amckimmey

I was wondering what people thought about bike racks.

What is your favorite style to lock up to?
What do you think is the best to lock up to?
What do you think fits the most?

Photos would be nice for this posting.

I am trying to come up with a way to convince my school to put in more/newer bike racks on campus. So figure out what racks to suggest would be a good thing.

fietsbob

inverted U shaped , these work for 2 bikes , per,
a place to lock up both wheels, if desired..
https://www.catoregon.org/?page_id=17
made in Oregon, too. powdercoated , many color choices.

monsterpile

Any rack thats empty. LOL

In all seriousness I rarely lock my bike up in a bike rack I usually lock it up to the outside of the rack or to a pole. I hate having to wiggle my bike tire onto the rack and have to weave the lock around and then not being able to reach my front wheel if I wanted to go that far. if the rack is kinda full there isn't much room to manuver everythign and its just a pain. I don't think abotu my bike getting banged around by other bikes, but thats a concern for other people with nicer bikes. The U rack posted above would be really great although I haven't given much thought of what the best option would be.

JiveTurkey

+1 Something like the above is my preference.

Just about any is fine with me, except I really dislike anything designed to hold the wheel as the primary place to hook-up, such as:
https://american-playground.net/BikeR...ge001_0002.gif
https://huntco.com/mercantool/product_images/prod/16.jpg

I don't like them for use with a U-lock. Inserting front wheel prevents locking up the frame. Inserting rear wheel can sometimes interfere with the derailleur. Also, doesn't balance bike well when using skinnier road tires. Any bike I'd lock up I have a kickstand, so for these racks, I'll put the rear wheel next to where it's supposed to be inserted and U-lock the rear wheel and non-drive side chain stay.

Darth_Firebolt

my girlfriends.



seriously. the rack in front of her house is amazing.
similar to this only round steel tubing:

exile

I like the inverted U shape as well. I try to avoid the ones where you have to place a tire into a rut.

jsmonet

the empty desk in our office *whistle*

amckimmey

I was probably going to recommend these racks. With this being made right down in Eugene, Just south of Salem. It would be perfect, promoting them as "local" when presenting the project. I would probibly suggest to have them installed in a bike stable style to help people lock up on both sides.

As long as the as they upgrade from the ones they have now, and adding more space would be better.
This is the main style of rack we have around campus. There are about 7 of them holding 7 bikes each. 42 bikes all together.


And one of these. Really only capable of holding 4 bikes.
The only good one is installed to close to the wall. I dont like this style of rack anyway.


Lots of people end up locking up to trees and light post.

dchsueh

https://www.apbp.org/resource/resmgr/...guidelines.pdf

Cyclaholic

The one in front of the pub

elcraft

Whilst I was a student at Carnegie -Mellon University in the late Seventies, the University had these unique racks that would securely lock the frame and both wheels with only a common padlock. The bicycle was wheeled into a frame that had two "protrusions" that went through the front wheel and the rear triangle (just ahead of the freewheel). A sliding bar with "pins" that inserted into the two protrusions was then secured to a tab with nothing more than a common Master type of pad lock. It was an ingenious and simple solution. I am not sure if these racks are still utilized by CMU.

531phile 

My favorite is a really tall pole/lightpost made out of cement that is embedded into the ground. I've seen too many bike racks where the bolts are loose.

Abneycat

I too am a fan of the inverted U rack. They hold everything from folders, bents, cargo bikes, pick anything it seems - 2 per.

Any of the wheelbender ones with the thin slots in them are absolutely the worst, but unfortunately still the most prevalent. I can't even *get* my porteur bike locked up to them save by the edge of the wheel, which is stupidity.

ryanwood

I am a big fan of the inverted U style rack, ours are one long series of inverted U's. Enough to hold 8 bikes per rack similar to this but not nearly this close to the wall:

I allows plenty of room for bikes and the additional security of having 8 bikes locked to the rack at the same time thereby reducing the risk that someone will rip the rack out of the ground and take the whole thing (which has been attempted on smaller racks around town).

In busy areas they have installed a dozen of these racks making room for 90 or so bikes in one area.

Cyclaholic

I would have no problem locking up to this rack...

amckimmey

I think I have seen this style actually right downtown here. They are old infront of places that no one goes to. but i was always interested by them.

davecriswell

That's one of the reasons I like my folder - bike goes inside with me most of the time.

alr

At my university, I park in one of those wave shaped ones. I like those a lot-- all my bikes fit well in those.

The city of Seattle has 3 main types.

Like most people, I like the inverted U shaped ones or those that look like hitching posts.
https://www.seattle.gov/transportatio...eRev_20060.gif

These cora racks are around too:
https://www.cora.com/product1.htm
I don't like those as my girl bike tubes (mixte) done align well with the protrusions. I have to use the outside of it. This is my least favorite modern type.

MattP.

I've been loving this style of rack, recently installed all across my university campus (Western Washington University). The rack allows you to lock many points of your bike up, and they are all covered to boot! Soon to have green roofs as well!
https://www.greendiary.com/entry/wwu-...nd-its-campus/

prathmann

Although this rack in Tiburon, Calif. is the dreaded 'wheel-bender' type, I like the way it is designed to look like a regular fence rather than a bike rack. The pavement surface dips down slightly near the fence to help hold the bike wheels in position in the slots.

MichaelW

Another vote for inverted-U (Sheffield rack) BUT
It should be tubular stainless steel about 2"-3" diameter, NOT thicker, not galvanized or plastic coated.
Should be long enough to rest a rear rack on one upright and lock the front wheel on the other upright.
Located with enough space (see that green rack up against the wall, above).
Often these are placed so close together you cant fit a rider between the bikes.
Positioned close to a front door, away from main pedestrian route, not blocking emergency exit.

One of my local supermarkets had some U-racks installed with very generous spacing, then a few years later added some of those complex "lock everything with one padlock" hinged style BUT they placed them in the space between U-racks. Result: no space for any bikes at all.

trekx01

LAriverRat

Full rack of baby back ribs, Chris & Pitts.

LesterOfPuppets

Waves are my faves, fo sho!

Unless they're too close to the wall.

531phile 

Where do I find such a robust set of racks?