Bike rack pet peeves

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Permalink Reply by Tom Z on May 27, 2014 at 3:14pm

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...

Permalink Reply by stereode on May 27, 2014 at 4:23pm

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!

Permalink Reply by Homebuilt on May 28, 2014 at 6:57am

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?

Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on May 28, 2014 at 7:13am

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.

Permalink Reply by Mike M on May 29, 2014 at 11:58am

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.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 26, 2014 at 4:29am

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.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on August 22, 2014 at 9:54am

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.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on August 22, 2014 at 10:03am

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!!!

Permalink Reply by Jacky Chau on August 22, 2014 at 10:16am

just a picture without saying what's wrong is kind of useless?  i am a newbie rider so it would be great if the OP includes what he thinks is wrong with the pic...

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on August 22, 2014 at 10:19am



Jacky Chau said:

just a picture without saying what's wrong is kind of useless?  i am a newbie rider so it would be great if the OP includes what he thinks is wrong with the pic...

Permalink Reply by Chitown_Mike on August 22, 2014 at 10:39am

There was a tank of a nice bike that I rode past daily.....now just a tire sits like this.

Juan 2-8 mi. said:

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.

Permalink Reply by Jacky Chau on August 22, 2014 at 10:46am

Thanks for the explanation.  I have pinhead wheel locks on both wheels because my Kryptonite mini U make it really hard to lock frame + wheel together.  I know it's not ideal but I do see ALOT of bikes locked without frame + wheel together.

Juan 2-8 mi. said:



Jacky Chau said:

just a picture without saying what's wrong is kind of useless?  i am a newbie rider so it would be great if the OP includes what he thinks is wrong with the pic...

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