Japanese industrial designer Yuma Kano has created a steel bicycle stand that’s shaped like a bicycle. At 362mm wide and 219mm high (roughly 14 x 8.5 inches) the bicycle-shaped stand can be drilled into the ground creating an adorable, easy-to identify parking area.
Kano, whose previous work includes smiley-face screws and light bulb flower vases, excels at exploring unnoticed aspects of everyday life and breathing fun and whimsy into them. And his On Bicycle Stand project is no different. Kano’s inspiration for the project stems from the chaotic and often ugly way that bicycles get parked in Japan, which renders serene environments into heaps of spokes and metal. “It is designed to solve the problem of randomly parked and bunched up bicycles on streets, sidewalks, and parking lots,” said Kano, because “this bicycle-shaped bicycle stand also functions as a sign that anyone can read.”
For those in global cities other than Tokyo, where bicycle theft may be more of a rampant problem, the stand could be lacking of security features.
The bicycle stand, which was awarded Japan’s prestigious Good Design Award, is available on Kano’s website for 17,820 yen (about $160). It’s available in bolted style that can be secured to the ground or a plate style, which simply rests on the ground and can be moved around.
May 5, 2017 at 11:02 am
People who have Bianchi bicycle lock it by frame with U-lock,
which is impossible with this kind of stand..
May 5, 2017 at 11:50 am
Dan – this bike stand is geared (get it?) towards Japan where most bikes are secured with a simple ring lock like the one seen here: https://www.spoon-tamago.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/bicycle-ring-lock.jpg