Search Box
Slide 1
Slide 2
Personal PlannerFunds FinderVideo Library

VARSITY BIKE DOCK WINS BIG IN UNIVERSITY BICYCLE RACK SURVEY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                    FOR MORE INFORMATION

JUNE 16TH 2011                                                                                                 Contact: Christopher Luyet

                                                                                                                           916-717-4775

 

 

VARSITY BIKE DOCK WINS BIG IN        

UNIVERSITY BICYCLE RACK SURVEY  

 Parkabikes-Varsity-Bike-Dock.jpg    


Chico, CA – The Varsity Bike Dock’s security, safety and stability won it big points in a recent survey conducted among users of bike racks on the California State University, Chico, campus, where the innovative bike rack outranked its nearest competition two to one.

Chico State’s efforts to improve aesthetics and create a more “bike friendly campus” prompted the university’s sustainability department to develop and conduct a survey of 250 frequent bike-using students. Four models of racks were the subject of the survey, which ultimately gave the highest marks to the Varsity Bike Dock, the premier “smart rack” solution of the Park-a-Bike business.


Most notable in the survey results was the overwhelming sense of security students felt when parking at a Varsity dock.  Because the Varsity dock’s advanced design offers three contact points enabling the locking of both wheels and bike frame, it is particularly secure.  The front wheel trough, which fits any size bike wheel, allows the bike to stand stably without threat of toppling onto the bike next to it.  The angled design also allows for the offsetting of handle bars, thus addressing space and density issues commonly faced on campus as the racks can be spaced to eliminate crowding.                 

“The racks on campus have been very unorganized,” said Halli Bovia, Chico State’s sustainability coordinator.  “We tested 25 Varsity units, which secures 50 bikes.  When we received them, I knew we had something special.”


Park-a-Bike has made a study for the past 20 years of creating the perfect bike rack in a society where the demand for alternative transportation solutions continues to grow.  The company’s solution-driven approach is informed by the challenges communities continually face.


On college campuses, for example, Park-a-Bike identified four major problems confronting the school environment today:  deteriorating bicycle parking infrastructure; lack of available funds to improve it; resources to properly manage it; and the lack of "value" to the students.


“Our solution has not been to create a new bio-fuel or design a new solar cell, but to create products that are built to do as they say and say what they do: Park-a-Bike,” said CEO and co-founder Greg Bauer.  “As a society we should do everything we can to promote great tools to address some of the issues we face.  The Varsity bike dock is our contribution, because if the user sees value in the product, they will use it.”


The Varsity Bike Dock’s core features include:




Park-a-Bike’s research and development involved working closely with other universities, including USC, Michigan State and UC Davis, as well as consulting with architects and municipalities.  Park-a-Bike has helped perfect, manufacture and distribute bike parking rack solutions across the country for two decades.  The Varsity Bike Dock is one of the fastest growing bikes racks in the country and is designed to create value to the end user.


Learn more about the innovative Varsity Bike Dock and Park-a-Bike, watch our dynamic video or to get more information on the survey, go to at www.parkabike.com. 


Documents:

PRESS-RELEASE-VARISTY-BIKE-DOCK-WINS-BIG-IN-UNIVERSITY-BICYCLE-RACK-SURVEY.pdf

Meets APBP Guidelines: Racks fully adhere to the guidelines for bike parking as written by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.

 

Bike Friendly Containment: The rack captures the bikes tires in a well or cradle in such a way so that there is no wheel bending, yet the bike is secured enough to not slide or slip from its upright position.

 

Simple & Intuitive: Simple and intuitive racks exhibit few options for a cyclist to lock their bike. They offer minimal parking methods (front and back only) and minimize the possibility of securing a bike in an incorrect way that will cause unorganized or non-secure bike parking.

 

Security: The rack should be equipped with a feature (such as an arm or wing) to allow the bicycle to be locked to the rack with an external lock and a closed part of the bicycle frame, as well as offer the ability to lock the wheel, frame, and rack in unison.

 

Density: How well the rack contains and organizes large numbers of bikes in different configurations and locations while still keeping parking organized to allow cyclists sufficient access to their bikes.

 

Cost Per Bike: The approximate dollar amount an individual rack will cost in respect to how many bikes it will hold.

 

Cost Per Bike+Shipping: The approximate dollar amount an individual rack will cost in respect to how many bikes it will hold plus the cost of freight. Because different racks weigh more or less, and ship to and from different locations, the cost of freight varies and therefore can make a total purchase price more or less expensive than just averaging the cost per bike.