To all,

The rack that Frank showed is called a "J' rack, and it holds smaller wheeled bikes better than a rack that has the front bar on the ground.  A lot of companies that make park furniture supply that style as the "J" parts are a similar component of their picnic benches.  Prices should be about $470-$500.  They could be anchored with auger screws, or bolts in concrete.  The cheap Graber racks are made out of trunk rack sized tubing and probably too light duty for outside in a school yard.  Mark Wise might have a source for the "J" style racks from a supplier he already deals with.

Chip

-----Original Message-----
From: "Frank Gmeindl" <frank.gmeindl@comcast.net>
Sent 3/8/2013 7:21:35 AM
To: "Ryan Post" <rpostwvu@gmail.com>
Cc: "Bike Board" <bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com>, "Andrew Pathfinder" <andrew.pathfinder@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Bikeboard] Bike Racks at Schools

The attached comb rack similar to those in front of Terra Cafe offer the advantage of being able to string a cable lock through the bicycle frame, both wheels and under the horizontal bar on the rack that keeps the wheel from rolling out of the rack.  The other comb racks have that bar setting flat on the ground so you can't get a cable around it.  

The biggest disadvantage of comb racks is that it's difficult to lock both wheels and frame to them.

Wave racks damage bikes and do not provide sufficient support to keep the bike from getting dinged unless you treat it as an inverted-U rack and lock your bike along the longitudinal axis of the rack but then that limits the capacity to probably 2-4.


On Mar 8, 2013, at 12:19 AM, Ryan Post wrote:

I was on the advisory committee when WVU installed the new racks, and Jonathan had a lot of information on different racks then. At the time WVU had 2 types: some simple comb deal with a lot of slots closely together, and a really bad design that held the lower portion of just one wheel.  I never had much issue with the comb racks, either putting my rear wheel in, or putting my front wheel over (the bike then rested on the underside of the downtube and fork. The combs could hold a lot of bikes closely together. My MTB with fenders wouldn't fit in the smaller combs, but I could lock it on the side of the rack.

The new WVU U shaped racks work well, but they consume A LOT of space and were overly expensive. The useful ones were always full (less capacity than the combs had). The serpentine ones like at the rec center are pretty good, though awkward to overfill so still not able to store say 8bikes on the rack.

In terms of locking both wheels and frame, the comb would require a 6' lock, but I was never that worried about locking more than the frame, and maybe a wheel in Morgantown.


On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 11:20 PM, Jonathan Rosenbaum <jr@wvcompletestreets.org> wrote:
When it comes to rack design, I advocate for the guidelines the ABPB recommends.  There is a good list at http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/engineering/parking.cfm :
  • support the frame of the bicycle and not just one wheel
  • allow the frame and one wheel to be locked to the rack when both wheels are left on the bike
  • allow the frame and both wheels to be locked to the rack if the front wheel is removed
  • allow the use of either a cable or U-shaped lock
  • be securely anchored
  • be usable by bikes with no kickstand
  • be usable by bikes with water bottle cages
  • be usable by a wide variety of sizes and types of bicycle

I will soon be taking action on getting the PS rack to Suncrest Middle School.  It was my Alma Mater, afterall, the one where I was not allowed to park my bicycle.  Matt's victory is significant, emphasize that to Chelsea.

However, I would like well designed racks to be installed because they encourage bicycle parking.  Comb and toast racks really aren't suitable for a school environment.

-Jonathan


On 03/07/2013 07:33 PM, Andrew Pathfinder wrote:
Choice number one. The Graber...yes Graber Mighty Mite 6 Bike Rack. This rack retails for $110 and could be anchored to the ground using a bracket or locked to a permanent fixture. 




Option number two: Dero MR 12 Rack. This rack is more substantial and would hold 12 bicycles and would be easier to bolt to the ground. Price would be $400. 

I would be interested to see if budget dollars could be used for this purpose and or would also be interested in helping put a citizen pool to get one of these racks installed at the school. 

There are other options but these two give a good idea of a basic and nicer version of the rack debate. 

Thanks, 
Andrew 

Andrew R. Walker
Pathfinder of West Virginia
235 High Street 
Morgantown Wv 26505
(304)296-0076


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