Originally posted by ngateguy
our older Park N Rides here in Snohomish county have some older versions of that it opens up and you put your bike in it when you close it it clamps the front and rear weel into it and you can lock it with a pad lock. Just used one for the first time the other night pretty cool.
Actually, the racks you're describing would be Rack III racks, made in Oakland CA, by a different company. They work really well if used as intended, but they don't fit all bike frames, and are prone to scratching your frame, if that's an issue with you. And. if you secure them with a u-lock instead of using the padlock feature, then your bike is susceptible to all the methods used by thieves these days to defeat u-locks.
I also notice in the posted picture of the crankcase lock in use outside Dell Computer, that neither bicycle has its wheels secured with the included cable lock intended for that purpose. In many cities those wheels will 'walk' on you while you're inside at work. Learn to use both your lock and rack properly, or suffer the consequences. Finally, if these racks are for long-term commuter/employee parking, they really should be covered. The sun in Austin will destroy bicycle tires in no time flat, at a nine hour a day exposure rate, never mind the rain...