Securing your bike

[Moondoggy]

Say your going into town to resupply (solo) and you have to leave your bike and gear unattended. what options do you have? Do some of you carry a lock?

[ScottM]

For small stores with good visibility, I use my helmet to "lock" a wheel so the bike can't be ridden/rolled away.  I'll try to wedge it somewhere so it's a little hard to get out, too.

For big grocery stores I never feel comfortable leaving the bike unlocked outside.  I usually roll the bike in with me and ask someone if there's a spot I can stash it.  I haven't been turned down yet.

When I rode the divide route we carried a super thin cable with a little combo lock on the end.  It was worthwhile, I think, considering we were out for ~40 days and needed to leave our bikes at times.

I'd be curious what other people do?  Boy would it suck to get your bike stolen while bikepacking.   

[Moondoggy]

Boy would it suck to get your bike stolen while bikepacking.  

Yea it would, thanks. I`ll have a hundred more questions since I`m new here

[ScottM]

Fire away with questions (new thread for different topics, though).

At least one user here has had his bike stolen -- DaveN lost his while taking a nap on the Divide route.   

[longman]

I use a snowboard cable lock, it's an old Dakine one, it's a thin coiled cable with a little combination lock on it. It won't stop a determined thief but what will? They are $8 from REI at the moment...

http://www.rei.com/product/744900

[jobes]

man, that would suck,  trip ender and lots of money down the toilet. 

[Rob]

Check this out, could also double as a clothesline to dry your clothes near a fire, or maybe a tow line?   

http://www.pac-safe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=30


And if you're worried about leaving a bag, or stuff sack, they have these.

http://www.pac-safe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=11

[ScottM]

That's pretty much what we carried for the divide.  Easy to snip, but it'll stop all would-be / casual thieves.

[Mike Brown]

I use a tiny little chain lock I've had since 4th grade- really.  Weighs less than anything else I've been able to find.  You could definitely break it by picking the bike up and twisting the chain around, using the bike a lever.  But, any lock of any kind stops a vast majority of thieves. 
I also noticed, while on the CT, that a LOT of bikes parked outside of bars, restaurants, etc in the small mountain towns are unlocked.  It seems like it was the "cool" thing to do.  This just struck me as an odd way to be "cool" when we're talking about a couple thousand dollars worth of bike...

[naked indian]

I carry a big ole thick lock and even in the middle of the forest I lock that sucker up.  Better safe then walking.

[OTT `Olanda]

I use a dog collar and a small lock, it`s tuff and light.


And it`s fashionabel if you putt it on your neck 

[chrisx]

An ugly paint job does more to stop a thief than a $200 lock.  In small towns ask the librarian or the store clerk, "will my bike be safe here?" they know if anything has gone missing in the last few years.   A full size bolt cutter can cut a cable as thick as the knuckle on your thumb, so a thin cable will do.

[AZTtripper]

I have two of the thin seat post cables linked together and a tiny lock. I use it all of the time even out in the desert as it would suck to wake up to no bike.

I have no doubt that a serious thief could cut it but it should at least a slow them down.

[chrisx]

I once found a piece of string and a couple of old cans.  I tied one end to a spoke, and the cans inside my tent. I was awakened in the middle of the night by the rattling cans.  I unzipped to find a crack head with a hand held cable cutter working on my thin cable.  I told him I had a flat tire so he would stop.  My two German friends had level 15 security, Abus locks, he left their bikes alone.  The beer guzzling loud mouth on the other side of the campground lost his bike.
My bike was saved with a piece of string; or, I observed my surroundings and took extra precaution.
I wonder if the Germans told the story of my level 1 security system when they got home?

[stevage]

> I tied one end to a spoke, and the cans inside my tent. I was awakened in the middle of the night by the rattling cans.

Awesome, that's the kind of security system we've all rigged up at one point, hardly any of us get to find out if it actually works.

(Curious why your friends wouldn't lock your bike up with theirs though).

[mingus]

I once found a piece of string and a couple of old cans.  I tied one end to a spoke, and the cans inside my tent.

Brilliant! I have been thinking about security before my first trip and had vaguely thought of tying a string to the bike and to my wrist/ankle but abandoned the idea in case of injury, this is a much better solution.

[AZTtripper]

Seeing this post http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,4760.0.html today reminded me of this earlier post on securing your bike.

It's been 3 years so I am not sure this really deserves the sticky status, if more good info get added I'll leave it.

Tim

[chrisx]

I am carrying a real lock these days.  Bike theft seems to be on the rise.


IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT, YOU CAN'T KEEP IT!


Perhaps a small u lock, just big enough to fit through both cainstays, or top tube and a pole. the idea is not to leave enough space for a bottle jack to be inserted. Also a cable about 6 feet long is enough to run through one seat rail like a dog collar then both wheels and the loose end into the u lock.

oh and the parts left over from 2009 are on sale for cheap. If you cut the price in half you only need to cry for half as long.

{bikepacking.net's spell checker does not recognise the word chainstay.}

[Adam Alphabet]

I've been using one of these for bikepacking for the last number of years...small, light, preventative.
http://pacsafe.com/retractasafe-100-retractable-cable-lock

When I'm bike touring internationally I take an old one of these..... and a short piece of cable with loop ends to thread through the wheels.
http://www.masterlockbike.com/products/product_details/8127TRI

I view these locks only as a way of slowing someone from simply grabbing and running off with my bike or throwing it into the back of a truck, not as secure locks to leave my bike to go shopping for a few hours.  I never leave my bike outside of super markets to re-up. I always bring it inside and lock it to a shopping cart, horsey ride, vending machine or something else that can't be moved. If I'm supplying at a 7-11 I suss out the situation and either bring it in or lock and stare while I shop. If I'm eating at a restaurant I pick places that I can sit outside beside my bike or near a window where I can stare straight out the window straight at my bike with a clear line out the door to raise an spd cleat if I need to.

Depending on where I'm sleeping I often tie off my bivy to my bars or seat to keep the netting off my face. That way if the bike is moved, so is my bivy and so am I.

Having bikes stolen sucks big time, it's happened to me. Having a bike stolen on a trip....that would be devastating. Do what it takes to not let it happen.

[trebor]

I usually put the bike in the tallest gear and clip the helmet strap around the fork leg and rim to deter opportunistic thieves. Only for a stop at a small store or fast food joint where I can usually see out the window.

For longer stops at grocery stores I do the same with gearing and helmet and also add a thin aircraft cable and small lock to the mix.