UK-based City Cycle Club, a premium secure bicycle parking and shower facility, is opening its doors this month in Covent Garden, London, as it starts converting central London real estate locations into full service bicycle parking locations.
The first location on Covent Garden’s Shelton Street sees a section of a current car park being converted into a 3,000 square foot facility with 101 bike racks, 30 electric bike charging stations, luxury showers with body dryers and 136 lockers. Also on tap is freshly ground coffee as well as qualified mechanics on site.
Each location is manned 24/7 by security staff, completing what is positioned as… ‘a choice subscription service tailored for cyclist’s needs all under one roof.’
The City Cycle Club concept was founded by entrepreneurs George Hammer and Adel Martelli. Both want to drive a change in getting more people out of cars and public transport and onto bikes in the city. However, Hammer often saw the lack of bicycle parking and changing facilities available for those moving around London, causing barriers to getting people riding.
“Too often I’ve heard and seen first-hand a lack of secure bicycle parking locations paired with the inability to freshen up after riding, so we set about creating spaces that offer everything you’d need in one, all bases covered,” explained Adel Martelli.
“The bigger picture is a desire to help more people in London lead healthier and greener lives through cycling, and part of this is having somewhere secure to park your bike and shower when commuting into central London. So, we looked at what locations we could convert from our portfolio and set about creating the best bicycle parking and luxury changing facilities we could for commuters in the capital.”
The Covent Garden space paves the way for other locations to follow, with the refurbishment of a Farringdon location already well underway and set to open before the summer. Initially only available for the one location, memberships will soon be available for multiple locations allowing people to cycle around London and utilise a City Cycle Club bike parking facility.
Two membership options are currently available for Covent Garden: the Pro membership which provides 24hr secure bicycle parking and access to ebike charging points at £50 per month, or the Elite membership at £100 which also includes access to showers and associated amenities on-site.
Day passes are available at £8 per day and £25 per day respectively for the Pro and Elite options. Corporate memberships are also available for businesses looking to promote commuting by bike to their workforce whilst not having access to their own bicycle parking facilities.
Professional bicycle racking has been selected for its durability and space saving ability, with 76 gas-assisted two tier racks available and 25 solo vertical bike racks.
The Covent Garden location can be found at 42 Shelton Street, WC2H 9HJ, and will be open from May 15, 2024.
