Meet the new hangar on the block

20 Bike hangars

Residents and councils are discovering the benefits of FalcoPod - a spacious, family-friendly cycle hangar, reports Falco’s Jeremy Green

The FalcoPod bike hangar can accommodate a wide variety of cycles

Bike hangars have been around for many years, with the original Dutch ‘Fietshangar’ first appearing more than 30 years ago. More recently, demand for onstreet hangars has been growing across the UK, and last year a new hangar called the FalcoPod was unveiled.

Falco has become known for large-scale cycle hubs such as Cambridge Cyclepoint or the hubs near tube and rail stations in the London borough of Waltham Forest, says the firm’s managing director Jeremy Green. “But, actually, we’ve always had bike hangars such as the ‘midi-bike box,’” he points out. “Everyone makes Sheffield stands but there hasn’t been any choice in the UK for bike hangars, and we were being badgered by the market to come up with an alternative. So when our design team developed the FalcoPod, initially for the European market, we decided the time was right to offer it as a more flexible alternative in the UK as well.”

Encouraging family inclusivity

Bike hangars in the UK were designed to accommodate only standard bikes, Green says. “For us, family inclusivity was a key issue, so we needed a solution where child seats (front or back) as well as baskets could be accommodated without having to be removed/re-fitted for each journey (whilst holding a baby!). As a result, the FalcoPod has 55% more space while still fitting in the standard bike hangar footprint, and this additional room is predominantly where child seats and baskets are fitted.”

FalcoSmart App-based locking

As well as having a robust structure, the FalcoPod using the latest high security swing arm lock – which has been awarded Sold Secure Gold certification, says Green. “Taking this a step further, we have developed ‘FalcoSmart’ – an ‘app-based’ locking mechanism, which removes the need for residents to carry keys and delivers a further level of security.

For the local authority, they are able to monitor bike hangar use to support transport planning. The benefit of the FalcoSmart App is that we can overlay a booking system so that for cargo bike hire, for example, the booking system controls the locking system.” Additionally it means we only charge residents £40 per user instead of £72.

Non-standard bikes

Falco has taken steps to reflect the rising popularity in the UK of ‘non-standard’ cycles. “Coupled with disabled cyclists, there’s a significant community of cyclists who are currently marginalised in terms of public storage opportunities,” says Green.

“Adaptive, cargo, recumbent, tandem, tricycle, oversized, upright… all these have one thing in common - none of them follow any standard bicycle silhouette.

“The design focus here was twofold; again, the additional space not only aims for a ‘one size fits all’ capacity that accommodates many non-standard

The FalcoPod is now available with the high security FalcoSmart app-based locking system

bike profiles, for example, with a high upright seating position or wide tricycle axles. Also, the addition of flexible locking bars on the hangar frame or ground-based ‘bull anchors’ makes the FalcoPod much more flexible in terms of accommodating the diverse locking requirements of the adaptive family of bikes. Again, we were delighted to achieve Sold Secure Gold certification for the FalcoPod-Cargo.”

E-bike charging points

Green has also been watching with interest the rise and rise of electric bikes, which he sees as “another way of getting a group of non-cyclists onto two wheels”.

To support e-bike users, the FalcoPod can house either e-bike charging points and/or a secure battery charging locker, where the potentially unstable Lithium batteries can be deposited in a secure fireproof charging cabinet.

Solar PV LED lighting

“A further barrier to cycling is the anxiety caused by either early starts or returning late during the hours of darkness particularly in poorly lit areas,” notes Green. “To address this in locations where there isn’t a mains power feed we have an LED lighting solution, which uses a Solar PV panel located on the roof.

“When linked to a PIR sensor the FalcoPod is well lit for when the resident is locking or unlocking their bike.”

Branding and graphics

FalcoPods are fitted with smooth cladding, which is better than corrugated cladding for the application of graphics and vinyls, says Green. “Whether you’re adding logos, graphics, maps, advertising or a fullblown ‘wrap’ it’s a truism that better looking street-furniture gains more respect and is less likely to be vandalised.”

Local authorities can enhance bike hangars with any design they wish such as cycling campaign information, advertising or typical views of the city. “Plus, as an actual manufacturer, Falco has its own in-house powder-coating plant, which means we can deliver a bike hangar within a couple of weeks in any of the 192 RAL colours.

As a final touch, the FalcoPod end frames are fitted with the world’s most reflective marine grade ‘Solas’ tape. This provides maximum visibility at night, so whether you’re on your bike or in a car, you’ll be able to see your bike hangar!” n Jeremy Green is a managing director at Falco

The FalcoPod has 55% more space while still fitting in the bike hangar footprint, and this additional room is where child seats and baskets are fitted