Skip to main content

Stop carrying around your bike lock — just use Bikeep stations in San Fran instead

As much as we’d like to trust our fellow humans, we need only to be a cyclist in a busy city to have a slightly more cynical view of our compatriots. Between angry drivers, distracted pedestrians, and the worst of all, bike thieves, it’s hard out there for a bike rider. But San Francisco wants to make things a bit easier for their cyclists — at least when it comes to that last problem. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) has kicked off a pilot program featuring “zero theft bike racks” from Bikeep.

Promising that bike riders will no longer need to lug around personal locks anymore (only to have them cut off), Bikeep wants to help these commuters park their bikes safely and securely with naught more than a swipe of their Clipper card (the pass that Bay Area residents use to ride public transportation). Best of all? Bikeep is free.

Recommended Videos

Last week, the company announced its first pilot station installation for BART with hopes of reducing bike theft in their stations. In order to use the Bikeep stations, cyclists will need to register online on the BART website. But other than that, the new setup should be relatively straightforward to use.

“U-locks are not impregnable; you can get through them, and unfortunately, people have learned how to do that,” says Steve Beroldo, Manager Access Programs at BART. But Bikeep’s solution promises to be far more secure.

“Our smart racks have industrial grade steel bars, loudspeaker alarm, distress signal forwarding to local security and surveillance camera — so far out of 1 million parking sessions we haven’t had a single bike theft incident,” said Kristjan Lind, Chief Executive Officer, Bikeep.

To ensure that people aren’t just leaving their bikes around San Francisco willy nilly, Lind noted that BART would be liable to “get in touch with the owner before removing the bike from the station.” However, he continued, “Bike parking will be free for all users and continuous parking is limited for 24 hours.”

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Be ready for storm season: Dual fuel portable generator is $150 off today
Pulsar dual fuel portable generator with gas can in background

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that a ton of early Black Friday deals have dropped. There are the usual suspects like laptops, electronics, gaming gear, and beyond. But me, I prefer to pick up unusual items during the huge holiday sales. You know exactly what I mean, the kind of stuff that doesn't usually go on sale any other time. One of those items is a portable generator. Where I live it seems like they rarely go on sale, and when you need them most they're never in stock. People flock to the stores to buy them just before a big storm. Well, right now, Pulsar and Walmart have an incredible deal on a 12,000-watt dual-fuel generator. Normally $900 it's down to $749 which saves you $151. It can run for up to 12 hours on an 8-gallon fuel tank.

 
Why shop the Pulsar 12,000-watt dual-fuel portable generator for Black Friday?

Read more
The BLUETTI Handsfree 2 is a solar backpack and power station — It’s $200 off
BLUETTI Handsfree 2 solar backpack and power station -- black friday deal

While you're busy shopping through all of the Best Cyber Monday deals, here's a little something that might pique your interest. You'll be even more excited if you spend a lot of time outdoors or off-grid. You might want to wait on grabbing that Cyber Monday portable power station deal. Allow me to explain. The BLUETTI Handsfree 2 is a backpack, like any other outdoor pack you might encounter, except for one thing. It's also a power station and solar generator. Believe me when I say this thing is insane and super useful. But for Cyber Monday, there's a deal that includes the BLUETTI Handsfree 2 and a 100-watt solar panel to charge it on the go. Normally $799, it's yours for just $599, saving you $200. Wow. You have to read what it can all do, so don't leave just yet.

 
Why buy the BLUETTI Handsfree 2 solar backpack and power station?

Read more
Cyber Monday is here: Shop these snow blower deals while you can!
The Ego 24-inch Self-Propelled 2-Stage XP Snow Blower on a white background.

When you think of Cyber Monday, you might think of Cyber Monday TV deals, but now is also the time for more practical items like snow blowers. We’ve picked out all the best Cyber Monday snow blower deals with big savings on popular brands, and we’ve also taken the time to provide you with some buying advice so you know what to look for when buying one.

With so many different snow blowers out there, we’ve considered everything you need to know about and included different budgets in our decision-making process, too. Read on, and we’ll take you through all these great Cyber Monday deals. If you’re looking for something a little more fun (but still practical), we’ve picked out all the best Cyber Monday Apple Watch deals, too. Let’s take a look together.
Our top pick: Greenworks 40V 20-inch Brushless Cordless Snow Blower -- $247 $420 41% off

Read more