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Protocol Bar, 2 Colombo Street, Christchurch, New Zealand

I found this bike rack recently, and it works fine for normal bike wheels. However the other side has hooks that face out at about chest height.

The hooks are steel but are covered in black plastic tube to stop scratching.

The hooks were only about 12-15 cm long, so nowhere near long enough to hold a front wheel.

The brick wall is slightly misleading - the whole thing was about the length of a carpark, and it was mounted on 4 beefy caster wheels. There was a handle on the left end to pull the whole rack about, so its a moveable solution.

For what could the hooks on the far side be intended?

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    Given how badly they designed the part that's supposed to hold bikes, we might never be able to work out what the hooks are for. For all we know, they could be intended to be lemon squeezers.
    – David Richerby
    May 8, 2017 at 12:23

3 Answers 3

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My guess is that these are meant to hold bikes at the handlebar: From the side currently facing the wall you would hang your bike with the handlebar over the two hooks, such that the front wheel is lifted off the ground.

This could be intended as an alternative solution for bikes whose tyres are too wide or too narrow for the other side of the rack.

Of course, in the current position that side of the rack isn't accessible.

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    I didn't find any free-to-use pictures, but you can see such systems in action here.
    – Emil
    May 8, 2017 at 9:08
  • That is a distinct possibility - good thinking.
    – Criggie ♦
    May 8, 2017 at 10:55
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    And like the other side of the rack, not really designed for proper locking up.
    – Chris H
    May 8, 2017 at 12:47
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Unicycle racks, of course. You would hang the unicycle by its seat on the rear hooks. This way both unicycle and bicycle users could coexist.

Every university bike stand should have these.

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    Is this a genuine answer or humor? If it is a genuine answer, please explain how a unicycle would fit into the rack. If it is humor, please convert it to a comment.
    – jimchristie ♦
    May 8, 2017 at 12:58
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    You would hang the unicycle by its seat on the rear hooks. This way both unicycle and bicycle users could coexist.
    – RoboKaren
    May 8, 2017 at 14:51
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    Comments are ephemeral. Please edit your description into the answer.
    – jimchristie ♦
    May 8, 2017 at 17:37
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Possibilities that occurred to me:

  • Coat rack? The plastic host is redundant.
  • Frame hooks? You might get a single bike hung over two/four hooks.
  • Saddle hook? Given the height of the loop, it could be intended the whole bike hangs from its saddle from these hooks.

Here's what I meant by saddle hook:

http://static.jensonusa.com/images/Additional-Image/Zoom/2/G0000BQE.jpg

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    In all seriousness, they could be helmet racks.
    – RoboKaren
    May 8, 2017 at 4:28
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    @RoboKaren its possible, but that's a long way for a helmet to fall down and get damaged. I either take mine with me or I clip the straps to the top tube. Danger there is coming back to find its rained and the helmet/padding is wet on the inside, or someone's wizzed in it (I've heard of this but not experienced it)
    – Criggie ♦
    May 8, 2017 at 5:09
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    Judging from the height of those hooks, that'd be some impressive wizzing. Of course, urine flows uphill down under, right?
    – RoboKaren
    May 8, 2017 at 7:35
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    They look too close together to all be used as saddle hooks, but that might just be the picture.
    – Chris H
    May 8, 2017 at 9:39
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    The might work that way round without the wall. I was thinking of 90° to that. That fits better with these hooks being offset from the normal racks than helmet hooks. Unlike in your ready-to-race picture it looks like you could lock the toptube to the rack.
    – Chris H
    May 8, 2017 at 11:01

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