Trek Stop Bike Station
Surly attendants not included
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If there was ever a sign that bikes are the new cars, the Trek Stop bicycle station is it. Lucky cyclists in Madison, Wisconsin can try out Trek’s experimental gas station-style bike store, which allows riders to fill ‘er up with air for tires or buy tubes, patch kits, water bottles, energy bars, chain lube, or other necessary items from an automated vending machine.
Best of all, the air is free, and the bike station provides an all-purpose bike stand for customers to work on repairs and adjustments. That’s a far better deal than most gas stations provide — gas is way more expensive than a Power Bar, the air costs 75 cents, and they won’t let me use their car lifts to work on my camshaft (not that I know what a camshaft is).
While Madison’s Trek Stop is the only one in existence, if the test period goes well, Trek could open up more bike stations in cycle-friendly towns across the nation. No word yet on if they have plans to open full-service stations, but you can imagine what that’d be like: “Just fill up the back a bit, Nathan. No, I won’t be needing you to clean my sunglasses today. Here’s a dollar.”
— Ted Alvarez
Via The Goat