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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

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 obviously less friendly to a nice bike's paint job until I learned the reasoning behind it. [1] https://www.thieme-stadtmobiliar.com/de/produkte/fahrradstaender/fahrradanlehner https://www.thieme-stadtmobiliar.com/de/produkte/fahrradstae...

Cockbrand 4y ago
That said, there are also a lot of similar and different designs as recommended by the largest German bicycle lobby organization [1]. I'd be curious to know what designs engineers from the Netherlands or Denmark have come up with. [1] https://www.adfc.de/artikel/adfc-empfohlene-abstellanlagen-gepruefte-modelle https://www.adfc.de/artikel/adfc-empfohlene-abstellanlagen-g...
- Doxin 4y ago
  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 dense because of the vertical staggering, and you'll note the convenient attachment point for a chain lock. Less ideal with respect to brake and shifter cables, but there's a reason the preferred style of city bike has no gears and a kick brake. At big places you'll often see these[2] which are incredibly dense. Bicycles on the top rows can be accessed by sliding the rail out and tilting it down. No real provision for a chain lock, but if you're parking at a train station you're already not caring too much about theft. Never mind that there being so many bicycles means that having even a halfway decent lock means any would-be-thief is just going to pick from one of the thousands of other slightly less securely locked bicycles. Hope that gives some insight on how it's done in the netherlands. [0] https://www.fietsparkeren.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/wsm-img-00240.jpg https://www.fietsparkeren.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/wsm... [1] https://www.velopa.nl/media/20001/velopa-fietsparkeren-fietsenrekken-twin-tulip-01.jpg https://www.velopa.nl/media/20001/velopa-fietsparkeren-fiets... [2] https://www.velopa.nl/media/5008/nunspeet_station_10.png https://www.velopa.nl/media/5008/nunspeet_station_10.png
  - sandermvanvliet 4y ago
    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/O97W6vbddSiXPyu6kiJecLftNSY/diocontent/173447883/_fill/1327/899/ https://images1.persgroep.net/rcs/O97W6vbddSiXPyu6kiJecLftNS...
    - Cockbrand 4y ago
      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 :)
  - leokennis 4y ago
    My favorite is this one: https://www.falco.nl/assets/image-cache/2235e.1d162e0c.jpg https://www.falco.nl/assets/image-cache/2235e.1d162e0c.jpg You hang the bicycle from its handlebars. Advantages:" - No bent wheels - You can lock the bike at "working height": minimal bending to the ground - Bikes do not fall when for example people bump into them
    - Chris2048 4y ago
      I'm sure they won't like it b/c it doesn't fit many bikes. But sometimes you don't want it to - less chance of scratched bikes.
    - freiheit 4y ago
      I hate that design: you can't lock a bike to it with a U-lock.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
harg 4y ago
At least in the UK, many of the sheffield stands are made of fairly thick-walled steel and 50mm outer diameter. It would take quite a bit of time and effort to cut one with any hand tool. A solid design would be complete overkill and make them really expensive. That said, some do pop every now and then up that seem to be quite flimsy, often having been bent down to a 45 deg angle by a careless motorist.
cortesoft 4y ago
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.
- markmark 4y ago
  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.
  - thefringthing 4y ago
    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.
    - throwaway0a5e 4y ago
      If I were doing something undeniably thefty, like leaving a car on blocks or taking an angle grinder to a bike lock I'd expect to be confronted and maybe given a good beating depending on the details of the situation. I live in the kind of city that most of HN would sneer at and make some quip about it being a rusting post-industrial wasteland of poverty. I guess we're not very enlightened but my Amazon packages don't go missing from my doorstep so I don't complain.
  - abainbridge 4y ago
    We're talking about this type of pipe cutter, right? https://www.screwfix.com/p/irwin-record-handicutter-15-45mm-manual-multi-material-pipe-cutter/84140 https://www.screwfix.com/p/irwin-record-handicutter-15-45mm-... They're much cheaper than an angle grinder, and fit in your pocket. I've used one to cut through the barrel of a d-lock with ease. I don't buy d-locks with cylindrical barrels any more. I learned this trick when thieves stole my friends bike this way :-(
    - Cockbrand 4y ago
ssl232 4y ago
It just has to be strong enough to require marginally more effort to cut than a typical high security bike lock. A good planner will anyway choose a design that's significantly thicker to avoid the replacement cost when someone does try to cut it.
IshKebab 4y ago
That seems like an entirely theoretical risk. I've never seen a sheffield stand cut, or actually even any easier-to-cut stands cut. I've seen plenty of bike locks cut or attempted to be cut though. I think it's not as easy as you think, and perhaps more importantly passers by are much more likely to challenge you if you're cutting a bike stand in half!
- Cockbrand 4y ago
  Lucky you! I've seen a few Sheffield type stands cut through, and the cut definitely looked like it had been done with a pipe cutter, not with an angle grinder. I think it's well possible that the stands are made from softer steel where I live.
heavenlyblue 4y ago
> 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?
- Cockbrand 4y ago
  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.
Cthulhu_ 4y ago
It... doesn't actually matter much; if a bike thief wants your bike, they'll get it. Most bike locks are to avoid them being picked up quickly. If you have an expensive bike, insure it for theft and lock it up in a way that ensures someone has to break something to get your bike. That should cover your bases. Don't get too attached to a bike either.
- 1-more 4y ago
  The lithium battery revolution has made “someone has to break something to get your bike” an impossible goal. I occasionally see Kryptonite U locks with neat angle grinder cuts through the end hanging from bike racks around Brooklyn. The only thing that would really work is ABUS’s aluminum-shrouded U lock which will make an attacker go through a few cutoff wheels before reaching the steel hasp. But it weighs 30lb. Really the thing saving you is that jerks with angle grinders are pretty rare, and a U lock will stop any opportunist.

