Apartment complex issues
 

We live on the third floor of an apartment complex with no elevators and narrow, twisty stairs. The bikes had been (with permission of the apartment manager) locked to the railing set behind the pillars holding up the car parking cover behind the sidewalk. No complaints. Yesterday, on our door we find a note saying that the bikes need to be stored on our porch by the 2nd.
The porch in question is generally inaccessible to bikes; I could get a folder out there; I can get a regular sized bike there with some risk of damaging the apartment, but getting my longtail in there is dubious.
This because the bikes are a 'tripping hazard', and because they plan to install "bike racks" (of unknown type and location) "over the summer".

What should I be doing here? Last time we tried carrying a bike up to the apartment, I banged it against things on the building once or twice, and we need it to do things like - go shopping, or to the doctors', and so on. While we have a car parking space available, there is nothing to lock to in it.

I guess that I wold first try to reason with them. I would point out that one reason I rented there in the first place was because bike parking was allowed. I would show them how lousy their idea of where you should park is. If other tenants are affected, I would organize some kind of group action.

If that didn't work, I would probably try some threats. I would tell them that when I signed my lease, it was with the understanding that there would be parking for my bikes. If there was no parking, I either would not have rented there, or I would have asked for a substantial reduction of the rent. Since they have arbitrarily reduced the value of my apartment by removing the parking for my vehicle, I would consider the lease to be null and void and I would feel free to move out without any penalty.

(You should probably check the law on this before you actually break the lease. I think the premise is that they actually broke the lease by reducing the value of your holding, without providing a replacement or even giving you reasonable notice.)

Here is a link to a hoist that might work for you.

Is your parking space in a lot or in a carport?

There is a roof cover over the spaces nearest the building; one space per unit. We have one of those spaces. (Currently I am allowing one of my neighbors to use the space, with the understanding that we can reclaim it if we need it.)

It sounds like they are clueless about what kind of bike rack to install.

I would talk with them about a temporary solution till the racks are installed, and volunteer to be the bike rack "coordinator" and do the research about what kind of rack is needed, and to contact the other tenants to make sure their needs are taken care of. This would also give you contacts with all the other bicyclists in the building.

Hmmm... you have a balcony....

Block and tackle?
;)

Take your car parking space and install a rack.

The Brompton or a folding bike.

This was suggested elsewhere for a similar problem with parking at work.

But a cheap old van, have the person selling it drive ( or tow it ) to your parking spot, black out the windows, (optionally reinforce internally) Store bike in van.

I think it's great they are installing bike parking, so don't get into a battle with them - work with them.

What about putting a small storage shed in your parking spot? Would they go for that?

Ask why they don't install the racks now, if you have to move your bikes soon. From life experience, "sometime this summer" means anywhere from "in the summer" to "whenever, whatever."

If they won't let you install a rack, take your car parking space, and buy the cheapest van you can find (doesn't have to run), and park it in the space. Use it as a bike locker.

I think that once an apartment management has been infected by stoopid, it's time to go.

+1 This should be your first line of attack. They obviously know nothing about your and other cyclists' needs and you are the consultant they are looking for.

Depends also on what sort of "rack" they install. A number of years ago, a condo complex that I was renting a unit in enacted a rule that all bikes had to be stored in the communal storage area. They built a rack, all right- out of 2X4s screwed together. I hope the rack they're planning on in your case is something decent.

Never would I leave my bike for hours at a time on something like that.


@ The OP:
If your bike is too long to get onto the porch (I'm assuming these are the uber narrow porches that are typical of apartments), is there any place else in your apartment suite that you could put your bike after each use? Also, if you got your front wheel set up with a quick release system (or even just unbolted the wheel - inconvenient, I know), would that enable to to be put away more easily?

Also, while the idea of creating a winch system may have been suggested in jest, it may not actually be a bad idea, especially if you or someone you know has a bit of DIY retrofitting savvy. Conceivably, you could get a remote control electric winch that could lower down a harness that clips onto your bike and hoists it up to the porch (of course, you would need to find a way of adequately securing the winch system so that it doesn't fall off the porch). With the remote control, it could be a one person job (not requiring you to leave your bike outside unlocked while you run upstairs to activate the winch). This approach may be rather unorthodox, but a cycling lifestyle by its very nature often requires one to be creative and think outside of the box.

Go to a neighborhood welding shop and ask him/her to fabricate a 2 inch steel Ring/plate in a piece of flat steel bar stock with two holes around 1/2 inch in diameter . Bolt this to the concrete and now you can run a cable or chain through your bike. This is done in your parking spot, I would check with the manager first to let him know no major damage will be done to the concrete. When you move, simply remove the block and patch the 2 holes with some sakrete. I did this at my Condo for securing a motorcycle I used to own. Now I use it for my bicycle on occassion. This is a cheap fix, shouldn't cost over $20 total. Check out the below links to get an idea of what you need to make. The piece that is to be welded at a right angle to the base plate should be centered between the two bolt holes used to anchor the baseplate.

http://www.pjbsecurity.co.uk/replace...defender-black

Here's another link; check out the last device at the bottom of this page with the ring. That device folds flat when not in use and any decent welder can fabricate one in less then 15 minutes. Personally I would mount this flush with the ground so a thief couldn't get a prybar under the plate to remove it. When I installed my plate, I chipped out the concrete 3/8" below the surface so the base plate was mounted slightly below the surface. It only took 10 minutes extra to add this step but is well worth it. A bike thief still could defeat this system but he'll work at doing it.

http://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/

Don't assume that if they break the lease, you are allowed to break it too.

In at least one place, the law is:
If your landlord deprives you of a quarter of your apartment*, you have to keep paying for the other three quarters; that is, the lease is not considered void.

Avoid using the court system to back you up if you can - the law might not be on your side and even if it is, it can be a huge headache (and expense) to get courts / government to do anything useful for you.

Disclaimer - consult a lawyer if you want to know the law in YOUR situation.

*due to a construction project, broken roof, or something like that

for the win!

Hmm... the van is an interesting idea, especially if you can get it for next to nothing. But if you are parking it in a parking lot, would it still need at least parking insurance, or is that only if it is parked on the road that it needs parking insurance? If it needs insurance, that could be a bit of a downer.

From May'04 to Jan.'07, my (ex)fiance n' I lived in an apartment building that thankfully had an elevator. When we first moved in, the building management wanted me to lock my bike up outside. I told them 'No' because there was no place to lock it up outside. The apartment management finally buckled and, I kept my bike in the apartment.

In my state you have to have insurance to get the motor vehicle registered and get a plate or tag. No registration, and it will be considered "trash" basically. Eventually the apartment management will tell you that you must move it. Or the cops will start ticketing it and eventually tow it away.

One of these in your carport.
http://www.seefido.com/html/dog_kenn...pen_fence_.htm