Leaving NYC

Wow. last post was May 12. Has it been that long?
I've been slacking.
Time flies when you are trying to Escape from New York.
This month I'm only somewhere over 700k.
I haven't ridden in the past 3 days.
I've possibly got damage to the upper bursa in my knee.
My apartment is in boxes.
I will soon live in a van.
I'll be off the internet for one or two months.
Wish me luck.
Perhaps I'll update with a photo here and there as I make my way across the USA.

Rack Attack

Sometimes things bug me enough that I just have to do something about it. Last night I was linked to the NY City racks design competition finalists. Curiosity got the better of me and I downloaded all of the PDFs to study. I was actually angered by some of them. (take a look at them before reading on)

I lie there awake in bed. Wishing I had known about this contest back in March. Wishing I had registered on the site to post comments... Then it dawned on me. I was going to get up early and BLOG ABOUT THEM!

The contestants:

Andrew Lang and Harry Dobbs

This one looked promising from the renderings, just a variation on the classic U rack, which is pretty decent. They have also branded this one by taking the classic I <3 NY (tm) logo and making it I Rack NY.. Not sure what that means

Baroni Valeriani architetti

This one pissed me off. A classic wheelbender. Vancouver has some Less stylized spiral racks like this, only taller, and made of one continuous steel tube. Their downfall is that the bike is constantly leaning. Needless to say I wasn't optimistic about this design.

Ian Mahaffy and Maarten De Greeve

This one looked okay. Nothing to outstanding, though it looked like it would be made of cast iron, which I liked.

Federico Otero

Immediately I was curious about the anchoring of this design. Why would the two pieces not be joined by a common plate?

Francis Anthony Bitonti (FADArch)

This one bothered me, in that way that most abstract art bothers me. The PDF shows a billion different configurations, all ugly and cumbersome.

Ignacio Ciocchini

This one reminded me of Toronto's ill fated loop racks on parking meters. The ones that can be defeated by a good length wooden 2x4.

Jeff Miller and Andrea Ruggiero

Just looking at the initial JPG of this one, I didn't like it. The 'I Bike NY' logo plate (meant to display advertisements) is actually shown GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE PEDAL

Next Phase Studios

Cable rack? Surely you are joking. The cable lock doesn't get invited to party with the U locks or case hardened chains. Also worth lolling is the render showing a cable lock going through the FRONT WHEEL.

Stephan Jaklitsch Architects PC

For some reason, this one pissed me off the most. Perhaps its because it had the word 'Architects' in the title. Or maybe because the renderings made it look like the aluminum was too thick to get a U lock around properly.

Open Thread Design

Initially I liked this one the best. Sort of. His proposal shows a special sign post, that has a kink in it, and the top part flattened. I thought this was brilliant. Cyclists are already locking to poles, so why not just make the poles better? He also shows a similarly shaped corral to go along with it. Which looked suitable for up to 4 bikes.

On to the competition.

I got up at 6am, slammed back a Bialetti full of Mexico's finest, threw some fresh batteries in my camera and headed south on Broadway towards Astor Place. After a sleepy hoon through Times and Union square, I arrived, ready to lock up my bike.

My criteria was whether or not I could lock my bike to the rack by two U locks at once. I think that is the absolute minimum for anyone who works downtown and wants to keep their bicycle. One U lock goes around the front wheel and frame, and the other goes around the rear wheel and frame. The city's 4700 upside down U racks do this just fine.
Being the weight weenie that I am, I didn't actually bring both U locks with me. I only brought one, and tried locking in both positions without moving the bike.

The results:

Andrew Lang and Harry Dobbs
PASS. Strangely, someone had spilled a bunch of dogfood at the base of this rack. I was able to lock it with 2 ulocks without moving the bike.


Baroni Valeriani architetti.

Fail. What is this, a rack for ants!?


Ian Mahaffy and Maarten De Greeve

Pass.
I liked this one. Very sturdy, and it looked like they had to dig up a good chunk of concrete to bury the base. It passed the two U lock test.


Federico Otero
Federico Otero is an up and coming designer from Latin America. He gives a new face to design by creating products that update traditional and artisanal techniques, transforming them into unique modern forms. His contributions to design include a wide spectrum that ranges from jewelry, faucets blah blah blah..
FAIL.
I leaned my bike against this rack and noted how flimsy it was. I then pushed on it with one hand and it broke. I decided to throw it in the garbage, so no one would try to lock anything else to it.



Francis Anthony Bitonti (FADArch)
Sadly I couldn't find this one at Astor place. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to miss. I am doubting it would pass my criteria.
Here's a photo from the Gothamist:

I can lock tarckbike?


Ignacio Ciocchini

Tentative Pass. It looks okay and fit both locks. I didn't have a 2x4 handy though.


Jeff Miller and Andrea Ruggiero

Even without the advertising plate, this one failed. The dimensions just didn't work with my bike, and my crank hit the base, preventing me from getting the bike in closer. It was already rusting too.


Next Phase Studios

Fail. I couldn't get two Ulocks on it. I think it may turn yellow over time, there's a lot of space in between the plastic sheath and the actual cable. The good thing was that you cannot work this design loose by rocking it back and forth. The whole thing flexes.


Stephan Jaklitsch Architects PC

DAMMIT. PASS! I can't believe it! The one I was hating on the most last night was GREAT! Its the perfect size, appears to be anchored securely, and even holds the bike on the right angle! Truly a nice rack.


Open Thread Design

Fail. I couldn't get my top tube under the bar here to get my seat tube/wheel secured. Perhaps if there weren't already 2 bikes on it. Though, its probably meant to hold 4. Sadly, they didn't install the Signpost version of this rack. I had such high hopes for this one.

Well.. That concludes my early morning rack attack. Which basically proves you cannot judge a rack by its render.. or some other joke involving the word 'rack'.

The full flickr set is HERE. Now I've just got to mail my findings to David Byrne and I can get on with my day.

Its just THAT simple.