In praise of the humble Sheffield stand • Hacker News Board

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#211

Post by Cockbrand » Mon, May 30, 2022, 12:55 PM UTC

sandermvanvliet wrote: post #200

Doxin wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These[0] used to be rather common in the Netherlands And are actually pretty much fine on the wheel bending front if there's enough bicycles parked . You'll just stick your bicycle at the end of a group of bicycles and it'll be prevented from falling over by its neighbors. Still sometimes seen in lowish traffic areas where theft is not very likely. These days you'll more often see these[1] which are a bunch more dens…

Fun fact, in Netherlands (Rotterdam at least) these things are called “fietsnietjes” which translated is something like: bicycle staples. In Rotterdam you now also have a “fietsvlonder” where a car parking space is sacrificed to provide bike parking: https://images1.persgroep.net/rcs/O97W6vbddSiXPyu6kiJecLftNS...

I can't access the image ("Access denied"), probably a HTTP referer thing.

And I like the wording that the "parking space is sacrificed" as it implies the religious importance of cars for many of their drivers :)

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#212

Post by Cockbrand » Mon, May 30, 2022, 1:00 PM UTC

heavenlyblue wrote: post #187

Cockbrand wrote: post #45

In general, the author is right, and the simple design is by far the best. But the classic Sheffield stand with a circular cross section can be easily cut with a pipe cutter. Contrary to an angle grinder, a pipe cutter doesn't make any noise. Thus, the design has been improved by making it solid instead of hollow and giving it a rectangular cross section, like [1]. I used to hate the improved design because it's obvi…

> Thus, the design has been improved I re-read your message about 5 times and I still do not understand what was improved in the design?

Sorry, I'm not a native English speaker. What I meant was that the newer, improved design doesn't use steel pipes any more. Instead, solid and rectangular shaped steel is used that can't be cut with a pipe cutter any more. The page behind the link should make it clear. You can filter it by "Eckig" ("rectangular") to see the ones I mean.

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#213

Post by Cockbrand » Mon, May 30, 2022, 1:06 PM UTC

I like the broad range of this discussion between "I never have to lock my bike" and "Whatever you try, your bike will get stolen or dismantled within minutes".

While I'd like to live in a society without theft, I'm at least glad that where I live, I can leave my bike attached to some immovable object with a u-lock for a few hours and have a good chance of returning to it still being there with nothing missing.

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#214

Post by n4r9 » Mon, May 30, 2022, 1:22 PM UTC

Freak_NL wrote: post #15

Those staples work well; plenty of those in the Netherlands. One alternative that works fairly well is this fixed post thingy: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Fixed_bo... The clamp for the vertical seat bar is probably what limits this to conventional framed bicycles, but the U-ring welded below is very useful for attaching the lock as I did on the photograph. The big benefit of this one is that t…

Those are probably fine for the Netherlands where the vast majority of bikes are city-bikes with stands. They don't offer much leaning support or multiple points of contact with the frame though, so unlikely to get the approval of the author of that article.

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#215

Post by thefringthing » Mon, May 30, 2022, 1:23 PM UTC

markmark wrote: post #127

cortesoft wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the risk of someone using a pipe cutter really that high? Seems like if someone is that dedicated they are getting your bike anyway.

I doubt it, bike thieves will just use a battery angle grinder with a cutting wheel on your bike lock, and everyone will absolutely ignore them doing it in the middle of the day.

What are bystanders going to do? If you call the cops about someone stealing a bike they'll show up three hours later and shrug, if they show up at all.

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#216

Post by n4r9 » Mon, May 30, 2022, 1:34 PM UTC

beachy wrote: post #168

collaborative wrote: post #165

Anecdotal. My new life of biking to work ended on day 1: bike stolen in less than 1 hour. And it was from a Sheffield stand too

Bike theft seems like a problem that could be solved, or at least beaten down a lot. Super easy to attach tracking devices and monitor remotely, then just go around and arrest the thieves. There could hardly be an easier enforcement activity. Why is this not done when it seems like bike theft is at an epidemic level?

