Wave Hello to the Next Generation of Public Bike Storage

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You put a lot of time, energy and money into your bike, so it is understandable that you would want to protect it when parking in public. Designer Joe Mattley came up with a concept he calls WAVE: Secure Modular Bicycle Parking. It is kind of like fancy public lockers for bikes, and it is far superior to the bike parking methods most of us use today.

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(all images via: Joe Mattley)

The WAVE setup includes an L-shaped door that lifts up to access the inside. Once closed and locked, the individual chambers are nearly impossible to open without a suite of specialist tools. The super-sturdy material can withstand all of the physical abuse that rowdy villagers can throw at it.

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Because the entire bike fits inside a lockable chamber, thieves can’t take off with just a tire. Vandals can’t slash tires or cause any other harm to the rides. The bikes are safely kept locked away until their owners come back to retrieve them.

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According to Mattley, there are a number of locking options: the owner’s own combo lock, a key or even a coin-operated lock. The concept is such a great one that we would love to see them pop up in cities. It seems like it might be difficult to manage the stalls – users could simply park their bikes there and leave them for years – so there is definitely some more work to be done on the practical side of the idea. But as far as a rough concept, the WAVE bike locker is outstanding.