Salesforce bike facility: A total transformation
By: Anna Walters, Bikes Make Life Better
Salesforce’s latest bike room is a case of alchemy—of turning a drab garage spot with abysmal bike access into a beautiful end-of-trip facility that’s functional and fun. Along with other renovations to Salesforce West, located in the heart of San Francisco’s financial district, Salesforce seriously revamped and retooled the biking user experience.
Before the improvements, West bike commuters had to navigate a counter-intuitive garage ramp on and off of a one-way street, that worked well for cars, but was unsafe for bikes. Then bikers had to actually find the bike room, tucked away in a corner of the garage. Once they made it, they sometimes had to wrestle with non lift-assist double decker racks that took up an inordinate amount of space.
Before
The entrance/exit onto a one-way street worked well for cars, but not so much for bikes. Notice the lanes are opposite convention (i.e. using the left lane instead of the right).
After
A painted bike lane down the middle helps bikers navigate the garage ramp.
Before
These double decker racks were only half used since loading bikes on the top racks was difficult.
After
This bike room at Salesforce follows the campy outdoor decor of the rest of Salesforce West, with vibrant murals, painted pathways between racks, and cameos by its iconic Trailhead characters.
Before
The space waiting for new racks, paint, and other features.
After
This double decker racks have an easy to use lift assist.
Before
Tape on the floor designates areas for new paint.
After
A part bike room, part wilderness trail adventure!
The Results?
Fast forward five months to new bike racks and a lot of bright paint–and Salesforce employees now have a much safer and easier time finding and using their bike room. Plus the room itself feels like a wilderness wonderland!
For its relatively small footprint (just 1,467 square feet) this room packs a punch, making space for tons of commuter bikes, a bikeshare fleet, oversized bikes, and somehow some unique gear storage and fix-it areas.
Salesforce employees can borrow a bikeshare bike to “blaze their own trail” during the workday.
Instead of 78 half-usable bike racks, there are now 99 bike parking spots: 53 lift-assist Stack Racks, 22 vertical racks and 12 floor racks (parks 24 bikes) that allow for the highest density of bikes in the small space. There’s even dedicated space for cargo bikes, which are fast becoming a popular option among urban commuters.
The room boasts a Bike Fixation Deluxe Public Work Stand—with tools for riders to fix their own bikes and two indoor pumps.
Park your cargo bike here.
Commuters can fix their bike or pump their tires here.
When it comes to gear storage and other finishing touches, the space really shines:
- Commuters can hang their bike lock to the locking bar so that they don’t have to carry it back and forth between home and work every day. They leave their lock in the bike room and then have it available to lock their bike during the day.
- A helmet tree offers easy storage for bikeshare helmets.
- A shoe rack gives commuters space to store their SPDs or athletic footwear during the workday.
- Commuters can write messages analog style on a whiteboard mounted near the fix-it stand.
It’s those little extras that really make the bike room shine.
One of the most welcome improvements lives outside the room itself: A new bike-lane with bright green paint and wayfinding guides cyclists from the street to the bike room.
New paint and wayfinding make for a safer ride through the garage and to the bike room.
All told, the transformation of the Salesforce West bike room is a perfect example of how to turn a less-than-ideal user experience into one that not only works, but delights.
Riders express their appreciation for their new bike space.
Bikes Make Life Better is dedicated to helping employees at large organizations use bikes for healthy sustainable transportation. They’ve helped design bike programs, facilities, and fleets for Airbnb, Facebook, Kaiser Permanente, LinkedIn, Netflix, Salesforce, Stanford, and many others.
