The Chainlink

Advice for Secure Bike Rack/Storage Solutions for Apartment Building (~13 Bike Capacity)

This summer the 6 unit apartment building I live in has had 5 bicycles stolen from the basement on four separate occasions. These bikes weren't locked because there's so few poles that a U-lock will fit around (and frankly, some people just refused to lock up even after multiple bikes were stolen). The building owner (one dude, not a big company) has taken steps to secure the basement and is open to the idea of adding bike racks. I offered to help choose bike racks so he doesn't pick something useless or install it so close to the wall it's unusable.

Do you have any suggestions for what specific racks are best in this situation? I suggested that he should provide one secure lock up spot per bedroom in the building. I have three bikes personally, but asking for that many spaces is not going to fly. So, given our building I'm looking for a solution for 13 bikes. I would like to try to find some economical options so he is more likely to be willing to follow through and pay for it (large corporate or fancy racks are out). I have suggested that it will be a selling point to renters in the future.

The basement has concrete floor and walls, low ceilings (maybe 7') and is completely full of old tenants' shit so any solution will require a lot of space clearing. Tenants bikes range from fixies, mountain bikes, hybrids, and uprights so it should be able to accommodate wide handlebars and different space needs (like the big rack on the front of my Gary Fisher in my profile photo). 

I like the idea of alternating vertical racks (must be lockable to the bike frame, obviously) but am not sure if this will work with low ceilings or if they work great for non-road bikes/usability by a range of people. My issue with floor racks is always that it's hard to get to your bike if the rack is full. I'm also open to suggesting something DIY that our handyman could make but I have no idea if that would actually be economical considering the cost of his time or be secure. I love the idea of being "assigned" my own spot so that there's no fights over who gets to lock their bike to which pole.

I've never bought a bike rack before so I'm looking for your ideas and experience. Thanks!

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The weight of your bike is a crucial factor to consider when storing a bicycle in an apartment. Hanging your bike from the ceiling or wall has its own downside. A normal road bike can weigh around 17.5 pounds.

So are the policies of Kim Foxx relevant here, or is this all just left to the bike owner to try to figure in out in terms of technical security measures instead of a fairly obvious vote?

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