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Antidote to bike-room waiting lists needs your help now

Teri Rogers Headshot - Floral
By Teri Karush Rogers  |
August 29, 2011 - 10:57AM
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Amidst the hurricane news frenzy this weekend, you may have missed a New York Times story suggesting that bike storage has surpassed the Fresh Direct refrigerator as the more desired amenity among NYC vertical dwellers. 

The Times reports that more and more buildings are carving out lobby-level and subterranean spaces for two-wheelers, charging anywhere from $10 a month to (gasp) $100 a month at some luxury rental buildings like The Beatrice and The Continental.

This being NYC, waiting lists are still common.  But we recently heard about a clever approach to overcrowding: The Flipphandle.

Once installed on a bike, the Flipphandle enables handlebars to be turned and locked at 90 degrees with the push of a button (see picture), vastly increasing the sardine-packing possibilities of your average bike room. 

"Suddenly, your bike takes up far less space in your hallway, on a bike rack, in your garage, on a train, or wherever you keep your bike when not in use," claims the explanation on Flipphandle's web page. "With its slimmer profile, Flipphandle works better in narrow spaces (like your hallway) and makes it easier for you to walk with your bike in crowded places like city streets and subway stations (plus escalators and elevators). Its simple, quick action makes Flipphandle convenient for bicycle commuters."

It looks and sounds pretty nifty, but there's a catch: You can't actually buy one. At least not yet, and maybe never.  

The Flipphandle's Argentinean inventor is using the popular fundraising site Kickstarter to raise enough money to produce the first batch of 1,000 Flipphandles.  It's looking to raise $75,000 by Sept. 13th.  So far, 118 backers have pledged a total of $9,279.  

You can support the Flipphandle with a pledge as low as $1, though $75 or more will score you the actual device once it's funded and manufactured. 

(NYTimes.com; http://kck.st/flipphandle)

 

 

Teri Rogers Headshot - Floral

Teri Karush Rogers

Founder & Publisher

Founder and publisher Teri Karush Rogers launched Brick Underground in 2009. As a freelance journalist, she had previously covered New York City real estate for The New York Times. Teri has been featured as an expert on New York City residential real estate by The New York Times, New York Daily News, amNew York, NBC Nightly News, The Real Deal, Business Insider, the Huffington Post, and NY1 News, among others. Teri earned a BA in journalism and a law degree from New York University.

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.

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