Cyclehoop were recently selected as one of four teams to address the joint Design Council and Home Office ‘Residential Bicycle Theft Challenge’. The teams were given just four weeks to generate innovative solutions and produce working prototypes to tackle residential bike theft opportunities.
Estimates from the British Crime Survey demonstrate that the majority of bicycle thefts occur in the immediate vicinity of the victim’s home- a figure believed to be near two thirds of all bike theft.
The research inspired us to focus on two areas, our aim being to develop a solution that worked in both communal areas inside the home and areas immediately outside the home environment. Our expertise in public bicycle parking and street furniture assisted us in developing a robust solution which is easy to install. We produced four models in total. Each model varied slightly in design, in order to broaden the products ability to suit a wide range of home environments.
Our proposal, the Home Bikestand, is a flat pack product that can be easily assembled and left in a hallway or in the garden. The design can either be free-standing or screwed into the skirting board when indoors. When used outdoors, the unit can be bolted to the floor or wall, or left free standing if in a relatively secure neighbourhood as it stops the bicycle being easily carried. It is designed to be part of the hallway furniture, like a coat or umbrella stand.
The Home Bikestand is designed to be a relatively unobtrusive organisational piece of furniture. Home owners and tenants alike are provided with practical and aesthetic solutions which require either minimal impact on the walls or none at all.
Watch this space for further developments! Comments and critiques very welcome…
The Residential Bicycle Theft Challenge is part of the Design out Crime initiative from the Home Office’s Design & Technology Alliance Against Crime and the Design Council.