Bike Racks: Whatcom CC - Heiner Center

Back to my favorite topic -- bike racks!
The Heiner Center building at Whatcom Community College is home to the campus library as well as the main student computer lab, several classrooms, and a theater. It gets a lot of foot traffic. But the bike racks just aren't utilized that much.



I know I would never park there. Here's one of the two racks.

It's near the main entrance, designed for six bikes to slip one wheel into the wheel holder.

Here's the other. It's an eight-holer, located on the other side of the building, facing Cordata Parkway. It gets less use than the smaller rack.

Looks like the left-most holder is inoperable due to damage

The curve of this rack is a little different than the other rack, but the idea is the same.
Both are wheel-holders only. There's no practical way to use a u-lock to secure your frame. This is a cable-only kind of rack, and it seems designed to encourage users to only lock one wheel.
If you have oversized tires, they won't fit in the wheel holders.
I have seen people roll their bike alongside them and use a cable to lock their frame, but the bike isn't supported very well and they tend to fall over.


It's not that they're completely unusable. They do get used. But they aren't sheltered from the elements, don't work for all bikes, and don't work for all locks (especially the most secure locks).
Much better racks are available for similar prices.

Some people are very trusting -- no lock at all 

Huntco sells something like these as their "Angler Series Bike Racks." I really wish they'd stop.