainy. I keep my bike indoors in my shoebox apartment, so I'm not very keen on leaving it outdoors for eight hours while I'm working. And yes, I ride in the rain.

So I'm curious how many people get to store their bike indoors, even nearby their desks, and how many have to keep the bike out in the open?

Here's the thing about academia: the money's fairly lousy (though, unless you're among the growing class of adjuncts, the benefits can be pretty good). But there are other compensations. One is that I have an office to myself in which I can store my bike. I feel a little guilty about that, since so many others (like you) aren't so lucky.

I just started parking in a new location: at the top of some flights of stairs that lead from a tunnel underneath some railroad tracks to the locker rooms. There is a small area that basically serves no purpose - I park the bike there, on the handrail. The especially nice thing about it is that there are 7 points of entry all right there - which I imagine will help deter theft. The bad thing is that other cyclists were using the space before, so I plan to get some kind of mounting bases for locking to installed in the walls (and if someone can chime in with a suggestion I'd be appreciative) so all three of us can park there.

Why not look into some kind of locking mechanism for your seat? Maybe there's something that'll work even if you don't have QR. At the very least installing a bolt that requires a rarer driver (like security torx) might help.

I park mine in the stairwell leading up to my office, right next to the recycling bins.

I work in a generator shop, so there is room to park indoors. Every body digs my Dummy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ima...sporting-goods

In the lab and storage area of our offices, that has a direct access door to the parking garage.

spare cubicle

Server room.

Bike rack with a security camera on it.

Lunch room.

I have a designated space in my office with a floor rack that I park in. My bike sits in the office like any other piece of furniture.

Stairwell. If work gave me a hard time about bringing the bike in, I'd probably buy a folder and stash it under my desk. REI has some for a good price these days, made by Dahon.

When I was using my old Trek 820 I locked up outside but the New Allez goes in the training room..

Same here.

It's not so much a policy but a long-standing custom that library staff get indoor bike parking--at every city branch and the Central library downtown. Where one gets to park varies--janitor's closets, workrooms, lunch rooms, off the loading dock downtown--but it's never a question if. Only a matter of where.

I have a sales position at a glass factory. So I'm lucky... I get to park my bike in our warehouse while I work.

I'm allowed to park my bike right outside my cubicle on the production floor. :)

http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/s...arkingSpot.jpg

I also recently told a co-worker who just started bike commuting that he could keep his bike in the changing area connected to the rest room since there is plenty of space available and few use it. (a couple of my guys sometimes sleep in there on lunch)

Look around for a good spot and ask for permission.

Bike rack in the parking garage underneath my gym (across the street from my office).

I park outdoors in a bicycle rack next to the gym (showers!) and day-care center.

In winter, they put the rack away because no one bikes in winter (arrgh!), so I move my bike closer to the exit and freelock it under an awning.

Theft doesn't appear to be an issue. Many summer commuters don't even both to lock up. One guy used to leave his newish Colnago in the rack w/o a lock.

same here

I park mine in a bike rack outside the door to my office. If its raining or snowing I use the indoor bike rack in our building that is across the street.

FYI, for all you stairwell parkers: In most places putting anything under or on a stairwell is a violation of the fire code.

Paul

In my closet, or should I say office. :D

I have an office, but it used to be an oversized closet or work area before my company had the building. I'm thinking dental. There is even a drain under the carpet in the middle of the office. No door.

After nearly eight years of parking in my cubicle, someone complained it "cluttered up the work area". One of my co-workers started commuting with me, and now we park in a large forgotten storage closet. I will not park outside, and I'm lucky to have a supportive employer.

I am lucky. As I work in facilities, my office is 200 SF so there is plenty of room for me and my ride.

+1 I'm doing IT work at an HBU and I keep my bike in my office. I do so to avoid having to pull my lights and panniers off. The one downside is when the only elevator in the building goes down. Three flights of stairs carring down a 50lbs Bike can be a PITA.

In Seattle downtown there is Bikestation to safely leave your bicycle. I park on the UW campus under a covered ourdoor lockup area, which is not secure. I leave my helmet on the handlbars and my lights attached. I don't worry too much since I like a vintage ride, it doesn't seem to be a crime magnet. I tend to take more stuff off my bike (like lights and whatnot) if I lock up on University Way or other really urban situations. But in any case, I think it is usually pretty safe to lock up to public seattle street rack so long as you are using a quality U lock and don't have a lot of components that are desirable. Covered is ideal. But there is always a bag over the seat-- which I do for my Brooks when I park elsewhere.