The Chainlink

Fellow bike commuters, I have a question: Does your office building have a bike room? If so, is there a fee to park your bike and how much? My building is about to impose a fee and I'm curious how it compares. Thanks.

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Wow, I didn't realize how good I had it - free bike parking in a secure (federal) building in the basement garage, along with free access to the fitness center for showers.  You have to have a keycard to access the area and it's also guarded.
Yep another vote here for a workspace complete devoid of bike-rider consciousness. And it blows. I have a membership at LA Fitness on Randolph and park my bike wherever I can find a good place out in front of my building.
My office (HSBC) is way out in the 'burbs. We've got bike racks in the covered parking deck for at least 100 bikes. There are only 8 bikes ever using them at max. We get special privileges in the fitness center (assigned locker so I bring in/take home clothes for the week on Monday and ride the rest of the days). It is a really great set up, but I think many are deterred by the distances they would have to ride (my ride is 17.5 mi each way). I keep promoting it to everyone who will listen...one day maybe...
Yes there is free  bicycle parking in my building on michigan ave by randolph

550 W. Washington. Loading dock racks we lock to and get a tag from security.

$20 / month fitness center in building (for employees, but not consultants).

well worth every penny.

Serge,

 

Do they allow people from nearby buildings to park at the bike rack at your work? My company is moving offices to 300 S Wacker, and am looking for a place to park my bike. The rack in front of 300 S Wacker is not supervised at all.

Serge Lubomudrov said:

311 S Wacker, where I work, has bike racks installed next to the cargo elevator and the mail room (I've posted pictures before). The charge is $20 (one-time fee). There's also a fitness club in the building, which offers showers for $25 a month.

Layne,

 

The parking garage on Franklin and Adams has bike parking for $30/month (steep I know, but depending on what your bike's worth to you...)  I parked my old bike on Wacker and Adams all the time with no trouble but got paranoid when I bought my first expensive new one.  Though I did have that locked outside for a month til I got off the waitlist to park in the Sears Tower garage and I didn't have any trouble.  Don't lock your bike to the street sign directly in front of the Tower entrance on Wacker though.  They got mad after a few days and locked my bike to the sign post so they could talk to me when I went to get it.

 

If you need a place to shower, the World Gym on Wacker and Adams (lower level) is a good and cheap gym.  I think my membership came out to $30/month if I paid for a year upfront.  I don't think they have any shower only options.

My building has a tiny room for bikes in the underground car garage.  The bike room is a long, narrow space, probably an old closet.  There's a bike rack hanging about chest high, parallel to the floor, so the bikes hang vertically.  It's hard to get a bike in the room and over to the sides of the rack, especially when there are bikes already there, because the door is in the center and the room is so narrow.  Maybe there's room for 10 to 12 bikes.  Lately, there is 2-3 bikes.  Also, it's a maze to get there.  I enter the loading dock (not the garage door where cars can come and go), through a couple rooms and a hallway opening four doors, then back-tracking through the garage to the little bike room. I'm very happy to have to the option.  I don't have to pay.  It's warm down there, and it's secure. 

 

The City should offer incentives to building owners who provide free bike parking.  Bike parking facilities may be part of certifying how "green" a building is.

You must be the bike with the rack and lots of stickers. I'm the white/silver Trek hybrid with full fenders and my colleague is the motobecane fixed, we're usually the only 3 that make it in all year.

 

Layne, I'm fairly certain you need to be a tenant to park at 311. The $20 one-time fee is pretty much to get a little laminated sticker to put on your bike. They seem to be very quick to post a nastygram on your bike if they don't see it, I had one the very day I rode a new bike in.

Serge Lubomudrov said:

311 S Wacker, where I work, has bike racks installed next to the cargo elevator and the mail room (I've posted pictures before). The charge is $20 (one-time fee). There's also a fitness club in the building, which offers showers for $25 a month.

General questions for those with bike parking in their building.

 

How do you enter or exit the bike parking area?

 

the biggest barrier we are currently having with the building I work in is that they do not want any bikes goign through the lobby (access to freight elevator), but they also do not want us entering through the parking garage ("too dangerous" and "for our own good" excuses, not do they want us to enter through the delivery garage.  Which means that while there are areas that could be converted to bike parking, the building has shot down any of our entry to these areas. 

 

I'm curious how other building that have parking deal with the "letting bikes inside" issue.

That is a very nice solution you got in your building with the bike parking, gym and all.

Serge Lubomudrov said:

You're right, that Schwinn with fenders, rack and lots of stickers is mine :)



Kevin said:

You must be the bike with the rack and lots of stickers. I'm the white/silver Trek hybrid with full fenders and my colleague is the motobecane fixed, we're usually the only 3 that make it in all year.

 

Layne, I'm fairly certain you need to be a tenant to park at 311. The $20 one-time fee is pretty much to get a little laminated sticker to put on your bike. They seem to be very quick to post a nastygram on your bike if they don't see it, I had one the very day I rode a new bike in.

Serge Lubomudrov said:

311 S Wacker, where I work, has bike racks installed next to the cargo elevator and the mail room (I've posted pictures before). The charge is $20 (one-time fee). There's also a fitness club in the building, which offers showers for $25 a month.

Sears Tower has us enter through the messenger center which goes into the garage where the bike racks are.  The rules say we have to walk the bike in the garage to cover the safety excuses. 

 

 

For anybody who works in the Tower, I just dropped off my bike parking agreement and there are 7 spots left!  If you're planning to park in the building, signup this week or you'll be on the waitlist.

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