The utilitarian bike rack is humble - and mostly dull - but there's no reason it has to be.
You ride in style, so we've compiled a gallery of bike racks around the world where you can lock up in style too.
This is some sort of metaphor about security right? Locks to lock to in Nashville, TN. Courtesy Adam Fagen.
This one is very literal: lock your Kryptonite lock to a giant Kryptonite lock. Norfolk, VA courtesy Matt Johnson.
This rack is made from actual recycled parking meters and can hold up to 10 bikes. Washington D.C., courtesy of Golden Triangle BID.
This rack is as clever as it is ironic: don't ever use a cable lock to secure your bike... unless it's this one. Kansas City, MO courtesy Ryan McNair.
Step up to the mic, and lock up to this Nashville, TN rack. This is a great example of allowing a needed street fixture, like a bike rack, to express the character of a city or neighborhood. This rack may only be used by cyclists, but it can be appreciated by all. Courtesy Eric Dahl.
These cat eye glasses stand outside an optometry office in Portland, OR.
To encourage "neighborhoods and business districts that are more vibrant places to live, work & visit," Long Beach, CA provides an entire catalog of free creative bike racks. Businesses can choose the one that best represents them and their customers. Pics courtesy Tina Beychok.
Excerpted from Long Beach's rack program catalog.
This giant white horse sits outside city hall in, appropriately, Whitehorse, Yukon Canada. On a related note, as reported by Guinness World Records, Whitehorse has the least air pollution of any city in the world. Well, yeah. Bikes. Courtesy Neal Jennings.
This giant squid offers tentacle options to riders in Seattle, WA. Courtesy Susan Robb.
This great design can be found around the world. It simply replaces one car spot with a rack that holds 10 bikes. The car icon serves as a persistent reminder about the economy and efficiency of allocating space for bikes. This rack is in Malmö, Sweden and comes courtesy Martin Thörnkvist.
Even a simple steel ring can be improved in a variety of ways to bring vibrancy to an entire block. Here outside our shop in San Francisco, yarn bombed racks become a visual reward for cyclists and pedestrians alike.
If you've got a great spot to lock up, show us on social media and tag it #lifebybike & #missionbicycle.