Securing your bike

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

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.}

I'm a believer in a real lock as well.
I opted for a shorter 3/8" coated cable and use pitlocks on my skewers and seat post.

http://www.urbanbiketech.com/Pitlock-Locking-Skewers-Wheels-and-Seat-p/set02.htm

I really like trebor's ideas on a tall gear and helmet strap. I'm going to start doing that as well.
The more a pain in the butt you can make it look the better.

[intheways]

I've been using what roadies call a 'latte lock'. Basically, a small cable lock like others have mentioned.  Definitely not an NYC lock.  This http://tigrlock.com/product/ , on the other hand locks pretty sweet if you got the dough.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

I've been using what roadies call a 'latte lock'. Basically, a small cable lock like others have mentioned.  Definitely not an NYC lock.  This http://tigrlock.com/product/ , on the other hand locks pretty sweet if you got the dough.

Love that hacksaw video demonstration.
I guess this guy does not know the average bike thief now uses a battery operated 4"  Cutoff/Angle Grinder.
No cable or U lock is safe these days.

[intheways]

Towards the end of one of the videos, they use an angle grinder.  You are right, though.  No bike is truly safe.

[intheways]

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/cyclists-journey-cut-short-in-santa-fe

Case in point as to why something is better than nothing.  I hope he gets his ride back.

[chrisx]

Is it a good idea to post instructions on how to cut a lock?
Kenisha the bus driver in Portland told me a quieter faster way to break every lock. Do you think I should type it out on the web?

There is no such thing as a lock that cant be broken!  There is no need to teach people how.

[chriskmurray]

Kenisha the bus driver in Portland told me a quieter faster way to break every lock. Do you think I should type it out on the web?

I think it is safe to assume every bike thief out there knows all the tricks well before they make it to the internet.

[Payton MacDonald]

This is what I use: http://www.dandq.com/browse.cfm/trek-deadlocks-resettable-combination-cable-lock-large/4,2955.html

Heavier and bigger than I'd like, but I now live in New Jersey and yeah, bikes get stolen out here a lot, even in small towns.  I'm pretty paranoid about it.  If I can't find a safe place to lock it where I can see it when I'm eating I'll usually try to find another restuarant or order to go and sit outside and eat, even if it's cold or rainy or whatever.

I remember growing up in Idaho Falls, Idaho and  I never once had a bike lock.  But then that was Idaho.  Some years ago.  Dang, I'm getting older . . . And New Jersey ain't Idaho . . .   

[ne14cycling]

I do the helmet strap thing to, but taking my 15mm thru axle out ( leaving the wheel in place ) will surely trip up a casual attempt at riding off with my bike....

[creekfur]

Has anyone left their bike to hike for a day or more?
I have locking skewers, a locking seatpost collar, a u-lock and would take all my gear with me.
Would it be safer to lock in the woods somehow(??) or try to hike out of a city?

[ascar_larkinyar]

i just did something new to secure my bike while market shopping.  i just put my whole bike in the shopping cart and took it inside with me.  i suspect that this works better with bigger markets like walmart or target.

nobody said anything and i got the same funny looks as i was dressed in a dirty race kit and left my helmet on anyways.  actually carrying the bike inside made my looks make more sense to most people.

the cashier did ask if i was in the tour-de-france...lol.  i replied with "yes this year we are all riding mountain bikes"

[fotooutdoors]

Has anyone left their bike to hike for a day or more?
I have locking skewers, a locking seatpost collar, a u-lock and would take all my gear with me.
Would it be safer to lock in the woods somehow(??) or try to hike out of a city?

I would hesitate to lock up my bike anywhere people might see if for several days.  So, my thoughts would be to lock it up off trail a couple hundred yards where it is incredibly unlikely someone will find it.  Better yet, try to find a business in a nearby town that will let you "board" it for a couple days.  Good bets are a bike shop or if you lodged the night in town, that business.  Maybe cost you a few bucks, but better than costing you a bike.

[intheways]

i just did something new to secure my bike while market shopping.  i just put my whole bike in the shopping cart and took it inside with me.  i suspect that this works better with bigger markets like walmart or target.

nobody said anything and i got the same funny looks as i was dressed in a dirty race kit and left my helmet on anyways.  actually carrying the bike inside made my looks make more sense to most people.

the cashier did ask if i was in the tour-de-france...lol.  i replied with "yes this year we are all riding mountain bikes"

Glad it worked for you.  I was told by a Target (in)Security guard that I needed to lock my bike outside. Needless to say, I dumped the crap I had and went elsewhere

[Tommi]

I had a bike stolen off the back of my Trooper SUV once; luckily I had the serial number recorded, and the bike was recovered unharmed. A few years ago, a beater I owned was locked up at a train station overnight; no one stole it, they just took it up the 3 flights of stairs and dropped it on the sidewalk below 2 or 3 times; all I recovered was the lock and the seat post.
Since then I have taken to carrying a 2 foot length of aircraft cable with  loops in the ends and a good old padlock. I am extremely leery of leaving my bike unattended. I now equate bike stealers to the horse thieves of the old west.
No one steals this guys bike.

[SlimJim]

I had to lock my bike up for 2 days one time while I took a quick bus ride back to the start point of the tour. I locked our two bikes in front of an ATM at a bank. Added a note saying "Smile, you are on candid camera".

Anyway, it worked!



SlimJim
Makegear.blogspot.com

[FatCloud]

On my Cross Country tour I carried a small one similar to what people are showing, and my bike was stolen in Chicago. I will never travel without a U-Lock ever again. The extra weight sucks, but losing your bike sucks waaaaaay more.

[Wilko]

There are personal security devices with motion sensors to protect luggage. I'm thinking to get one of those for my CT trip this year. Check this out:http://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/catalog/personal-alarm-motion-detection-alarm-p-982.html

I will also bring a lock which secures frame and both wheels, so either a cable or a chain.

Will bear spray work on bike thieves ? ;-)

[windowace]

Take it with you.  If someone can take a baby stroller in or a shopping cart, then i can take my bike in.  Otherwise in sight or at hand as best you can.

[JRA]

As most who have lived in NYC or many other big cities will tell you, no lock is impervious to determined thief.  But a light weight cable and small lock might deter the opportunist who just happens to wander by.  

A cheapo cable helps keep the honest people honest.  

[mjr5house]

Take your skewer off your wheel.