Bike Storage 3.0

In Japan, where more than 18 million bicycles are sold per year to people who use them for daily transportation, even to and from work. Consequently, people-powered transport is one of the biggest growing sectors in the Japanese economy.

Having millions of bicycles on the streets daily means those bikes have to be parked somewhere. Traditional bike racks are an eyesore, not to mention the fact they leave bikes exposed to elements, and who wants to commute with a wet seat?


One town in Japan has come up with an innovative way to store bikes that’s both convenient and dry. The “bike tree” is a fully-automated storage system that can store up to 6,000 bikes in one location for a small monthly fee. The bikes are fitted with an electronic tag that transmits data to the tree. Once the bike is inserted into the retrieval slot, the tree recognizes the size and weight of the bike and then grabs it and places it in the rack system. When the owner wants to retrieve their bike, they simply swipe their mag stripe card through the reader and their bike is delivered to them in minutes. It’s interesting to watch the tree in action: