Secure Parking/Bike Racks

[bicycledriver]

The subject of locking a Segway securely at trip endpoints has come up a couple of times on this formum. I believe that this is a situation where the interests of Segwayists and cyclists are practically identical.

The inverted-hoop style of bike racks preferred by experienced utility cyclists in the United States should work very well for Segway users. Pictures of such racks are shown in the URLs below:

http://www.dumor.com/site-furnishings-images/bike-rack-125-130.jpg

http://www.ameribike.com/catalog/racks/standard-innov/standard/hoop/hoop.html

The inverted-U rack allows locking anyhere on its vertical or horizontal tubes by either cables or U-locks. Cyclists who park valuable bikes will generally use a U-lock passed through the rear wheel and frame to the vertical post, optionally locking the front wheel with an extra cable, locking quick-release skewer, or by removing the wheel and capturing it with the U-lock as well. I think this type of rack works well for Segway users who use either U-locks or cables.

Note that securely locking a bicycle with a strong U-lock is actually made more difficult by the old-fashioned racks and other bicycle-specific designed to stand up the bike by its wheel, as shown in the URLs below:

http://www.onlinesports.com/images/cp-or177.jpg
http://www.backyardamerica.com/images/bikerack.jpg
http://www.adamreynolds.co.uk/bike.jpg
http://www.cora.com/images/template_32.jpg

Ideal locations for secure racks are near doorways and front building windows, with good lighting at night, and preferably under an awning or roof. Inverted-hoop racks are simple, compact, and affordable to install. This makes it easier for property developers to provide more of them, closer to trip endpoints, as opposed to the large old-fashioned racks. They work better for serious cyclists and Segway users than old-fashioned racks. Perhaps instead of calling these "bike racks" we could start calling these "light vehicle racks". I think that increasing public awareness of these universally useful racks may help all of us.

Steve Goodridge

[Casey]

It looks to me like the adamreynolds unit might be a good compromise. It appears you could either park with the wheel in it or next to it.

http://www.adamreynolds.co.uk/bike.jpg

[GlideMaster]

The adamreynolds unit looks like a nice rack but, I'm a little leery as to wether cities would want those legs protruding as they do. Someone in our litigious society will want to sue.

<center>REMEMBER:
Responsible Riders Ride Segway
and
Segway Riders Ride Responsibly </center>




quote:Originally posted by Casey

It looks to me like the adamreynolds unit might be a good compromise. It appears you could either park with the wheel in it or next to it.

http://www.adamreynolds.co.uk/bike.jpg

[bicycledriver]

I personally don't like the Adam Reynolds rack because it is designed to hold just the front wheel of a bike, and doesn't extend far enough back to lock the rear wheel and frame together. I prefer just a single inverted U rack, which allows a typical U-lock to span from the pipe to the frame with just about any orientation of the bike. I usually place the U-lock around the vertical part of the post and around the bike's frame and rear wheel below the seat post. This allows the bike to be parked either parallel to or perpendicular to the orientation of the base of the U, and the bike won't fall over.

I think the inverted U will likewise allow Segway drivers to park on any side of the rack as long as they can reach the post with a U-lock or cable. This flexibility becomes important as the rack area becomes crowded, or if the rack needs to be squeezed into a tight location on a sidewalk or next to a building doorway.

-Steve Goodridge