#HTE

Yea or Nay? The Bici Bike Rack System

Parking spaces for cars have a universally-accepted design: Two painted lines on the ground. Those designing bike racks have it much harder, as they’re typically working within tighter space constraints and have to take anti-theft provisions into account. And I’m all for a variety of designers throwing their skills at this problem, but this new Bici design has me scratching my head:

“The architectural firm Zeller & Moye, with double base in Mexico City and Berlin, proposes a new device called Bici. The element designed is simply made of a 2.03 m long C-shaped metal profile with a opening to accommodate the front wheel of the transport vehicle. With its rail guide, it is easy to use and suitable for all types of bicycles. Bicycles can be installed indoors or outdoors, at home or in a bike parking.

"The installation, guided by drawings similar to an Ikea assembly manual, is simple and intuitive: first the head of the frame is fixed in place with the pin inserted in a hole drilled in the wall; then the foot of the frame is placed on the floor and fixed firmly with screws.”

First off, for bike racks I’m not sure a “simple and intuitive” installation is the way to go; I’d want these things to be a bitch to install, so that they’re a bitch to uninstall. If I’m a bike thief and I just have to pop a couple of screws to get the bike and C-channel off, I can throw that in the van in a few seconds. (In NYC at least, thieves have been known to remove bikes still attached to the railings they’re shackled to. Presumably they’re then whisked away to a chopshop where they can take their time freeing the bike.)

Secondly, I think asking end users of varying physicalities to push the bike up that angle, and safely get it back down afterwards, might be asking too much.

Thirdly, at least as depicted in the photos, I think I’d want a lot more space between each rack to maneuver my bike in and out.

Lastly, most bike rack designs are floor-mounted, which provides flexibility in placement. Having them rely on both a floor and a wall seems like a limitation with little benefit.

What say you, am I missing what’s great about this design?

https://www.core77.com/posts/102512/Yea-or-Nay-The-Bici-Bike-Rack-System