Advocacy & Safety - 1977 bike rack...

Remember the '70s? I was reviewing them the other day while watching "Three's Company". It seems in closing sequence they show a bike rack in the foreground after ol' Jack has fallen from his Huffy. This is one of those dealies where you slide the bike's front tire into the slot and lock it securely by said tire. Hopefully the bolt on your tire is rusted on from the Pacific salt air or your frame may go missing.

Ironic part: (not to beat this issue to death) There are several fairly new grocery stores in town. They all seem to have bought their bike racks right off the set of this wonderful show. Like I have said before, "what good is a bike rack that only locks up twenty year old bikes?" I stand corrected, it should have been "twenty-five year old bikes".

I guess it's only fitting in an era of huge cars that get five miles a gallon...

Clay

Fortunately, many of the newer bike racks in San Diego County are of the preferred "inverted-U" variety. In the absence of a good, rim-friendly rack, I prefer to chain/cable the bike to a tree or signpost. The only problem with this is that the security Gestapo at one of the local shopping malls (Plaza Camino Real, for those familiar with the Carlsbad/Oceanside area) routinely impound bicycles parked in this manner. When I shop there, I usually lean my bike against one end of the bike rack, instead of risking wheel warpage in one of the slots.

Originally posted by Oxymoron
Remember the '70s?Actually, I remember the type of bike rack you describe from the 50s. Locking just the front wheel worked well back then since bikes didn't have quick-release wheels. Locking the front wheel was good enough. When the quick-release concept came along, we had to start being more careful how we locked up our bikes.

They have an old fashioned rimbender at the blood bank here. I mentioned it to the head nurse and unfortunately, it turned into an argument about whether I should be riding my bike after giving a pint of blood. :eek: She was just looking out for me, but I thought it funny that my casual 2 mile ride to my house was going to qualify as "strenuous exercise." :)

For the record, my bike was still there (I took off the front wheel and u-locked the frame to the side of the rack) and I made it home safely. I got a nice note about a week later thanking me for my suggestion that they look into installing a more modern bike rack.

Originally posted by caloso
They have an old fashioned rimbender at the blood bank here. I mentioned it to the head nurse and unfortunately, it turned into an argument about whether I should be riding my bike after giving a pint of blood. :eek: She was just looking out for me, but I thought it funny that my casual 2 mile ride to my house was going to qualify as "strenuous exercise." :)

You should have told her that you had to ride your bike in order to warm your blood up so it would flow through the pipes. :D

If the space is wide enough for your back wheel and derailler put the rear wheel in that sort of rack and lock thru the seatstay if possible.

Originally posted by caloso
... whether I should be riding my bike after giving a pint of blood. She was just looking out for me, but I thought it funny that my casual 2 mile ride to my house was going to qualify as "strenuous exercise."

Been there, done that several times. (I frequently show up at the BloodMobile with my bike helmet.) I usually get them to calm down by noting how far I typically jog (26mi/40km) and cycle (40mi/65km) per week.

Exactly. I should have pulled out my donation receipt, pointed to my HR and BP and said, "How do you think I got numbers like these?" :)

I should have pulled out my donation receipt, pointed to my HR and BP and said, "How do you think I got numbers like these?"

I've only given blood once. It was a competition for the local businesses, so I did it for my fellow employees. Well, the phlebotomist did his thing then he asked me if I was a marathon runner or something. I was sort-of pleased. That said, bike racks of all sort suck. A few years back, I exited a local college to find my brake levers gone - I'll walk into a store with my bike over my shoulder rather than leave it in a standard rack.

Originally posted by Rotifer
A few years back, I exited a local college to find my brake levers gone - I'll walk into a store with my bike over my shoulder rather than leave it in a standard rack.

Wow. At various times I've had my computer, saddlebag, light mount, and water bottles stolen. But brake levers! That's weird.