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.
(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.
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.
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.

