Not another design student asking questions!

[tableg]

I'm another one of those annoying 3rd year design students who comes along to ask you all to help me out with my major project, however I am different!!!

Basically I'm designing a bike rack or a bike lock that will significantly reduce bike theft.

I'd love to find out what you love and hate about bike security. Anything you can tell me would be absolutely amazing Whether its a rack you've seen, lock you like or simply ranting about securing your bike, I want to hear it all

Thank you so much, I really do appreciate this

 

[Spinney]

You may regret asking on here for rants... !

OK - serious answer, but only an initial thought - dislike the size/weight of a cable and lock that is sturdy enough to do the job.

 

[gavintc]

A radical idea is to put the cable into the street furniture allowing you to bring your own lock.

 

[Tim Hall]

Some years ago (15?), a set of bike racks with integral lockers were installed in the town where I lived. Wheel bike into rack, lift lid of locker (which was rectangular and alongside the bike), slide the three bolts across, which pinned the wheels and frame securely into the rack. Close the locker lid, which meant the bolts couldn't be retracted, then lock it by putting your own lock through a hasp in the lid of the locker. The locker had enough space for a couple of panniers if you tried hard. A really nifty idea, but its really big downfall was the quality of the materials used. Thin steel/aluminium stampings for the bolt fixings, crappy hinge on the locker lid. These soon feel foul of the local disaffected youth, leaving the locker useless. They were ripped out and replaced with Sheffield stands.

 

[Amanda P]

I like unconventional bikes. I have bikes with small wheels (Moulton, Brompton), a tandem, a recumbent. I sometimes use a trailer. It's annoying or inconvenient when these won't fit in clever bike racks because they'll only take bikes with 26 or 28" wheels, or because they're too close together or too close to a wall or whatever.

A Sheffield stand will accommodate almost anything if it's installed thoughtfully.

Why don't Sheffield stands have lengths of high-quality through-hardened chain looped over them before they're installed? Then cyclists could carry their own padlock but wouldn't have to lug around a D-lock or chain. Look at any workplace or even high street group of Sheffield stands and you'll probably see at least one D-lock left locked on by someone who uses it every day. The chain idea is the obvious extension of that.

 

[tableg]

You may regret asking on here for rants... !

OK - serious answer, but only an initial thought - dislike the size/weight of a cable and lock that is sturdy enough to do the job.

Thanks for the thoughts
If you'd like to rant, then please do!!

 

[summerdays]

One of my main rants other than the need for locks, would be having plenty of stands in the right place. I know a new housing estate and they built it with a few outside cycle stands and not enough places to park yep cars so now there is always a car parked across the cycle stands making them useless.

Wheel benders are another thing that really irritate, put in a decent stand cos I'm not going to use them in the way you are expecting (I lock the bike at 90deg to what it should be so I can lock the frame).

Shops etc being built without having to provide decent cycle provision as part of their planning application.

Councils not going looking to see how full their bike racks are, and realising they need to provide more.

I don't think I can get away without carrying a lock apart from on rides where I know it will be secure at both ends of my journey. And even then there is always the chance that you need to lock up on route meaning carrying a lock is useful.

 

[Spinney]

Popped into the big Sainsbury's in Gloucester yesterday - and was impressed.
At least 10 Sheffield stands, half of them under a cover, plus one of those big circular free-standing things that take bikes almost vertically, plus another smaller version that appeared to take scooters as well.

The sad thing? Only one other bike there besides mine. Looks like none of the staff go in by bike!

Go Outdoors in Gloucester, however, have only wheelbenders, so I lock my bike to the barriers around the bit where trolleys go.

 

[jongooligan]

One of my bikes is really precious to me. I don't want the frame to be marked at all so don't want it resting against the bare metal of a Sheffield stand. Only takes someone to give it a nudge and it would be scratched.

 

[mustang1]

When I walk away from car it locks itself. When I walk towards it, it unlocks itself.

Can you design whatever you need to design to make my bike lock and unlock that conveniently?

 

[Ern1e]

I agree with @summerdays on planning applications needing to provide for cycling shoppers and it should be a requirement for it to be in a visible place not down the bottom end of the car park or round the back of the building in fact just outside the main door would be rather quite nice lol.

 

[G3CWI]

Think laterally, don't lock your bike, disguise it.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Think laterally, don't lock your bike, disguise it.

View attachment 73694

Surely whenever he parks that he risks finding other bikes chained to it.

GC