It’s hard not to notice the attractive bike racks that have been popping
up around Ohio City lately. Much more than simply utilitarian places to hitch your ride, these racks are at once urban sculptures and retail signage for local businesses. They were designed by Rust Belt Welding, two Cleveland entrepreneurs who are making a living doing what they love.

“We wanted to do creative, bicycle-related projects, and we knew there was a need for more bike racks because we’d ride around town and say, ‘I wish there was one here,’” says Grant Smrekar, who created Rust Belt Welding with his friend Lou Erste four years ago in order to build bike frames, something that remains the core of their business. “We wanted there to be an artistic quality to these projects, and for the bike racks to represent the place they’re at.”

Over the past year, Joy Machines, Studio Salon, Allstate Barber College, Market Garden Brewery, SOHO, Touch Supper Club, Room Service, and Nano Brewery have hired Rust Belt Welding to create unique bike racks for outside of their businesses. The bike racks allow local, independent businesses to express their unique identities while marketing themselves as bike-friendly establishments.