CAMPANA BROTHERS: CONCEPTS
NY DESIGN WEEK 2013 - WANTED DESIGN
NY DESIGN WEEK 2013 - SATELLITE SHOWS
NY DESIGN WEEK 2013 - ICFF
While it's difficult to predict the location where your bike will crap out on you, I'm still digging the idea of Minneapolis-based Bike Fixtation's bicycle repair vending machines. In addition to selling refrigerated drinks and snacks, the machines are stocked with commonly-needed parts; next to it is a free air compressor, and several feet away, a work stand is mounted to the ground, with eight tools permanently attached to it via aircraft cable.
Started by two guys known only as Chad and Alex, Bike Fixtation's gig is to sell the vending machines to entrepreneurs in bike-friendly cities. So far there's just one installed, at a train station in their home city of Minneapolis, but we'd like to see the trend catch on and expand to other cities. At the very least these ought to do well in cities that still have a bike messenger presence.
Comments
I believe this is an awesome idea! I was riding a bike trail over here in Fresno, CA, and was talking to a riding buddy about the same concept along the trail. I hope to see more of these installed soon!
But wait, there's more: http://www.core77.com/blog/transportation/bicycle_vending_machine_part_2_video_documentation_20179.asp
This is a great concept and I wish we lived in a society that would allow these sorts of things to proliferate. One of my first thoughts, sadly, was of legal considerations. I worked in a shop for many years, many years ago, and it was always verboten to allow customers to use shop tools to perform even minor repairs. Of course we did loan out tools on occasion but we always checked the work before letting anybody ride out.