I used to be a car tyre - Bikerakk; the sculptural cycle stand made from recycled car tyre rubber

Two Wellingtonians are turning used car tyres into urban sculpture that performs as a superior cycle stand through a unique combination of design and function.

Ahead of the launch of Bikerakk on Friday 19 March at 11am, interest from Australia and the UK has proven Wellington designer Matt Hammond’s idea is a winner. After two years of spinning their wheels towards making it a reality, he and business partner Duncan Forbes have installed the first of the innovative cycle sculptures in Wellington outside the front doors of Chaffers New World.

Made from a steel frame encased in rubber from four recycled car tyres, the Bikerakk is an innovative cycle stand which includes three lockable loops, a hardy but bike-friendly casing that won’t chip paint from your cycle and an illuminated brand disc which enhances the safety of the public and cycles at night by producing a light wave on outdoor cycle stands.

“It just worked on various levels once I started thinking about it, and what you see now sits well with cyclists, greenies, urban planners, property owners, and people who actually want to see and touch something that is a real sustainable product,” Matt says.

Even before the first one was installed, Bikerakk attracted global attention as a piece of urban sculpture that can bookend existing cycle stands to promote cycling and showcase tangible recycling initiatives. Comprising recycled rubber from four car tyres, Bikerakk backs the cycle-centric shift in public transport and roading infrastructure design - four wheels off the road to support two-wheelers getting on it.

The second installation is set for downtown food and produce market Moore Wilson in April.

“Property owners and landlords like them because they look cool, not just because of what they are made of or because they work. One guy suggested fixing a whole lot of them to a wall as a feature piece. Others want to hang a Bikerakk outside their front door with their brand on it,” Duncan says.

With an outdoor advertising market worth $57 million per year as well as the recycling and pro-cycling messages surrounding Bikerakk, there is growing interest from advertising agencies, energy-conscious companies, city councils, and commercial property owners. Bikerakk is looking for further installation sites throughout New Zealand, and has interest in Australia and Britain also.

Contact Energy is already making use of the innovative concept.

“Bikerakk is a creative approach to solving an everyday problem” Contact Energy Brand Manager Sarah Eliott says.

“We hope our support of the first Bikerakk will lead to the concept being embraced by Wellington cyclists and as a result rolled out more widely around Wellington and New Zealand.

Sarah Eliott says Bikerakk fits well with Contact’s wider programme of support for a range of community initiatives across New Zealand, including the Contact Tri Series.