I recently reported a bike theft to the police in the UK. A few days later I received an email from someone who "screens" incoming crimes. It said "I cannot send the matter for further investigation as the value of the item stolen falls below our threshold to investigate". They didn't even check if there was CCTV coverage in the area.

I'm guessing that the bike thieves in this area are well aware of the value of this threshold and operate accordingly.

It feels like I'm living in a Discworld novel where petty crime is "designed in" to society. There's a mutual unwritten agreement that the thieves can do what they like, as long as they stick to lower-value items. If you're too poor to afford a replacement, tough luck. Even my home contents insurance was pointless, as the excess was greater than the bike's value.

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#217

Post by rob74 » Mon, May 30, 2022, 1:36 PM UTC

bambax wrote: post #163

blamazon wrote: post #31

In my car-centric city (southeast USA, population ~125k) when I visit private property with no bicycle parking, I try to find the owner and offer to install one of these just for the cost of materials. The idea being, they can put in another one when they see more than one customer on a bicycle at the same time. It's very cheap, less than 100 bucks typically as I have the requisite tools in my garage to make them fro…

For bike owners: a wheel lock [1] is not very high security but it's usually enough for a 3-minutes stop and it's extremely fast to lock and unlock, unlike chains. [1] https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/abus-wheel-lock-5650l...

I have used these (preinstalled or installed them myself) on several bicycles for years now, and none of them have been stolen yet. Mind you, that might also have something to do with the bicycles not looking very desirable (while being technically sound of course). For some added safety, there is also a version where you can attach a chain or cable which you can thread around a bike stand (https://www.amazon.de/Abus-11263-8-Fahrradschloss-St4850-sch...)

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#218

Post by n4r9 » Mon, May 30, 2022, 1:46 PM UTC

jml7c5 wrote: post #192

pkdpic wrote: post #25

> known as the "Sheffield rack" or "Sheffield stand" after the city of Sheffield in England where these were pioneered [wikipedia] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_parking_rack Just in case anyone was interested in the etymolology. Also they used to make bike racks out of wood? Sick (?!) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_parking_rack#/media/... PS I loved this post and I agree completely. Bike rack opini…

>Also they used to make bike racks out of wood? Sick (?!) That photo is relatively recent (2006), and it's quite likely that that bike rack is not very old. It appears to be on the grounds of a hotel estate where locking would be unnecessary and a rural aesthetic is key.

Agreed, I think you can see this rack (or at least the bikes stood in it) in this street-view link: https://www.google.com/maps/@50.7988844,-0.580026,3a,17.1y,1...

I wonder why the photographer decided to make it black and white!

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#219

Post by bambax » Mon, May 30, 2022, 1:56 PM UTC

rob74 wrote: post #217

bambax wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For bike owners: a wheel lock [1] is not very high security but it's usually enough for a 3-minutes stop and it's extremely fast to lock and unlock, unlike chains. [1] https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/abus-wheel-lock-5650l...

I have used these (preinstalled or installed them myself) on several bicycles for years now, and none of them have been stolen yet. Mind you, that might also have something to do with the bicycles not looking very desirable (while being technically sound of course). For some added safety, there is also a version where you can attach a chain or cable which you can thread around a bike stand ( https://www.amazon.de/Abu…

Same for me!

Re: In praise of the humble Sheffield stand

#220

Post by m000 » Mon, May 30, 2022, 2:00 PM UTC

c0balt wrote: post #199

mkl wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Theft insurance isn't going to get you to your next destination. It's sensible to have, but not an alternative to a couple of good locks.

Fyi, most bike insurances in germany will require you to have your bike locked up against a solid (i.e., non-movable) object with some even putting requirements on locks (shackle diameter, ...). I don't know how much those rules are enforced though I imagine for some claims they may be challenged.

In the Netherlands you are only required to (a) use a ring lock and a chain with a rating of at least two stars [1], (b) deliver 2 + 2 keys to prove that you had actually locked your bicycle (keys can't be removed without locking).

The "lock against a solid" requirement in Germany is unreasonable to fishy. Can one really prove or disprove that?

[1] https://www.stichtingart.nl/en/is-my-lock-approved/