Bike Locks For Shared Use

FatLarry

My partner is going to open a coffee shop this year. We've been talking about how to attract cyclists to the cafe at the weekend. (Any suggestions welcome!)

One of our challenges is bike security. The shop we're leasing has no rear garden or internal storage but it does have space at the front - where you could see your bike through the window. It also has space for some kind of anchor points, to which you could secure your bike. If you have a lock with you.

However, for someone like me who doesn't like carrying a lock with them, I wondered whether it was possible to find a way of providing something for customers to use to secure their bikes. Something that I could fix to the wall / an anchor point that is easy for everyone to use but secure. And no hassle for staff when the coffee shop is busy. We talked about keeping half a dozen bike locks behind the counter, but keys / combinations would get lost and I suspect they'd "disappear" over time.

In my mind I'm thinking of the safes you get in a hotel - enter a personal security code, secure your valuables, remove your valuables, the code is reset for the next customer...

I've yet to find anything suitable though so thought I'd throw it out to see if anyone has any genius ideas?

Thanks

Monty Dog

Secure the lock keys to something pretty large and cumbersome and charge a deposit, say a fiver for the key?

FatLarry

Interesting point on liability! There are other coffee shops in the area and I guess we're looking for every opportunity to gain some competitive advantage by making it easy for customers.

As well as providing epic coffee, cyclist-friendly uber-snacks, some bicycle related reading materials, self-serve bidon refills, etc.

slowbike

Often the best security is to have ppl sat by the bikes - any option for tables out the front?

FatLarry

Unfortunately not - officially, any way. There is a church with some steps on the opposite side of the road, where people often sit in the summer. It's like a little amphitheater and in the summer months I anticipate people will grab a coffee and sit there & soak up some rays. It's certainly where I'd sit if I was stopping for a coffee.

But in the cooler months... it's a little less appealing.

slowbike

CCTV is another thought ... but that brings about it's own problems.

We tend to take our own locks and got a couple of cable suitcase locks specifically for the incidental stop. I wouldn't trust them for any prolonged period out of sight though.

Whilst providing locks for shared use sounds like a good idea - it's all good until it goes wrong.
When a bike gets stolen then someone is going to be upset and shouty - if it's your lock then you'll be the first target - right or wrong.
I think the furthest I'd go is secure fixing points for their own locks - it's most likely to be their own locks that are compromised so whilst they'll still be upset and shouty at least you can be nice and give them a coffee/cake and that's all it'll cost you!

Flâneur

Liability was mentioned so worth a check/ disclaimer.

Another option, space depending is to but a few hooks in the corner where people hang the bike by the front wheel. Takes up less space than both wheels on the ground and can be used in those 'dead' spaces? (Rapha London had some on the left as you came in, Don't know after they had a refurb now)

FatLarry

Hmmm. We may actually have a smal space where we could hang 4 or 5 bikes. That's a good idea. I think beyond that we'll stick with just thev anchor points and see how it goes.

Thanks.