In Which We See The Best Bike Rack

Wednesday afternoon after parking in Pit, I find a new bike rack on pavement. That is nice.

It was raining Wednesday morning, and had rained Tuesday night. On Tuesday, I left my bike in my office and rode home with my wife after doing an evening presentation at MMU.

So it was no big deal it was raining Wednesday—I needed to hitch a ride back to campus to get my bicycle anyway.

That afternoon, I was scheduled to be interviewed for local cable TV. I decided to ride my bike there, but it was still misting when I tried to leave campus, so I decided to drive the van my wife usually drives.

And when I got back to campus, the parking lot behind Warde Hall was full. So I drove around to the pit, parked in a faculty-staff space, and walked up the Basile Hall stairs and sidewalk towards Warde Hall.

And there I saw it. I’m sure it has been there for a while, but is new this year This is the style of bike rack just donated to MMU by the Bike Club, and this rack has been installed on a cement pad near Basile Hall.

That, my friends, is the best bike rack on campus. The one near Warde Hall is bigger, but is also located in a garden. I feel guilty leaving Clarence in those damp leaves every time I ride to campus. The bike rack by Regina is in a grassy area.

Bikes are vehicle. They are small, sure, but a vehicle parking lot is usually paved, not grass nor set in the midst of flowers. The issue isn't contact with nature--after all, like most bikers, I bike partly because I want to be out in nature--but is is moisture. Grass and gardens can be damp places, and bikes have all sorts of steel parts waiting to oxidize.

So this bike rack was a bit of a pleasant surprise. The same day I found it, I used it, to park Clarence briefly while I moved the van back up into the Warde lot late in the afternoon after it emptied a bit.

Clarence in rack. OK, the pad be just a tad wider and the rack back just a bit so that bikes don't stick out into the sidewalk, but it's still the right idea.

I thought of parking there today, but was in a bit of a hurry. If I have time, I may tomorrow. I like the idea of my bike on a slab of pavement—it seems cleaner and drier than other earthier locations. So thank you, MMU. You got it almost right on this one.

A New Rack In Town

My bike Monday in relocated rack at MMU.  Looks happy, no?

To avoid repeated bombings by pigeons, MMU facilities relocated the bike rack that I use at Warde Hall.  It was directly against the building, sadly, under some nests of big birds that Mitt Romney has not threatened to fire.

Although I didn’t ride today (for the first time in many days) due to rain in the forecast, here is what my bike looked like Monday in the new rack location, in a garden next to the back walk.

I think the bike looks pretty happy here.  And I don’t mind if it gets almost buried in ash leaves.  They beat heck out of pigeon poo any day!

The Books In Back Upon A Rack

Top photo is bag of books in place.  I have, however, removed
a bungee cord, so no, the bag doesn't just sit there.
Second image is the bike rack on back as the bike
is also parked in a rack at Warde Hall, MMU.

I won a $25 gift card last spring by biking to work. It was to a bike shop I rarely visit, but I was happy to go there and spend the card on something.

I bought a back rack. I've long had a front basket on my bike, but find it's unsatisfactory for my briefcase when I'm carrying books—the extra weight in front makes the bike seem unsteady.

I put the rack on before RAGBRAI, figuring to use it to carry my tent, which I did for one day before deciding that was ridiculous. I did use it again on the final days to carry a small bag with a spare outfit so I could shower at the end of each day, so the rack was still useful on RAGBRAI.

Today, it rained, and I planned to go to the office. By the afternoon, when I was leaving, it was damp but no longer raining, so I decided to ride. Since I was working on syllabuses for fall classes, however, I had books to carry.

So I used a canvas bag and bungee cord.

I'm happy to report that the scheme, while not aesthetically pleasing, worked quite well. The extra weight over the rear wheel is lower down and doesn't seem to change the center of gravity of the bike to make it wobbly. I suppose it does block one rear light, but I have two others, one on the very rear of the rack and the other on my helmet, so I think I would still be OK lightwise.

All in all, it was a successful experiment. No longer will I have to try to catch Audrey to place bag of books in her car. If need be, I can carry them myself on my new back rack.