There are many ways to park your bicycle around Davis. Some racks have cables already attached that you can use to secure/lock your bike.
Here's what happens if you don't lock your bike up properly.
Make sure that you attach the lock to something secure, and in a way that doesn't allow the wheel to be removed from the frame — Sheldon Brown recommends attaching a small u-lock inside the rear triangle, locking to the rear wheel and to your chosen fixture. (There's no need to attach it to the frame, since the rear wheel cannot be pulled out through the rear triangle if locked this way.)
If you leave your bike on campus long enough without moving it, you may come back to find that it has become part of a bike sculpture. And if you leave it even longer than that, you might find that you'll have to buy it back at one of the bike auctions.
Some events provide valet bike parking so you can have someone else park your bike for you.
Campus
You have to be careful when parking your bike on campus. If you park it in a spot where there are no designated bike parking areas then it's possible you'll get a ticket (or get it impounded by TAPS). 
Does your bike need a handicapped sticker to park here?
Downtown
Wheel Care Note
Some bike parking racks are designed to secure one wheel without providing any support for the rest of the frame. That type of apparatus puts your wheel at risk of being bent if your bike is subjected to sideways forces. People who value having straight wheels generally avoid them.
possibly bad for wheel 
definitely bad for the wheel 
better
Bikelid
These are found next to the Memorial Union and The Silo.
Other uses for Bike Racks
Sometimes bike racks are used for other things
2005-02-26 16:51:36 Has anyone actually used a bikelid? —JaimeRaba
no one has ever used a bike lid. ever. —CarlMcCabe
- I have >_> Damn thing scraped off the rubber on my bike handlebar. Oh well, no big loss. —AlexanderHo
2005-02-26 23:51:14 this page freakin rules —ArlenAbraham
2005-06-12 23:21:31 Hmmm. I wonder how hard it would be to "relocate" a bikelid to somewhere else on campus.... —EricKlein
2005-06-13 00:08:29 Mucho pictures —MichaelGiardina
2006-02-13 00:43:32 Just so you'll all be paranoid now, black widow spiders like to live under the cement bike parking spots. —MatthewTom
2007-02-24 01:02:17 what are the rules on abandoned bikes? —JamesHaile
- Just one: make sure it's abandoned. —TusharRawat
- Done, I think. It had all tires flat, and in bad disrepair and was covered in leaves and crap. Also unlocked with a branch on top of it. Is there a way to validate and verify it's abandonedness?
- Technically (I believe) abandoned bikes become the property of the University. And they'll certainly end up at a TAPS bike auction making money for the U if they really are abandoned. So just be careful, because taking one could probably still be construed as theft. But I would be interested to hear other, better informed opinions on this issue.
2008-06-21 13:39:29 Hey guys! I work with BikeLid Systems and noticed some commentary on here regarding lack of use at UC Davis. What could we do to encourage use there? We would appreciate positive and negative comments. Thanks! —Bikelid
- I've never used one because the functionality has never appealed. They are located in just a few locations on campus, but take up much more room than traditional bike parking. On a rainy day they aren't located near where I could make use of them to protect my bike from the elements. What is the cost benefit to using them from a users perspective (Time, Preparation, etc?)? —JasonAller
- I'd like to echo Jason's comment and add two other things. Firstly, the lids require a padlock. I don't normally carry one with me as my U-lock works just about everywhere. Secondly, the bikelids are generally dirty and cobwebby. —WilliamLewis
* I agree 100% that we need more bikelids in more logical locations, I think that bikelid or UC Davis should do more to maintain the lids so people are more encouraged to use them. Oh, btw, my U - lock worked on the bikelids back when I was using them, I wonder why it didn't work for WilliamLewis. —KevinP
2008-08-10 13:58:35 Most of the devices that you can lock your bike to are not designed in such a way that it is easy to use a U-lock to lock your front wheel, bike frame, and the device itself together. Some devices are completely useless with a U-lock. Others are certainly useful, but getting your U-lock around both the device and the bike often results in the bike being banged against the device, chipping the paint off the bike frame or fork as a result.
A good locking device should be: 1) Easy and fast to use 2) Provide an easy point to lock a U-lock to, taking into account that bikes and U-locks are different sizes 3) Shaped in such a way that the bike does not have to rub against the device when locked to it 4) Have parking slots that are spaced so that bikes do not rest upon each other, and so that access to your own U-lock is not difficult —IDoNotExist
2008-08-25 13:35:36 The BikeLid parking spots are often full, so I can't say I've ever used them. Even so, the idea of keeping my bike safe from being battered by the elements make them appealing. However, it begs the question as to why UCD only allows a few of these bulky, inefficient, and often unavailable spots as the only sheltered bike parking on campus. Why not keep the existing bike racks and just build a simple structure that would cover the whole row of bikes? —bingbat
2008-09-17 15:01:18 I have a U-Lock, how do i lock up my bike safely to that cement block on the ground? In some areas it seems like that is all there is to park your bike with. I really dont want my bike to get stolen... —Natasha
- I'd recommend parking your bike in an area with lots of other bikes, preferably in the middle of a big crowd of bikes, and not having a bike that looks brand new and super fancy. Or possibly getting a second chain lock, if you're really worried about it. I used two locks for much of my time on campus, and never had my bike stolen. —ElleWeber
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