Ben, Colin, & Steph on Bike to Work Day.
River view along the Mississippi River Regional Trail.“There is no trail maintenance during the winter, including plowing and clearing. Please follow the posted detour routes. Thank you for your patience during this process.”
Map of the closed trail section. Note the detour (yellow) takes riders across the river–opposite the side Dero is located.
View of the plowed trail.
A plowed trail means Bri is happy. Thumbs up!
Introducing the Biker Bar™ and Saddle Buddy™
The Biker Bar™ gives bicyclists a convenient place to rest while waiting at an intersection. The Saddle Buddy™ offers a spot for bicyclists to hang their bikes at trailheads or rest areas.
The Biker Bar is a leaning rail designed to give bicyclists a place to rest a hand and foot to balance while waiting at an intersection, never needing to dismount. People on bikes will no longer have to reach for the curb or a sign post to support them at traffic lights. The Biker Bar also acts as a push-off point, assisting riders in getting an efficient start from a full stop. This helps keep traffic moving efficiently and safely through the intersection. The Biker Bar also gives bicyclists a designated area to wait in a queue and out of the crosswalk, so pedestrians have a clear path. The Biker Bar is modular, so depending on the location, it can be extended to accommodate more bicyclists. It is easy to install and includes tamper-proof hardware.
The Saddle Buddy is a perfect amenity for mountain bike trailheads and park rest areas. Its simple design allows bikers to hang bikes from the front of the saddle, keeping them upright. While taking a break or gearing up for the ride ahead, bicyclists no longer need to find a nearby tree to lean their bike on or a patch of grass to lay their bike down. The Saddle Buddy is not designed as a lockable bike rack, but rather a convenient spot for riders who won’t be leaving bikes unattended. Available in galvanized steel to hold up to the elements.
Dero Through the Years: If You Build It, They Will Come
How long have you been at Dero?
Six years this July.Where is your favorite place ride?
Next to friends.What is your favorite bike to ride?
Surly Crosscheck.What sets us apart from other bike rack manufacturers?
Our racks are designed by riders for riders and our main engineer is also a frame builder. With many avid bike riders on staff, we try to design our products to help cyclists. We’re a business but we believe in the “Field of Dreams” approach where good infrastructure is what leads to more cyclists and more work.Do you have any funny stories from working at Dero?
In the old space, we would have to shut down occasionally from squirrels chewing through our exterior wires. Our old owner Rolf owned a few model ship websites and we used to field the occasional random call regarding the specifics of model ships. This was not divulged at the beginning but quickly we figured it out. The ships are long since gone but I still have the infamous Swedish ship, the Vasa, perched in my living room.Favorite rack, and why you like it?
Ultra Space Saver. I have a set in my garage and they protected my bikes when it was broken into.Why do people love Dero racks?
We’ve been around for a long time. We’re not going anywhere and there’s a lot of quality and history that goes into our racks. We can also help people realize almost any bike rack and they can be comfortable knowing that it’s going to work.A Very Dero Birthday: Twenty Years of Bike Parking and Bicycling Infrastructure Innovation
By Ben Hovland
It’s our birthday! In 2015, Dero is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Though we’re still not old enough to legally drink, twenty years of distributing bike racks around the world has taught us a few things about bicycle security, innovation, and living bike-centric lifestyles.
Throughout the year, we will bring you several looks back on Dero’s origins and the exciting directions we’re headed into the future. In our first installment, Rolf Scholtz, one of Dero’s founders, takes a moment to share his reflections on this historic milestone.
In 1995, two brothers, Derk and Rolf (De + Ro = DeRo, get it?), identified a need in the existing bicycling infrastructure. “Bike racks weren’t functional for u-locks. There’s gotta be a way to make a bike rack that’s u-lock compatible and somewhat decent,” remembers Rolf. “Believe it or not, no one was doing that back then.”
So the brothers set out to solve this problem, one bicycle rack design at a time. They slowly gained clients and traction, operating from the apartment above Bullwinkle’s Saloon in the Seven Corners district in Minneapolis. “It wasn’t easy,” Rolf says, “We had to ship all our UPS from the bar, and we out grew it pretty quickly. But it was dirt cheap, and we were strapped for cash those first 5 years!”
Given the small scale of their operation, Rolf and Derk were forced to innovate using their everyday experiences riding their bikes around the Twin Cities. “We were all bike people at Dero, in some way or another. I was originally a bike security monitor at the University of Minnesota,” Rolf recalls. “There’s a culture of biking at Dero, and we were always trying something new and different. That’s a big reason why we were so successful.”
The Birchwood Cafe was one of Dero’s first customers. “Back then, I couldn’t even find them,” admits Rolf. But since then, the Birchwood has proven a valuable partner in advancing small business-driven bicycling advocacy and leading the movement to promote on-street bike corrals. Having committed to prioritizing advocacy early in our existence, Dero strengthened its connections with organizations such as Alliance for Biking and Walking and the League of American Bicyclists. Today, our network extends across North America, and we are excited for meeting new partners in the years to come.
