The pandemic has pushed many people away from buses and subways onto bikes, and retailers report record sales. That bodes well for a new business in Charlottesville – a company that designed weatherproof and secure pods for bicycles.
Eric Pearson was working in commercial real estate in San Francisco, biking across the Golden Gate Bridge each day, when -- for the sixth time in his life -- his bicycle was stolen.
“The first one was stolen when I was twelve years old. It was my 12th birthday present, and it was stolen before my 13th birthday," he recalls. "In San Francisco I had two bikes stolen out of my townhouse.”
He decided to buy a secure container for his next bike, but an online search proved disappointing.
“The only offerings out there were very industrial looking steel or plastic boxes, which were expensive, unattractive and really impractical for home use.”
So Pearson sat down and started drawing.
“I’ve always been a tinkerer and sort of a designer in my spare time. I’ve probably sketched out 200 of the worst ideas you’ve ever heard of," he jokes.
This time, however, he was inspired by Apple.
“You know they didn’t invent the laptop computer. They didn’t invent the mobile phone. They just sort of made them a little bit more interesting than competitors,” he explains.
The finished product stands 4 and a half feet tall and six and half feet long – looking something like a giant silver helmet. The front half lifts up, and you can slide a bike inside.
“You put the key in, quarter turn to the right, and it rotates open, and inside the unit there are peg boards and bins, so you can organize all your cycling gear.”
The Alpen Bike Capsule weighs 190 pounds and can be bolted to the ground. At $1,799, it’s not for everyone.
“You know if you have a $100 Huffy, you’re probably not gong buy an expensive container to keep it in. If it gets stolen or it rusts, you’ll buy a new one.”
But for owners of high-end bikes or e-bikes, it’s like an insurance policy that could last a lifetime and save valuable living space in small apartments and townhomes.
“Your bike shouldn’t live in your kitchen, leaning against the kitchen sink or in your guest bathroom or hanging on the wall above your sofa.”
So far, the company has made just a thousand capsules, but Pearson has big plans – targeting owners of large, commercial properties.
“These apartment owners might own 200,000-300,000 apartment units.”
These landlords have just one question for Alpen. How many can we fit in a parking space?
“Usually five, sometimes six, but that’s the wrong question to ask, because we don’t want a parking space.
We want the dead spot that’s behind the pillar or the ramp – sort of the dark dusty corner that isn’t being used for anything. It’s valuable square footage that you paid to build, but it’s not producing any income for you.”
Pearson says units can easily rent for $50 a month, and longer term they could be like parking meters in cities nationwide.
“You create an account one time, enter your credit card information, and then pull up the geolocation on the app and see where every available unit is, so before you leave for your ride you can reserve that unit, so you know it’s there when you get to your destination. Once you get there you hit the unlock button, the unit pops open. That’s your dedicated unit. You’re being charged rent by the hour, by the minute, until you take your bike out and close the transaction.”
Alpen Bike Capsules are available through AlpenStorage.com, and Pearson plans to install the first of them in Virginia at the new CODE Building on Charlottesville’s downtown mall – an incubator for entrepreneurs like him.
