Artkansas 

I came out to Phoenix to visit my sister for Christmas. Yesterday things were quiet so I went out to Chandler Fashion Center to do some people watching.

Imagine my surprise as I'm wandering around to see a bicycle store in the mall, Cactus Bikes. I found out that they had opened the space just for the Christmas season and they were doing amazing amounts of business.

It was great to see a bicycle store being so mainstream.

gerv 

Someone on this forum (Platy, I think...) claimed that "cycling was the new golf." All we need wonder now is whether these cycles will bloat surburban garages for a generation to come or whether some of them will see the streets of the city.

Merry Christmas to you.

Platy

Credit kf5nd for that. What a great meme!

Nickel

Let them sit in their garages. Better pickings on craigslist in a few years!

gwd

Well I went out to a suburban Mall on Christmas eve to help a friend. I saw no bike racks so I tied up to a tree near the parcel pickup lane. When I returned to my bike there was a security guard there talking on his radio:"Yeah, bring the tools around, I got a bike to cut loose and impound...." The cop said that it is against the law to park a bike at Macy's. He said I should have circled around the mall until I found the bike racks on the other side- the side I didn't intend to visit. When I began to reply "I don't think.." he cut me short with "Yes we confiscate bikes all the time- we'd cut that lock real quick, we got the tools." I meant to say "I don't think its against the law." not "I don't think you can cut my lock.". Actually, the last time I looked there was something in DC (not VA) bike laws about not locking to trees less than a certain diameter so maybe the guard was partially right, there might be a similar law in VA about not locking bikes to trees but it seems strange that there would be a law specifically mentioning Macy's as a place where bike parking is prohibited.

gerv 

I think that was your first mistake.

Your second was chosing the suburban mall run by neo fascists.

Platy

Whatever happened to the Magic of Macy*s!

If you're into schadenfreude here's a tale for you. There's an old decrepit mall not too far from here. Last year around Christmas time, on my way to the mens room I passed the mall security office. It was dark and empty. There was a legal notice taped to the window saying the door was chained shut and the furniture removed for non payment of rent. I still haven't figured out what was going on there.

cerewa

The mall and its parking lot are probably private property. If the mall has a rule against locking bikes to trees, i would guess it's illegal trespassing to break the rule.

Illegal or not, doesn't change the fact that the cops and mall owners involved are real %$#holes.

gwd

Yeah, its not like they had signs pointing to the bike racks or saying "No Bikes In Front at Macy's". How's an urban biker to know the rule until he comes out to find his bike missing?

jaydubya

Good point. I rode my bike once to a dentist who had his office in a large building. I did not see any bike racks, so I locked it up at a handicap parking sign (out of the way of any car parking in the spot). When I got out there was a sign taped to my bike that if I park my bike there again it would be removed. Seems the property management was a real jerk about bikes on the property. I switched dentists right after. (Didn't care much for him anyway). But, you're right - how do you know where to park if no obvious facilities or signs are there?