Cockbrand 4y ago

That said, there are also a lot of similar and different designs as recommended by the largest German bicycle lobby organization [1]. I'd be curious to know what designs engineers from the Netherlands or Denmark have come up with. [1] https://www.adfc.de/artikel/adfc-empfohlene-abstellanlagen-gepruefte-modelle https://www.adfc.de/artikel/adfc-empfohlene-abstellanlagen-g...

Doxin 4y ago
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 dense because of the vertical staggering, and you'll note the convenient attachment point for a chain lock. Less ideal with respect to brake and shifter cables, but there's a reason the preferred style of city bike has no gears and a kick brake. At big places you'll often see these[2] which are incredibly dense. Bicycles on the top rows can be accessed by sliding the rail out and tilting it down. No real provision for a chain lock, but if you're parking at a train station you're already not caring too much about theft. Never mind that there being so many bicycles means that having even a halfway decent lock means any would-be-thief is just going to pick from one of the thousands of other slightly less securely locked bicycles. Hope that gives some insight on how it's done in the netherlands. [0] https://www.fietsparkeren.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/wsm-img-00240.jpg https://www.fietsparkeren.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/wsm... [1] https://www.velopa.nl/media/20001/velopa-fietsparkeren-fietsenrekken-twin-tulip-01.jpg https://www.velopa.nl/media/20001/velopa-fietsparkeren-fiets... [2] https://www.velopa.nl/media/5008/nunspeet_station_10.png https://www.velopa.nl/media/5008/nunspeet_station_10.png
- sandermvanvliet 4y ago
  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/O97W6vbddSiXPyu6kiJecLftNSY/diocontent/173447883/_fill/1327/899/ https://images1.persgroep.net/rcs/O97W6vbddSiXPyu6kiJecLftNS...
  - Cockbrand 4y ago
    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 :)
- leokennis 4y ago
  My favorite is this one: https://www.falco.nl/assets/image-cache/2235e.1d162e0c.jpg https://www.falco.nl/assets/image-cache/2235e.1d162e0c.jpg You hang the bicycle from its handlebars. Advantages:" - No bent wheels - You can lock the bike at "working height": minimal bending to the ground - Bikes do not fall when for example people bump into them
  - Chris2048 4y ago
    I'm sure they won't like it b/c it doesn't fit many bikes. But sometimes you don't want it to - less chance of scratched bikes.
  - freiheit 4y ago
    I hate that design: you can't lock a bike to it with a U-lock.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

harg 4y ago

At least in the UK, many of the sheffield stands are made of fairly thick-walled steel and 50mm outer diameter. It would take quite a bit of time and effort to cut one with any hand tool. A solid design would be complete overkill and make them really expensive. That said, some do pop every now and then up that seem to be quite flimsy, often having been bent down to a 45 deg angle by a careless motorist.

cortesoft 4y ago

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.

markmark 4y ago
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.
- thefringthing 4y ago
  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.
  - throwaway0a5e 4y ago
    If I were doing something undeniably thefty, like leaving a car on blocks or taking an angle grinder to a bike lock I'd expect to be confronted and maybe given a good beating depending on the details of the situation. I live in the kind of city that most of HN would sneer at and make some quip about it being a rusting post-industrial wasteland of poverty. I guess we're not very enlightened but my Amazon packages don't go missing from my doorstep so I don't complain.
- abainbridge 4y ago
  We're talking about this type of pipe cutter, right? https://www.screwfix.com/p/irwin-record-handicutter-15-45mm-manual-multi-material-pipe-cutter/84140 https://www.screwfix.com/p/irwin-record-handicutter-15-45mm-... They're much cheaper than an angle grinder, and fit in your pocket. I've used one to cut through the barrel of a d-lock with ease. I don't buy d-locks with cylindrical barrels any more. I learned this trick when thieves stole my friends bike this way :-(
  - Cockbrand 4y ago

ssl232 4y ago

It just has to be strong enough to require marginally more effort to cut than a typical high security bike lock. A good planner will anyway choose a design that's significantly thicker to avoid the replacement cost when someone does try to cut it.

IshKebab 4y ago

That seems like an entirely theoretical risk. I've never seen a sheffield stand cut, or actually even any easier-to-cut stands cut. I've seen plenty of bike locks cut or attempted to be cut though. I think it's not as easy as you think, and perhaps more importantly passers by are much more likely to challenge you if you're cutting a bike stand in half!

Cockbrand 4y ago
Lucky you! I've seen a few Sheffield type stands cut through, and the cut definitely looked like it had been done with a pipe cutter, not with an angle grinder. I think it's well possible that the stands are made from softer steel where I live.

heavenlyblue 4y ago

> 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?

Cockbrand 4y ago
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.

Cthulhu_ 4y ago

It... doesn't actually matter much; if a bike thief wants your bike, they'll get it. Most bike locks are to avoid them being picked up quickly. If you have an expensive bike, insure it for theft and lock it up in a way that ensures someone has to break something to get your bike. That should cover your bases. Don't get too attached to a bike either.

1-more 4y ago
The lithium battery revolution has made “someone has to break something to get your bike” an impossible goal. I occasionally see Kryptonite U locks with neat angle grinder cuts through the end hanging from bike racks around Brooklyn. The only thing that would really work is ABUS’s aluminum-shrouded U lock which will make an attacker go through a few cutoff wheels before reaching the steel hasp. But it weighs 30lb. Really the thing saving you is that jerks with angle grinders are pretty rare, and a U lock will stop any opportunist.