The Old Dog Explores: Can a Better More Beautiful Bicycle Rack Be Built?
As Cities and Towns Become More Bicycle Friendly The Need Arises to Park Them!
- What makes a good bicycle rack?
- Where should bicycle racks be located?
- Can they be made pleasing to the eyes?
- Here is a good guide for the design of a bicycle parking area.
1.) I spotted this stainless steel rack on my recent visit to Ascona. It is modular, definitely upscale and fits in well with the beauty of the town! It also meets the design criteria for a good rack. All other photos in this article are from pixabay.com
A Bike Rack Should Be Secure And Stable!
- It would be best to have two points of contact.
- The frame and front wheel should be able to rest against the rack.
- It is best if the bike can be locked with a U style or similar lock which can enclose both the wheel and frame.
The Location of The Bicycle Rack is Essential!
When bicycle parking is well done it can improve an area, make bikers feel welcome and encourage the use of this mode of transportation.
- The parking should be in an easily accessible area.
- It should be well lit and if possible, sheltered.
Can a Bicycle Rack Be Beautiful?
There is no need for anything to be an eye sore. If you're going to make it, buy it or install it why not have it look nice and fit in with its environment? Here are some bicycle rack designs by a company that specializes in them!
Here are Some Other Bicycle Rack Designs
- Which looks the best to you?
- Which seems to be the most practical?
- In your travels have you seen one that you really like?
2.) This doesn't provide the preferred contact with the frame but it is sleek!
3.) This design is quite funky and practical but requires each hoop to be individually bolted into the concrete.
4.) This is similar to the standard design that I was used to as a school boy. It only provides support for the wheel.
5.) I find this design to be very playful and its end use is obvious!
6.) Many of the designs do not feature the preferred support for the bike frame with the two points of contact.
7.) This is an elegant solution but it requires the two vertical sections of pipe to be embedded into the pavement.
8.) I can't say much about the aesthetics of this rack but it seems to keep the bikes neatly in line!
9.) I'm not too sure of what to make of this double decker design. I'd need to see it in action!
10.) Hmmm something went wrong here!
So What do You Think?
- Of the 10 which do you like the most? I've numbered them from 1-10 for easy selection! I like number 1!
- Would you like to see more people using bicycles for transportation?
- Do we need more well designed bike racks?
- Are you a cyclist?
I hope that you enjoyed this article which discusses "Can a Better More Beautiful Bicycle Rack Be Built?"
Until next time,
@kus-knee (The Old Dog)
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very nice guide im planning to get electric bike by xiaomi =D
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Cool post, Old Dog...
I prefer 2 as i have those kind of rack in my office and it's really sleek.
Wow another member from India. That's awesome. I just went and read your intro post and it's great to meet you and to have you here on Steemit. Thanks for the visit and the comment!
yes am a cyclist!
my whole family is
learned biking using my father's racer
and yes would encourage more bikes - good for our body and good to the environment
if the Dutch can do it and all the other Scandanavian countries can - it's doable everywhere I believe
better invest in stocks for bikes when it happens haha
design wise I like number 5 the most
but I don't think it would hold the bike properly
I like what they have in Holland - they dont just support the wheels but bike owners could also secure their bikes from heavy wind and thieves - they could chain it on bulks of metals to lock it. Plus they even have roof sometimes.
It really is tto bad that people are not more honest. When I was a kid nothing was locked, not even people's homes!
Thank you so much @kus-knee , it's really my pleasure that you read my post. I really love your posts particularly that Vanishing point and camping tent. Bdw you are also an Indian?
That's a good question. Actually on my mothers side there were 3 generations that were born in India but they were of Irish decent! My brothers both left Canada and went to live there for many years. Therefore I have a great affinity with the Indian people.
ohh that's great. In which city they are living? Have you been to India?
I've never been to India. My brothers were in Kulu Valley.
Ohh Kullu is such a beautiful place and near to it you will find another beautiful valley named "Manali". What i suggest is do visit India. I bet you would fall in love with it :-)
Of the 10 which do you like the most? I've numbered them form 1-10 for easy selection! Number 7 - just a design thing
Would you like to see more people using bicycles for transportation? - As long as I drive car in the city a clear NO as they are way more aggressive than car drivers
Do we need more well designed bike racks? Nope - enough out there
Are you a cyclist? - I was and need to get my MTB back in shape
Number 7 is a beauty. Where I live the cyclists will ride 2-5 across and you get blocked behind them. Narrow winding country roads. How long would it take you to cycle to work?
Same here - summer is mad - it takes around 30 minutes with the bike to work
I like numbers 1 and 7, they are both practical and elegant.
A lot of the others only allow you to lock either your front or back wheel. This is no good in my area because if you have quick release wheels then it is so simple to steal the frame.
I cycle to and from work everyday, 20 miles, no matter the weather, I absolutely love it.
However we do have to d-lock the front wheel as well as the back wheel and frame to the rack. Too many times has one of us come out of work only to find one of our wheels is missing.
Those are both my favourite as well. 20 miles to work every day! You must be ripped!
I wish I could say that. I am getting a lot fitter and I do eat what I want now. So perhaps if I ate cleanly I might get that way, but it seems to be a slow process.
Nice observation and beautiful thoughts from you 👌 👌 👌! As far as functionality and aesthetics are concerned, I'd go with your choice. But for practical purposes I'd pick the no. 9 if it is easy to use. [Isn't there any bike rack that comes with a personal locker to hold biker's belongings?😉]
Though that crowdy & congested hoarding in no. 9 doesn't look beautiful but seems to be more practical to me to hold huge no. of bikes 🤔. However, in my country one rarely encounter any bike racks. The bike parkings are generally called cycle stands here and are mostly manned (man power is quite affordable here). The person in charge there would guide you to park and even arrange all bikes in order to make way for other incoming bikes and will take care of its security all day.
But yes, it has its own problems 😳. Just for an idea, I'd like to quote the cricket commentator Mr. Navjot Singh Siddhu's funny comparison of fall of quick wickets of Indian cricket team:
And when a cycle falls, you can expect some dents or loose screws to take care of when you return to pick it up 😭. But it doesn't mean it's same every where. Some rare places have come up with better systems. e,g. smart Namma Bike Share system of Bangalore. I'd love to see better biking infrastructure to evolve quickly here. Your post sure is an inspiration to that end!👍
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Another 5 star comment. Perhaps you should post an article on how the biking system works in your part of the world.
i like the simple and classy racks
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I love bicycles. Great photos :)
Upvoted!
Great post. Love the perspective of Nr. 8 that's an excellent shot! Also I liked that you focused on the racks & storage.
So thank you very much @kus-knee for making me aware of this post when you visited my Dutch bike post that focused on the chaos ;-)
Below is a photo I didn't use that fits well in your theme (notice the bike under the desk)
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Very cool and thanks so much for the picture!
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All in all, I will side with you on #1. The use of an elongated helix could easily lead a passerby to see it as an art installation, but having practical use.
Other creative ideas I have run across include, this one-of-a-kind, comb-shaped bike rack was made by Knowhow Shop in Los Angeles; it’s now a public art piece in Roanoke, Virginia.
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Image courtesy of Know How Shop LA
On a more practical note, Polish student Tomasz Brzeziński submitted this minimalist design to the Fortis Young Design competition in 2008. Even though he did not take top prize, his design was one of the finalists.
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Image courtesy of IWP
Thanks so much for sharing these two pics. A ultilitarian device as art and a very practical solution. I love them both!