Bike Fixtation: The Bike Repair Vending Machine That Sells Parts, Tools, And Snacks

BY MORGAN CLENDANIEL Fri Jul 22, 2011

Say goodbye to bike shops. Minneapolis's Bike Fixtation will sell you the parts you need to get your bike back on the road, and give you the tools to make your repairs right there.



It's happened to every biker. A flat tire in an inconvenient place on your commute, and the nearest bike shop is a long walk away. Most casual bikers don't carry extra tubes or tools with them; and so any repair work on the road can mean an end to a bike ride, and potentially leaving your bike locked up somewhere slowly rusting as you forget about it in your frustration. That's why the idea of the Bike Fixtation is so brilliant: a place for you to buy new parts and then install them yourself.



The Fixtation is really just a vending machine, but with bike parts instead of snacks (though there are some snacks in case you're getting hungry on your ride). What makes it most convenient is the bike mount and tools--attached with aircraft cables to prevent theft--alongside the vending machine. You can replace that flat or adjust your brakes yourself without dealing with the characters who usually are employed at bike shops. Of course, you may not know how to replace a popped tube yourself; now is certainly the time to learn, so you can take full advantage of the Fixtation when it moves into your city.



Sadly, right now, only one Fixtation exists in the world, and it's in the bike-friendly Minneapolis (though a second one is also in the works in the city, and Times Up! operates one in--where else--Brooklyn). You can contact Fixtation to buy a unit, but until the company expands more broadly, bikers everywhere else will have to wait jealously for the company to take off enough to expand and give them their own Fixtations.

[Original Article at Fastcompany.com]

Comments

  1. Why would we want to say goodbye to bike shops? The Fixtation is a nice idea for people who have the know-how to repair their own bicycles, but bike shops are still necessary for everyone else. Bike shops are a part of the community and exist to serve the community and keep people on the road. Nothing can or should replace them. As for the "characters that are usually employed at bike shops" those people are skilled professionals that make sure that when your bike leaves their shop, it isn't going to fall apart and kill you. Those "characters" are concerned with the safe functioning of your bicycle and their livelihood depends on it.

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