Bike Racks: YMCA

The downtown YMCA on North State Street has a very interesting set of bike racks. I couldn't find any manufacturer's info. on the racks so I don't know where they come from, but I don't think I've seen this design anywhere else.

There are two racks side-by-side, and each rack is a double-decker.

That adds up to 28 parking slots, plus room for one bike on each side to lock to an upright, for a total of 30 spots in a relatively small space.

You roll your front tire up onto one of the built-in ramps and roll it up and through the wheel-grabber posts at the back. It looks like folks lock in a variety of ways: around the wheel-grabber bars with a cable; around the horizontal cross-bar with a long cable; and possibly to the small metal loops at the sidewalk side of the racks. Looks like u-locks would be a problem if the two spots on either side are taken.

When I took the photos (two different days) there weren't any bikes parked on the 2nd level, but I know I've seen some up there before. If it were me, I probably couldn't lift my bike up that high.

The racks are located just off the main entrance on the ground floor, right on the sidewalk. Cyclists probably access the sidewalk from the corner of State and Holly, then it's about 1/4 of a block to the racks. They're covered, in an alcove of the building, and the sidewalk has an awning over it, so it's quite decently protected from weather.

It's great to see 30 covered bike parking spots so close to the main entrance of a business. I applaud their creativity for really packing them in there. Obviously some folks can utilize the upper deck even if not everyone can, so overall that's a good thing.