INNOVATION ON TWO WHEELS

Keep On Mooving

**English translation:**

From a passion for cycle tourism was born the Italian company that is a leader in solutions for sustainable mobility. A successful business model ready to conquer international markets.

A key player in research and development of innovative products and solutions for the world of sustainable mobility, 100% made in Italy: this is the business model of Bike Facilities, which has won over the Italian market and is now undergoing major expansion abroad. It all began in 2014, in Torbole, when the company was founded by Fabio Toccoli, driven by a strong passion for two wheels and by the extensive experience he had gained in the hospitality sector. In fact, he opened the first Bike Hotel on Lake Garda dedicated to cyclists. “This adventure began with the needs of bikers and cycle tourists,” Toccoli explains.

Thus, alongside his work as a hotelier, Toccoli began marketing charging columns and maintenance stations for bicycles. And just ten years after its founding, Bike Facilities now counts more than 1,000 bicycle charging and maintenance points installed throughout Italy. The first successful contract was the installation of stations along the legendary “Dolomiti Brenta Bike” — the network of loop trails for mountain biking — carried out in collaboration with the Adamello Brenta Natural Park. Since then, Bike Facilities has built a true success story: among the brands that have chosen Fabio Toccoli’s stations are names such as Decathlon and Fastweb, Alperia, Ikea, La Sapienza University, Carosello 3000 and Paganella Bike Park, Garda Trentino, several South Tyrolean districts, and many Italian municipalities.

“At the beginning,” Toccoli explains, “I entered into a partnership with a foreign company that manufactured e-bike charging columns and bicycle maintenance stations. The business took off immediately and I soon became the exclusive distributor for Italy. Growing demand pushed me to expand the product range and pre- and post-sales services. In this way, we consolidated our presence on the Italian market, where today we operate in every region, from north to center to south.”

Now the next challenge is international expansion, a path that has already begun: “We are participating more and more frequently in trade fairs in major European capitals and are structuring a widespread sales network to move well beyond national borders. Demand in our sector is constantly growing, and we want to be ready. We already are. Our foreign turnover is steadily increasing.”

The company’s calling card in international markets is the Made in Italy label. “The entire Bike Facilities range is designed and manufactured in Italy,” Toccoli emphasizes. Full control of the production chain also ensures customization. Charging columns and maintenance stations are all custom products. “Our Stop&Go columns are 100% customizable. They offer unique usability thanks to the careful design of every component carried out by a team of experts.”

In addition to the Stop&Go line, there are many other products: smart columns, modular bike racks (also in electric versions for e-bike charging), Tube Solar systems (bike racks with solar panels for parking and charging e-bikes), urban furniture products for the bicycle world, and modular shelters for parking and charging electric bicycles. This latter line, which allows bicycles to be parked while protecting them from the elements, is “equipped with a stand-alone photovoltaic system with battery storage not connected to the electrical grid, a model with a charging bar to be connected to the grid, and a basic model designed solely for bicycle parking.”

Research and development stand out especially in the marketing of the most innovative products. This is the case with bicycle washing stations. “Our stations are built from stainless steel, which is resistant to corrosion. They represent the first eco-sustainable bicycle washing system, featuring an extractor that separates mud and oil from the water, preventing black water from mixing with white water. Thanks to special ecological detergents that we supply, bicycles can be washed at low pressure, preserving the integrity of the components while also saving water (only 2 liters per minute).”

In keeping with sustainability, the materials used in many processes align with green and circular economy models. This is the case with the containers used for some Bike Facilities bike stations. “These are our Container-BF units: containers used to produce our bike containers, manufactured from new materials or from high-quality used ones, properly processed and modified for their new purpose. Steel is, in every respect, a green material, as it is 100% recyclable, does not wear out, and can be reused virtually indefinitely.”