who designed the inverted U bike rack?

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Date: 08 Sep 2006 11:19:30
From: Fritz M
Subject: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

I'm in a pssing contest right now with somebody who claims the inverted
U bike racks are designed for bikes parking perpendicular to them,
backing his claim up with pointers to manufacturer websites
illustrating this configuration:

http://www.theparkcatalog.com/items.asp?Cc=BR-CM&Bc=

I'm not too interested in debating this guy, but it did arouse my
interest in who originally created the inverted U bike rack. Is there a
patent on the design? And do the design documents state the purpose of
the design is to provide two points of contacts for bikes?

Thanks,

RFM

Date: 09 Sep 2006 13:44:23
From: Joshua Putnam
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

Just a guess based on old photos, but I think they evolved out of racks
made from galvanized iron railing pipe. Near our trailhead here is an
old section of roadside railing made from 3" galvanized pipe, it's as
good a bike rack as any inverted-U.

--
josh@phred.org is Joshua Putnam
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/ >
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html >

Date: 08 Sep 2006 19:51:33
From: Jeremy Parker
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

"Fritz M" <nospam@masoner.net > wrote in message
news:1157739570.730098.100380@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> I'm in a pssing contest right now with somebody who claims the
inverted
> U bike racks are designed for bikes parking perpendicular to them,
> backing his claim up with pointers to manufacturer websites
> illustrating this configuration:
>
> http://www.theparkcatalog.com/items.asp?Cc=BR-CM&Bc=
>
> I'm not too interested in debating this guy, but it did arouse my
> interest in who originally created the inverted U bike rack.

In the USA they are known as "Philadelphia racks". In Britain they
are known as "Sheffield stands"

Those might be clues. Maybe they were invented twice. My guess it
would be in about the early 1970s in both countries, more than a
century after the bicyle was invented. I don't know whether other
countries have them.

Bike parking is, I suppose, the only kind of facility that owes
nothing to the invention of the automobile.

Jeremy Parker

Date: 09 Sep 2006 17:18:17
From: Mike Causer
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

On Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:51:33 +0100, Jeremy Parker wrote:

>
> "Fritz M" <nospam@masoner.net> wrote in message
> news:1157739570.730098.100380@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
>> I'm in a pssing contest right now with somebody who claims the
> inverted
>> U bike racks are designed for bikes parking perpendicular to them,
>> backing his claim up with pointers to manufacturer websites illustrating
>> this configuration:
>>
>> http://www.theparkcatalog.com/items.asp?Cc=BR-CM&Bc=

> In the USA they are known as "Philadelphia racks". In Britain they are
> known as "Sheffield stands"

And we always park parallel to them. In fact when two are side by side
it's impossible to use them as that catalogue shows. Here's a pic:
http://www.mikecauser.com/images/shared_use.jpg

Mike

Date: 09 Sep 2006 09:24:17
From: Earl Bollinger
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

"Fritz M" <nospam@masoner.net > wrote in message
news:1157739570.730098.100380@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> I'm in a pssing contest right now with somebody who claims the inverted
> U bike racks are designed for bikes parking perpendicular to them,
> backing his claim up with pointers to manufacturer websites
> illustrating this configuration:
>
> http://www.theparkcatalog.com/items.asp?Cc=BR-CM&Bc=
>
> I'm not too interested in debating this guy, but it did arouse my
> interest in who originally created the inverted U bike rack. Is there a
> patent on the design? And do the design documents state the purpose of
> the design is to provide two points of contacts for bikes?
>
> Thanks,
>
> RFM
>

Well I think they were designed by someone who doesn't ride bicycles.
Their interpretation of a bike rack is something you put your bike in
perpendicular to the rack and chain or lock it to the tubing somehow.
Thus yielding a maximum number of bikes one could conceivable lock to the
rack.
But the racks do not take into account how much they can damage or scratch
up a bike frame. So most cyclists likely lock theie bikes to the racks in a
parallel fashion in a attempt to minimize the damage.

Date: 09 Sep 2006 07:06:35
From: Kenny
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

Fritz M wrote:
> I'm in a pssing contest right now with somebody who claims the inverted
> U bike racks are designed for bikes parking perpendicular to them,
> backing his claim up with pointers to manufacturer websites
> illustrating this configuration:
>
> http://www.theparkcatalog.com/items.asp?Cc=BR-CM&Bc=
>
> I'm not too interested in debating this guy, but it did arouse my
> interest in who originally created the inverted U bike rack. Is there a
> patent on the design? And do the design documents state the purpose of
> the design is to provide two points of contacts for bikes?
>
> Thanks,
>
> RFM
They look like something they used to tie horses up to.

