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Today no space at the rack for me, first time ever.

 

I think Tom meant the Roadmaster.  I don't see a Huffy, but I'm assuming by Paul's response that the road bike in the back is the Huffy, which appears to be properly assembled.

And FYI, it's not the handlebars on the Roadmaster that are backwards, it's the fork.  The brakes should be on the front of the fork, not the back, so the cable doesn't bind on the down tube when you steer.  Also, forks are designed with "rake", which is why they're intended to only be used one way.  If the fork is backwards, it throws off the whole handling of the bike.  It's surprsingly common with department store bikes, since they're not assembled by professional mechanics.

Tom Z said:

Those handlebars are backwards on the Huffy...

You are right on both points...

1. It's the Roadmaster

2. The fork is backwards... I was talking about the whole front-end as a complete system. Though that's a first for me to see this. I guess I'm not usually checking out the bikes in the local department store. :)

Thanks

Nick G said:

I think Tom meant the Roadmaster.  I don't see a Huffy, but I'm assuming by Paul's response that the road bike in the back is the Huffy, which appears to be properly assembled.

And FYI, it's not the handlebars on the Roadmaster that are backwards, it's the fork.  The brakes should be on the front of the fork, not the back, so the cable doesn't bind on the down tube when you steer.  Also, forks are designed with "rake", which is why they're intended to only be used one way.  If the fork is backwards, it throws off the whole handling of the bike.  It's surprsingly common with department store bikes, since they're not assembled by professional mechanics.

Tom Z said:

Those handlebars are backwards on the Huffy...

weird - is this parked outside of dearborn station? i was just parked there on Friday and noticed the ol' roadbike with the bear hat next to me. was also forced to park like a jerk because everyone else was. SOCIAL CONTRACT, PEOPLE!

Officially, you're supposed to park parallel to the rack. I think that's especially for congested locations where they would block the sidewalk otherwise. In areas with more space, like my local El stop, perpendicular works much better. I do get kind of pissed if someone locks to both posts preventing another bike from using it very well.

Simon Phearson said:

I'm curious how people are supposed to use these kinds of two-fer spots. Intuitively, and just based on my own bike-upbringing, I keep wanting to park perpendicular to the center-post, if that makes any sense, with the lock going around one of the side posts, the wheel(s), and the lower part of the frame. That tends to mean that the bike juts out into the sidewalk, away from the spot. But I see a lot of people parking parallel to the center-post, so that I see a lot of two-fers parked with two bikes seat-to-handlebar. That's a more efficient use of space, it doesn't invite jarring by passers-by, and it opens up the possibility of locking both wheels without having to remove one. The only thing about it, that I think of, is that it puts your bike right up against someone else's, possibly requiring a bit of jostling the other bike to get yours on or off. Is that kind of how it works, downtown? Are downtown parkers just kind of cool with that kind of proximity, the way you might be on an El train or packed bus?

Me too - parallel is not as other-bike friendly. 

JeffB (7+ miles) said:

I prefer perpendicular, as long as there is sufficient space on the sidewalk.  It avoids tangling with another bike and allows for a third bike over the top.

Was it tagged by CDOT first, or just gone one day?
 
EssFresh said:


Yup, reported one in February, just got removed 2 weeks ago.


Juan 2-8 mi. said:

It's so funny really. It took like 6 months for them to pick up ones I reported a while back, then a new one shows up to take its place.

h' 1.0 said:

I reported an abandoned bike at my daily rack via online form avout 2 months ago.... no action thus far.

Thanks, St. Gabe, for leaving the city bike program a dysfunctional mess.

Depends on where the rack is situated in proximity to other racks, sidewalk, etc., as well as the angle of the rack.

Assuming you're only using a single lock to lock to the rack (which applies to about 95% of the bikes I see locked in Chicago) and there is ample room to do so without blocking the sidewalk (which there often, but not always is), I'd say the ideal scenario is to lock parallel to the rack, and contacting only one side of the rack. Using this configuration, you can lock 4 bikes to the rack parallel (one on each side of each end), as well as a 5th bike perpendicular to the rack over the top.

This isn't always possible, but it's the most efficient way when it is. So often, I see people who block both posts of the rack, even though they are using only a single lock and there is no obstruction reason why they need to do so.

Yesterday I returned to my bike (locked at the Metra station for the day) and found that someone had loosened my mirror, folded it in (in a position that rendered it useless for seeing while riding) and then overtightened it in the folded position. Really?!?  Most of the rack space in that area was empty, and demand in the middle of the day is minimal. Why mess with a mirror?

To whoever did that, thanks so much for rendering my mirror useless for my ride home (because I was traveling light for such a short ride, carrying no tools). That mirror saved me from a crash a few days ago, when I spotted a clueless driver before she hit me from behind.

"Mine" was tagged two das ago. I've ben rying to figure out how the tires could still have air in them after al this time.
 
EssFresh said:


Yup, reported one in February, just got removed 2 weeks ago.


Juan 2-8 mi. said:

It's so funny really. It took like 6 months for them to pick up ones I reported a while back, then a new one shows up to take its place.

h' 1.0 said:

I reported an abandoned bike at my daily rack via online form avout 2 months ago.... no action thus far.

Thanks, St. Gabe, for leaving the city bike program a dysfunctional mess.

This one is one of my favorite pet peeves.

When someone locks their bike by just the front wheel and then some thief comes to liberate the rest of the bike. More than a year ago...

Now it's art on a poorly positioned rack on a crowded sidewalk.

If I was the victim I would be taking that wheel with me so that my stupid ass remembers this lesson and have a back up when some idiot takes my front wheel.

rwein5 said:

Yea dude victim blame!!!

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