Dero, a Playcore company, has designed a new product known as Veloport. The Veloport is a secure, stylish bike shelter.

Dero is a Minneapolis-based designer and manufacturer of bike racks, bike shelters, bike lockers and bike parking systems. As the popularity of bicycling grows for recreational and transportation purposes, so do the needs for these products. Dero has been designing and building these products for more than 25 years for customers including residential developers, businesses and government sites.

Many of the Veloport Shelters can be found around the University of Minnesota campus. The unique design makes the Veloport stand out while offering the security and durability needed in long-term parking.

The hot-dip galvanized (HDG) frame provides the corrosion resistance needed to withstand the harsh winter conditions of Minnesota. These shelters are always placed near roads where salt can get on them, and they sustain constant abuse by the bikes, chains and locks. These harsh conditions made hot-dip galvanizing the logical choice for durability and low-cost finish.

The shelters are not only able to withstand corrosion but are also aesthetically pleasing from being hot-dip galvanized. Use of HDG for the bike shelters is significant because it incorporates it into mainstream everyday life. The bike shelters are seen and used on a daily basis. Being able to tout that HDG is an important part of protecting a structure that is used and relied on every day is important. It reinforces the significance and value of HDG and touts it as a mainstream solution. This is an incredible opportunity for the galvanizing industry as a whole and provides a chance to educate others about why HDG is so critical for protection of structures in a cost-effective and maintenance-free way.