Lived at an apartment complex with a huge bike rack once, lots of people locked their bikes up to it. One night someone came with a flatbed and just stole the whole thing.
Yeah, loose bike-racks are not ideal. If used, they should be chained to something solid, or bolted to the ground.
My city has been installing bike racks that consist of a loop of thick steel tube. Just barely thin enough to get a U-lock round it, concreted into the ground. Those ain't going anywhere.
I've got several styles u-locks, and some are narrower than others. The inconsistency with bike racks means I never know which one to bring... a little frustrating, but it sure beats chaining the bike up to a fence or parking sign. LOL
Very nice! Yeah, I've got a few u-locks that are narrow but long. Others that are short and stubby, but fit perfectly around the seat rube and rear wheel.
In addition, I use a folding lock, just because it's easier to keep mounted to this bike in a particular (where weight and storage availability isn't a concern).
The hiplock sounds like an awesome option for my road bike, though, where I would not want (or have room to) mount a lock to it.