Comments on: First Look: New CityRack Has Arrived

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:24:27 +0000

There are three of them on the east side of Broadway between West 43rd Street and West 44th Street.

On the security issue: I think DOT should anchor the racks down past the subway tunnels, through the earth’s crust and mantle, into its liquid core, so that molten magma courses through the hollow tube of the rack. If the containment tube above the surface were to be breached by a thief’s plasma cutter or power winch, then the magma upon exposure to air would instantly cool into solid rock, providing a second layer of deterrence and delaying the thief at the scene.

By: Streetsman

Streetsman — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:51:59 +0000

That’s right – this rack is mounted the exact same way as n and m racks. But with n and m racks, if you lever the mounts out of the sidewalk, u locks and chains can be slid right off the ends and the bike ridden away. With this design if you break the rack out of the ground you can’t slide the lock off, so the bike is basically unrideable. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be tossed into the back of a pickup truck, but if someone has the means of dislodging a rack, and transporting it on a flatbed vehicle to somewhere offsite where they have tools to bust the lock, then you have to concede defeat – there’s no combination of rack and lock that is 100% secure. There’s not much that’s gonna protect you if someone is toting a plasma cutter.

By: dave

dave — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:19:44 +0000

@Benjamin Running – The problem with the current n/m racks is if you can knock them out of the ground you can steal the bikes. With this design you cant.

By: John in NH

John in NH — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 02:44:56 +0000

I am all for design, and I do like the way the city went about doing this. However we need form to FOLLOW function not precede it and this does not seem something that will be all together functional enough. ok maybe good for a quick poke into a shop but for a couple hours? idk…

By: Benjamin Running

Benjamin Running — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:49:20 +0000

That rack makes me a little uncomfortable.

I haven’t seen one in the flesh (steel?) yet, but from the photo, they seem like they’d be too easy to kick out of the ground. The current “n” and “m” racks with their ends embedded into the concrete seem far more secure.

By: Kaja

Kaja — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:38:29 +0000

I passed Allen St this afternoon. The chalk is down for the redesign.

I can’t wait.

By: BikingViking

BikingViking — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:11:11 +0000

Are they wide enough to get a front tire and a rear tire lock on to them?

By: Nathan H.

Nathan H. — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:26:02 +0000

But then you’d have to take it with the bicycle.

By: Atomische

Atomische — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:12:53 +0000

Is it just me, or does it look like that loop could be easily levered right out of the sidewalk?

By: paco

paco — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:03:48 +0000

and if a car’s gotta be in the shot background, not too shabby that it’s a hybrid DOT one…