In the past 20 years, one of the most significant milestones was bringing manufacturing in-house. “We knew we had to do it ourselves,” Rolf remembered. The process, starting in fall of 2004, “took twice as long and cost twice as much as we anticipated, but the payoff was instantaneous.” After moving powdercoating and shipping in-house, Dero soon acquired their first metal bending equipment, and by 2010 our operation had matured into a full warehouse stocked with locally made bike racks.
Rolf shared several entertaining memories from Dero’s early days, but one of his favorites involved Moka, the office dog. Dogs are a longstanding fixture in Dero’s workplace. From the first time Rolf and Derk started hiring new employees, Rolf recalled one particular incident when, “Moka was underneath the table and farting up a storm, and they were silent! They just reeked. And this poor person was trying to ignore the wafts of this horrible gas while I’m interviewing them.” Did they get the job? “We didn’t end up hiring them. They probably thought we were full of it, blaming the farts on the dog!”
While dog farts still occasionally plague the office, Dero’s drive to innovate and provide the best possible bike parking and transit solutions remains as strong as ever. When Dero first began, Rolf and Derk started with the goal to design the most secure and best looking racks possible, all while accommodating both customers and end-users’ needs. This central tenet still holds true in our work twenty years later. We invite you to celebrate our achievements over the past two decades, and to join us as we continue to develop attractive and functional bicycle infrastructure.
Dero Begins its 20th Year Anniversary with a Bang: Four New Bike Racks and New Website
Since 1995, Dero has introduced innovative bike parking to the world and continues this tradition with the new Ultra Space Saver Squared, Cycle Dock™, Type Rider™, and Alley Rack™. The new website highlights these bike racks, and features design guides, how-to videos, product galleries, a robust online store, and more.
Minneapolis, MN – Since 1995, Dero has introduced innovative bike parking to the world. Now entering its 20th year, Dero continues this tradition with the new Ultra Space Saver Squared, Cycle Dock™, Type Rider™, and Alley Rack™. A redesigned website highlights these bike racks, and features design guides, how-to videos, product galleries, a robust online store, and more. These new online resources will help customers find the best bicycle parking solutions for their project.
NEW PRODUCTS
Ultra Space Saver Squared: Dero’s Ultra Space Saver Squared builds on its popular predecessor, the original Ultra Space Saver. Both provide vertical bike parking that maximizes space efficiency, but the Squared goes even further:
- Sliding Arm System: Adjustable sliding arms make it easy for customers to best utilize their space. It also creates flexibility to make sure spacing follows city requirements as they evolve.
- Square Tube Arm: Pipe-cutter resistant squared steel tubing makes the Ultra Space Saver Squared more secure than the original.
- Angled Arm (optional): This option provides an extra six inches of aisle space.
Like the original, the Squared is u-lock compatible and accommodates bikes with fenders; features an easy to install, modular system; and can fit in nearly any space. Additional options include: wall-mount, floor-mount, and double-sided.
Cycle Dock™: The Dero Cycle Dock™ is a solid laser cut steel plated bike rack, providing high security that is pleasing to the eye. With unassuming wheel stops at its base, the Cycle Dock™ offers three points of contact for extra bike stability, while the wide-spacing between its two arms decreases handle bar conflicts when parking two bikes.
Type Rider™ Racks: The line of Type Rider™ Racks offers customers the chance to have fun with letters and symbols. These laser cut, hand welded bike racks can be made to spell out a word, brand name, and even hashtag. They are available in a wide array of finishes and colors to create eye-catching bike parking.
Alley Rack™: One of the first Dero racks created in the mid-1990s, the Alley Rack™ has been reincarnated, redesigned, and reengineered to be better than ever. The Alley Rack’s™ arm swings a full 180º, offering a variety of locking positions to accommodate for limited space, and its 5/8″ thick steel construction provides a strong deterrent to would-be thieves.
NEW WEBSITE
Dero is proud to introduce customers to a new and improved www.dero.com. Beyond the stunning design and images, the website offers new features to make it easier for customers to find the perfect bike parking solutions for their project. A large selection of Dero products are now available to purchase via the online store, as long as quantities can be shipped via FedEx. For more complex orders, quantity discounts, quotes and general questions, customers will now have the option to chat with our friendly and informative sales team online.
Customers can also find ideas and inspiration from the new Dero Design Project Guides, starting with Streetscapes, Bike Rooms, Campus Settings, and Park and Rec. All product pages now feature more photos than ever before and how-to videos have started to pop-up, plus the Dero Blog has been redesigned. Be sure to visit the website to keep up-to-date with the newest bike parking resources and Dero news.
ABOUT DERO
Since 1995, Dero has been supplying innovative bike parking and bicycle transit solutions to architects, contractors, municipalities, higher education, and parks and rec. Its bike racks, repair stands and pumps, shelters, and lockers are high quality, thoughtfully designed and secure. Dero also offers the award winning Dero ZAP, an automatic system to track bike commuters. Dero is located in Minneapolis and is proud to support biking locally and nationally.
