How not to install bicycle racks

Seems like the simplest thing in the world to install a bike rack, right?

It turns out that in real life, it's not as easy as it seems.

The Front Porch Coffee Talk blog talks about bicycle rack design and placement--and how it can go wrong:

Bike Rack Fail

A good bike rack will support the bike at two points on the frame. That means that you can lean your bike up against the rack, and it won't fall over. Wave and ribbon racks only support the frame in one place. Some also don't let you use the spots efficiently, because the upright posts are too close to get your handlebars through. Or the bottom part of the rack is too high, so it hits the bottom bracket when the bike is placed through the U.

But the biggest problem with wave and ribbons racks is that to lean your bike up against the rack and not have it fall over, your have to place your bike parallel to the rack, thereby blocking a whole bunch of "spots."

And that's only the start of how things can go wrong.  Read more here.