Date: 08 Sep 2006 14:06:14
From:
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

Werehatrack wrote:

> Common courtesy to other riders dictates that one should not
> unnecessarily hog the rack. If a six-foot-long rack that could easily
> provide security for six or more bikes is occupied by just four bikes
> parked parallel and locked at two points to each side of the rack, the
> fifth cyclist has nowhere to lock up. I've seen, and cussed mightily
> at, such situations once or twice.

This is true for the long racks. But for the single
U-formation rack, which can only accomodate two
bikes no matter how you slice em, go ahead and
use the much nicer parallel method. So in answer
to Fritz's pssing contest I would say long squiggly
rack go perpendicular, single U go parallel (or
just off parallel to make it easier on another user).
Where I live anyway the single-U's are situated
on sidewalks parallel to the road, so perpendicular
parking on them is impractical--it uses too much
sidewalk space and may even put part of your
bike out in the road.

Most parking meters work great, too, unless they
have signs attached.

Robert

Date: 08 Sep 2006 20:13:27
From: Claire Petersky
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

Date: 09 Sep 2006 21:00:16
From: Leland Mayne
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

Claire Petersky wrote:

>
> Bike racks, to be effective, do need two points of contact.
>

I've heard this statement before in planning/design contexts but never
understood where it comes from. I don't think I have ever deliberately
parked my bike so as to achieve two points of contact. In fact, one of
my favorite "bike racks" is a street sign post just small enough to get
my lock around.

--
Leland Mayne, LCI #831 President
Neighborhood Bike Works
3916 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104
leland@neighborhoodbikeworks.org
http://neighborhoodbikeworks.org

Date: 10 Sep 2006 14:33:08
From: Claire Petersky
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

"Leland Mayne" <Leland@neighborhoodbikeworks.org > wrote in message
news:AXFMg.2502$xC3.2376@trnddc06...
> Claire Petersky wrote:
>>
>> Bike racks, to be effective, do need two points of contact.
>
> I've heard this statement before in planning/design contexts but never
> understood where it comes from. I don't think I have ever deliberately
> parked my bike so as to achieve two points of contact. In fact, one of my
> favorite "bike racks" is a street sign post just small enough to get my
> lock around.

Do you have a rack or panniers? This might make a difference in how easy it
is to get your bike to remain upright while secured.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Date: 11 Sep 2006 13:40:09
From: Leland Mayne
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

Claire Petersky wrote:
> "Leland Mayne" <Leland@neighborhoodbikeworks.org> wrote in message
> news:AXFMg.2502$xC3.2376@trnddc06...
>
>>Claire Petersky wrote:
>>
>>>Bike racks, to be effective, do need two points of contact.
>>
>>I've heard this statement before in planning/design contexts but never
>>understood where it comes from. I don't think I have ever deliberately
>>parked my bike so as to achieve two points of contact. In fact, one of my
>>favorite "bike racks" is a street sign post just small enough to get my
>>lock around.
>
>
>
> Do you have a rack or panniers? This might make a difference in how easy it
> is to get your bike to remain upright while secured.
>

This applies to all of the bikes I've had over the years. From my
current commuter which has front and rear racks and fenders with cloth
baskets more or less permanently attached in back to relatively
lightweight road bikes without any racks or fenders. Beside the obvious
problems with racks that only support a bike by one wheel the problems I
see with bike racks are racks, either snake style or sets of inverted
U's that put adjacent bikes too close together so that handle bars overlap.

--
Leland Mayne, LCI #831 President
Neighborhood Bike Works
3916 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104
leland@neighborhoodbikeworks.org
http://neighborhoodbikeworks.org

Date: 08 Sep 2006 18:54:08
From: Werehatrack
Subject: Re: who designed the inverted U bike rack?

On 8 Sep 2006 11:19:30 -0700, "Fritz M" <nospam@masoner.net > wrote:

>I'm in a pssing contest right now with somebody who claims the inverted
>U bike racks are designed for bikes parking perpendicular to them,
>backing his claim up with pointers to manufacturer websites
>illustrating this configuration:
>
> http://www.theparkcatalog.com/items.asp?Cc=BR-CM&Bc=
>
>I'm not too interested in debating this guy, but it did arouse my
>interest in who originally created the inverted U bike rack. Is there a
>patent on the design? And do the design documents state the purpose of
>the design is to provide two points of contacts for bikes?

I have seen a photo of such a rack from before WWII, so any patent is
long dead.

Common courtesy to other riders dictates that one should not
unnecessarily hog the rack. If a six-foot-long rack that could easily
provide security for six or more bikes is occupied by just four bikes
parked parallel and locked at two points to each side of the rack, the
fifth cyclist has nowhere to lock up. I've seen, and cussed mightily
at, such situations once or twice.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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