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This might seem like an odd question but I am really wondering. Up to now I used my trekking bike to commute to work and I never had any issues to leave it in the bicycle floor parking rack due to its factory default kick stand.

However I just bought a new mountain bike (XC) and I found out today that its tires barely fit into the bike stand. I had to apply brute force to get them in and out. In addition, it wobbled around and I had to use a tension belt to keep everything in place and from falling over.

Park MTB at work without Kickstand

Questions:

  1. Could this have any negative effects on the tires? (I am taking the bike every single day to commute and I leave it for 9+ hours. I would like to use the MTB at least half the time.)
  2. Is there any more elegant solution to this problem rather than using brute force / tension belts apart from adding a kickstand and than putting the bike next to the rack?

I would like to avoid a kickstand for the reasons mentioned in other threads such as here. Right now I am considering adding a kickstand and removing it after work if I decide to take a detour through rougher terrain.

P.S. Please note that I have seen plenty of mountain bikes lying on the ground after work in the past. (Due to wind or people bumping into them etc..) However I would like to avoid this if possible.

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  • Does your workplace own the stand? Consider modifying it with a big crowbar, to lever the two sides a bit further apart. Do leave some unchanged for narrow wheeled bikes. The narrow bars will be damaging your sidewalls over time.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 22:16
  • @Criggie Thanks for your relies 1) AFAIK, the bike stand is owned by the company. I am sure they would not appreciate it if I do such a thing. 2) Indeed, this question is very similar to my own but it did not show up while researching. Also, there is no answer provided that would actually solve my problem as the OP in the other question was lucky enough with his newer tires fitting the bike stand.. :-( I was also concerned about the sidewalls as you said.
    – Jérôme
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 22:31
  • If the stand was accidentally modified, noone would notice. if it were done on a quiet day, noone would see. Ask forgiveness, not permission.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 23:05
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    Wheel tacoing is more of a concern to me....
    – RoboKaren
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 23:22
  • I would not lock my bike to that thing. I would find a pole or street sign; are you allowed to lock to those in your city? There are downsides of course, which I will not go into here, but that rack is horrible.
    – jqning
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 19:33

1 Answer 1

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We had those parking stands at my old workplace. They suck:

  1. They make it impossible to lock both the frame and a wheel with U-locks.

  2. Fat wheels don't fit.

  3. If they do fit, if someone or something (like a strong wind) pushes on your bike, it'll easily taco your wheel.

You should petition for better bike stands that are more secure.

In lieu of that, you could:

  • park your bike up against the wall and perpendicular to the stand, and use two u-locks to secure your front wheel and frame/rear wheel (even then, you'd need a pretty big u-lock to make it to the ground from the bottom bracket/rear wheel). You would take up about five parking places and might earn you some enmity

  • do the above, but remove your front wheel and lock it and the rear wheel and frame with a bigger U-lock

  • take your bike inside. When they complain, complain back about the parking stand

  • Find a nearby lamppost or parking meter

  • Get a folding bicycle

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  • You really need to carry a chain for locking to these things. its the closest thing you can do to proper locking.
    – Batman
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 21:42
  • Thanks for your reply. I thought about the same options. While parking it next to the wall would work for now - (it is still near freezing and I am almost alone at the bike stand) - it will be crowded very soon. Taking it inside is definitely not an option as it would not even go through the turn-styles apart from all the other problems... :-) Also AFAIK it is illegal in our city to lock your bike to a lamppost / parking meter (if you can even find one... :-( Right now I am even considering buying/building a tailored wooden bike stand myself which I could leave at the office.
    – Jérôme
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 21:44
  • @Batman, I had it locked with a hardened chain but I took it off to take the photo.. :-)
    – Jérôme
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 21:46
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    Most chains can be easily cut. The good ones weigh a ton. . Although you could leave the heavy chain at the office.
    – RoboKaren
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 22:24
  • It looks like you could get the bike between the rack and the wall without blocking any slots, if you could leave the handlebars beyond the end of the row.
    – Chris H
    Commented Feb 9, 2017 at 7:35

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