Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)After my roommate had his bicycle stolen in the middle of the night, we decided that it might be wise to get something better than locking the bike to itself, or try to secure it (with great difficulty and a weak chain) around one of the support poles of the carport of the apartment complex. My bike and his replacement bike both have heavy-duty D-locks, but they require something good to connect the bike to, like a bike rack.
Our apartment complex had no bike racks, so we had to fend for ourselves. After reading our lease agreement, we decided that since the parking spot could be used for "vehicles and accessories required for parking vehicles", they wouldn't raise a fuss about a bike rack. It's safer, more secure, and has a better appearance than bicycles tied to random objects around the complex, as is the current status quo. This seemed effective and inexpensive, so we ordered it.
It took the two of us about 45 minutes to put it together, ignoring the time it took to bike out and buy the 10mm crescent wrench we needed. (A socket wrench would also have worked.) It's not included, and I wouldn't expect it to be, but knowing which wrench you need seems like a useful piece of information that's not published here.
The aluminum tubes are hollow, but sturdy enough; that said, a solid pair of bolt cutters could probably break through any of the bars on the rack, so if you have a good bike lock, the rack itself is your weakest link. A thief with a pickup truck rather than a solid set of bolt cutters could potentially take the entire rack, with the bikes still attached, and drive off; that said, it is significantly more encumbering than just taking the bike. This is mitigated by locking the rack itself to something more stable; we've got a heavy chain and a strong padlock affixing the rack I purchased to one of the support beams at the apartment complex.
This is a traditional-design bike rack, which is to say it's designed for you to roll your front wheel in. Convenient, but not very secure, because it's impossible to lock a D-lock around all of the frame, the rack, and the front wheel at the same time; you can only get the rack and the wheel, or the wheel and the frame. Fortunately, this design can be completely ignored. A bike can be moved over the top of the rack, so the top bar of the rack goes between the front wheel and the frame; this "throw-over" style of rack usage allows the bike to be secured properly, and the two larger gaps are perfect for this. Attaching a bike to the side of the stand also allows for secure locking.
However, this usage only allows for four bikes, not six. Six bikes on the rack would be awkward and crowded anyway; even alternating direction, as is plainly required, using the expected spaces to park a bike would still result in a lot of handlebar collision.
This is a good rack if you want to use it as a throw-over, and if you lock it to something. You do need a secure attachment point and a good chain, however, because the rack is lightweight; with that in mind, this is recommended for those who need to secure a bike outside and have reasonable space to do so.
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