We get inundated with Kickstarter stories on an almost daily basis, but here’s one we missed: the Parkis bicycle parking solution. It’s a space-saving mechanical bicycle lift and it looks just the ticket for storing bicycles in confined spaces, whether at home or in the office.
Oddly, the Parkis failed to achieve its first Kickstarter funding goal of €50,000 in November 2016, but undeterred, it launched another, much more successful campaign a few weeks later. And this time it achieved €69,337 with a modest funding target of €12,000.
We’re not surprised it finally achieved its funding target really. Bicycle racks have commonly been popular on Kickstarter and with road.cc readers. There was the Zero Gravity Rack, which elevated the bike high above the floor to free up space below it, which successfully hit its Kickstarter goal. And a little simpler in design but achieve a similar goal to the Zero Gravity Rack was the Airlok from established bicycle lock specialists Hiplok.
Even though the company has hit its funding goal, there are still four days to go so if you like the look of it, you can get your hands on one. A Parkis rack will cost from €239, compared to €359 for the eventual retail price, with delivery slated for March 2017 and shipping anywhere in the world. Check it out here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/277601164/parkis-space-saving-bicycle-lift
– Buyer’s guide to bike storage: racks and hooks for indoor bikes
13 thoughts on “Have you seen this cool space-saving vertical bike lift?”
It’s a pity it didn’t reach
It’s a pity it didn’t reach it’s target as I actually like this design.
I’d buy one or two when I move house.
Right now on Kickstarter it’s
Right now on Kickstarter it’s saying it has €69,337 funded of a €12k goal, with 4 days to go.
So it appears to be funded.
Which is a shame – BECAUSE THIS IS THE WORST CYCLING KICKSTARTER EVER.
The space it is saving is negligible. You have only reducred the footprint of the bike by a fraction – maybe 1/3. And you’ve introduced the hazard of a handlebar at eye-eight.
I have a bike storage room where I can hang up to 10 bikes vertically, on a combination of wall and ceiling hooks. Even full-sus MTB’s are no problem to hang off the floor, let alone support on the rear wheel. If you can ride a bike, you can pop it onto its back wheel and hang from a wall hook.
The burn is strong with this Kickstarter.
KiwiMike wrote:
How odd, I only found their unsuccessful KS project from last month when researching this article. Good to see they bounced back with a more successful project, wonder why the second was more successful than the first? Anyway have updated the article, thanks Mike
what benefits would this have
what benefits would this have over using a clug?, which is both cheaper and easier to install.
ashliejay wrote:
Some people can find lifting a bicycle up to a wall mounted rack tricky, and that’s the idea behind this development, it removes the effort required to lift the bike up in the first place. But yes like you say it’s more expensive than the Clug
It appears to need power
It appears to need power which would be a blocker from my point of view. Also appears to have ample opportunity to trap small fingers in the track and awkward angle to bend down if you have any back issues.
For many, this product looks
For many, this product looks to be a pointlessly expensive wall hook.
But, I’m willing to accept that there are some for whom it could be very useful. My concern is that if you lack the ability to pop your front wheel up to a hook then you may stuggle to generate the required force to get a bike off the Parkis. From the video alone, it looks as though you have to pull the saddle fairly hard to generate the velocity to latch the system in the down position. That would fit with a spring force designed to push the bike up.
I can’t help but note that their other videos focus on the bike going up but less so on it coming down.
Not to mention the problem
Not to mention the problem that a bike fitted with mudguards would have with that solution. I have both SKS raceblade long and SKS Crudracer Mk3’s on my bikes and both would prevent use of such a wall mounted rack. The floor space saving is not that great either, and the added hazard of handlebars at head height.
It only appears to offer the possibility of locking the bike by the front wheel … so from a home security point of view it provides no appreciable benefit as I’m sure most insurance companies require locking through the frame … and I’m not sure you’re get a Sold Secure Silver/Gold lock/chain long enough to reach the frame from that position.
I’m going to kickstart a
I’m going to kickstart a metal threaded hook
Freddy56 wrote:
Genius. Why hasn’t anyone thought of that before. Where can I sign up to part with my hard earned cash for the promiseof something in 6 months time?
Freddy56 wrote:
Or get one of these?
Yeah, I saw it on the forum
Yeah, I saw it on the forum where some posted the link a few days ago.
A simple front wheel hook is
A simple front wheel hook is neater, almost invisible when not in use and costs pennies.
The only purpose of this, as far as I can see, is that it removes the effort needed to pop the bike up vertically on its back wheel. Fair enough if that’s a genuine problem for you, but as it’s spring loaded you have to drag the bike down while compressing the heavy spring to remove the bike, which seems to negate the benefit.
When removing a bike from a hook, gravity effortlessly does that for you.