bikes in apartment buildings

eightyfish

Why do some cyclists who live in apartment blocks insist in locking their bikes to anything they can other than the actual bike racks?

I live in a new block with a courtyard. There are bike racks in the car park in the basement. I take mine up and down in the lift every day. Some lazy pr*cks seem to think that the water feature in the couryard is a bike rack, and there's always 2-4 ugly bikes chained to it. The management company have sent two letters to all residents asking them to move the bikes. The owners clearly don't give a f*ck.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

It's because they're better than you.

JMJR

maybe they park their bikes there as they are then in view from their apartments?- I know from reading here and from experience of family menbers that bike racks in apartment basements are not safe places to park bikes, nor is bike security much in the mind of management committees.
John

copacetic

JMJR wrote: »

maybe they park their bikes there as they are then in view from their apartments?- I know from reading here and from experience of family menbers that bike racks in apartment basements are not safe places to park bikes, nor is bike security much in the mind of management committees.
John

agreed, bike racks in car parks are an invitation to steal the bike. Plenty of peace and quiet for them to work on the lock.

tomasrojo

copacetic wrote: »

agreed, bike racks in car parks are an invitation to steal the bike. Plenty of peace and quiet for them to work on the lock.

I used to live in an apartment block and tried to keep to the rule by leaving my bike in the underground carpark. I had my usual two locks I carry with me and left two extra locks permanently down there locked to one of the racks.

I gave up on the underground carpark, because I came home one day to find the locks I left in the car park had been levered open. Whoever it was wasn't even trying to steal my bike. It was either devilment, or maybe hoping I'd leave the bike less securely locked in future.

I kept the bike in the apartment after that. Not sure I'd leave it locked to a water feature for any length of time!

lyders

I have heard stories of bikes being stolen from the bike racks in the courtyard of my apartments, even though it is fairly secure. I've never left my bike down there. Would be afraid of other people damaging my bike too.

DJsail

lyders wrote: »

I have heard stories of bikes being stolen from the bike racks in the courtyard of my apartments, even though it is fairly secure. I've never left my bike down there. Would be afraid of other people damaging my bike too.

Afreed, Have had two bikes taken from my ''secure underground carpark'' a few months back, my remaining bike is now kept within the apartment where i can keep an eye on it, can't really blame anyone for locking a bike where they feel its safe although in time the management company will no doubt remove them after giving the appropriate notice etc.

tomasrojo

One day a sports car in my apartment block's underground carpark had its very expensive wheels stolen one night. The thieves had propped up the car using giant stacks of Independent Directories they had taken from inside the lobby of the apartment block. It really brought home how compromised the security of the whole apartment complex was.

McTigs

I've always just brought my bike in to the apartment with me... safe and sound.

Just put it somewhere else the day they come round to do an inspection.... even if they do see your bike in there and it is against the building rules nobody in this day and age is gonna ask you to vacate on account of a bicycle, way too desperate for you to stay.

penexpers

A guy I know had his bike locked to the bike rack in the car park in the apartment block where he lived. One day, some thieves came a long and unbolted the entire rack and lifted it into the back of a van.

Kolo

Had my bike 3 weeks and yesterday it was stolen from our "secure" carpark. 2 locks broken on the ground, so another bike was taken too. I lock mine to a pipe. All the shite bikes were left untouched.
What a sh!t feeling to go down and see your bike gone:(

tomasrojo

McTigs wrote: »

[...] even if they do see your bike in there and it is against the building rules nobody in this day and age is gonna ask you to vacate on account of a bicycle, way too desperate for you to stay.

Very true. The apartment is the right place to keep the bike. It would be a safer place to keep the car too, but that's not feasible.

Is the Brompton company planning a car?

daymobrew

eightyfish wrote: »

Why do some cyclists who live in apartment blocks insist in locking their bikes to anything they can other than the actual bike racks?

I hope that the replies have given some logical reasons why the insecure bike racks are not used.

When I lived in an apartment complex I used to bring my bike into the apartment. I carried it up 3 storeys - carrying so as not to dirty the carpets.
I have had 4 bikes stolen but none since I've made a point of keeping my bike close.

Raam

When I was in my apartment I always kept the bike in the apartment. Absolutely no way I was leaving it in the underground car park.

alfalad

Just leave a note on the bike asking them to keep it in their apartment if they don't want to use the racks.
I always keep mine in the apartment anyway.

Stark

Half the time, supplied bike racks only allow you to lock the bicycle wheel to the rack. Meaning that all the thief has to do is take the bike and leave the wheel. (They can take a wheel from a nearby bike to make up a full bike to ride out on if they don't have a van). The racks are often not securely bolted down either. Better off locking to something that will allow the frame to be locked and isn't uprooted easily.

eightyfish

Yeah, you all have a point in terms of security. I'm paranoid about my bike being stolen - hence a Kry U-lock and a chain lock.

In our particuluar building the car park is gated, and the bike racks are in special rooms. I manage to get both locks onto the thing.

The point is, though, that these residents signed a declaration that they'd follow the rules of the complex. One of these is not locking bikes to the f*cking water feature. They should bring them up to the aparment, really.

I can't see why more secure bike locks can't be provided in general - like the big "n" shaped ones on the street.

Quint

eightyfish wrote: »

Yeah, you all have a point in terms of security. I'm paranoid about my bike being stolen - hence a Kry U-lock and a chain lock.

In our particuluar building the car park is gated, and the bike racks are in special rooms. I manage to get both locks onto the thing.

The point is, though, that these residents signed a declaration that they'd follow the rules of the complex. One of these is not locking bikes to the f*cking water feature. They should bring them up to the aparment, really.

I can't see why more secure bike locks can't be provided in general - like the big "n" shaped ones on the street.

Because the other ones are cheaper and easier to install. The ones in my apartment block are so thin you could snip them with a bolt cutters. Or as someone said, you could take the whole bike rack.

daymobrew

eightyfish wrote: »

The point is, though, that these residents signed a declaration that they'd follow the rules of the complex. One of these is not locking bikes to the f*cking water feature. They should bring them up to the aparment, really.

If these residents had refused to sign the declaration until the management company installed appropriate bike racks, would the management company have done so?

Maybe you could make the suggestion to the management company. It'll be a win-win: cyclists will have a safe item to lock their bikes to and the eyesore will be gone.

eightyfish

daymobrew wrote: »

Maybe you could make the suggestion to the management company.

That's worth a shot.