How do you lock up your bike?

David Kerber wrote:

In article ,
says...

Anybody in the ng who brings it along into stores? Experiences?

I've done it on occasion, but not routinely. The store personnel
never said anything, probably because I was careful to put the bike
out of the way of their customers.

I think that's the key. Don't be a pain, and people are very accomodating.

Of course it could be a problem if everyone did this, but what a problem to
have!

Matt O.

(Steven Chan) wrote in message m...
Hi there!

I just bought a resettable combination cable. However, I was told
that it is not a secure way to lock up a bike. Should I use a u-lock
in addition to the cable? How about Kryptonite's NY chain? How
secure is it to use it alone?

Background: I plan to lock up my bike at a place where I could commute
by vanpool everyday. As a result, the bike will be left at the same
plaza for the most part of the day, week, and year. Any good security
strategy for my plan?

Sorry for bringing up so many questions!

Better than a 20 pound lock is a 40 pound bike. Let the chain rust the
paint chip and peel, a tear in the saddle. Nobody would touch it.

Cable locks are child toys to a determined bike theif. Get something
that takes more than a typical cable cutter to get through. Even
better make nice with a local store owner and see if they have space
inside or secure parking. I look for take out food places. There tends
to be a lot of traffic in and out and a few more target bicycles. Even
then ride a bike you wouldn't be upset about if you lost it.

Andy

Steven Chan wrote:

Thank you all for all the useful suggestions.

I think this is the real challenge: there are no parking meters in the
plaza. So, I could not apply the lock/chain as one OP suggested.
There are only light posts there, but they are just too bulky for the
lock. BTW, I once saw a guy locking up his rusty bike around a tree
in the plaza, but that would be the last thing that I want to do. Too
bad, it's a high-traffic area and there's even a Bally Fitness.
Unfortunately, there are no bike racks over there. Just wonder how
much success I would have if I lobby for bike racks with the city?

You might be surprised. Some cities/towns have codes requiring them, which have
been ignored by developers. In this case, it's pretty easy to get racks
installed. Othewise it's a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Probably
the best path is to contact your local bike club or advocacy group, and see what
the situation already is. Chances are, someone's working on this already. See
what you can do to help.

Typically, developers and big box stores don't give a damn about cyclists. If
anything, they view them as pathetic bums who can't afford cars, and therefore
not valuable customers. But when Target or Barnes and Noble find out they're
being boycotted by 150 yuppies from the local bike club, they wise up pretty
quick.

To answer the lock question, I just use a U-lock around the rear wheel, per
Sheldon Brown's suggestion:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

But I live in a low crime area, and I rarely leave my bike unattended for long.
Also, I have no regular pattern -- my bike is not a daily temptation for a
would-be thief.

For more security, I would add a cable running through the front wheel, saddle
rails, etc., and/or some security skewers/bolts. In Vancouver, I noticed
several cyclists carrying their saddle/seatpost with them, probably to keep it
from being stolen. My own seatpost has a hole through the bottom of the shaft,
so a cable can be run through it.

Matt O.

"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message
...
Steven Chan wrote:

Unfortunately, there are no bike racks over there. Just wonder how
much success I would have if I lobby for bike racks with the city?

You might be surprised. Some cities/towns have codes requiring them,
which have
been ignored by developers. In this case, it's pretty easy to get racks
installed. Othewise it's a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.
Probably
the best path is to contact your local bike club or advocacy group, and
see what
the situation already is. Chances are, someone's working on this already.
See
what you can do to help.

An excellent resource is the Bicycle Alliance's guide to bicycle parking
facilities. See:
http://www.bicyclealliance.org/trans...sbbsummary.pdf
or the larger file:
http://www.bicyclealliance.org/trans...n/sbblarge.pdf


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Matt O'Toole wrote:
Steven Chan wrote:


Thank you all for all the useful suggestions.


I think this is the real challenge: there are no parking meters in the
plaza. So, I could not apply the lock/chain as one OP suggested.
There are only light posts there, but they are just too bulky for the
lock. BTW, I once saw a guy locking up his rusty bike around a tree
in the plaza, but that would be the last thing that I want to do. Too
bad, it's a high-traffic area and there's even a Bally Fitness.
Unfortunately, there are no bike racks over there. Just wonder how
much success I would have if I lobby for bike racks with the city?


You might be surprised. Some cities/towns have codes requiring them, which have
been ignored by developers. In this case, it's pretty easy to get racks
installed. Othewise it's a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Probably
the best path is to contact your local bike club or advocacy group, and see what
the situation already is. Chances are, someone's working on this already. See
what you can do to help.

Typically, developers and big box stores don't give a damn about cyclists. If
anything, they view them as pathetic bums who can't afford cars, and therefore
not valuable customers. But when Target or Barnes and Noble find out they're
being boycotted by 150 yuppies from the local bike club, they wise up pretty
quick.

To answer the lock question, I just use a U-lock around the rear wheel, per
Sheldon Brown's suggestion:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

But I live in a low crime area, and I rarely leave my bike unattended for long.
Also, I have no regular pattern -- my bike is not a daily temptation for a
would-be thief.

For more security, I would add a cable running through the front wheel, saddle
rails, etc., and/or some security skewers/bolts. In Vancouver, I noticed
several cyclists carrying their saddle/seatpost with them, probably to keep it
from being stolen. My own seatpost has a hole through the bottom of the shaft,
so a cable can be run through it.

Matt O.

I also wrap the U-lock around the rear whell as well and it works
perfectly. However, I don't thread a cable between various parts.
Instead, all quick-releases have been replaced by bolted skewers, and I
just carry a 5mm allen wrench and 177mm box-end wrench for the rear
solid axle. I always use a dedicated bike rack or parking meter. You
know for sure the parking meter is going nowhere. Lots of street signs
in my town are missing their baseplate lugs, so one could just lift the
sign out, remove the bike and toodle happily down the road.

Obscurity is another savior, though. I think thieves won't feel they
can unload a single-speed 61cm road bike. This is only a guess, though.

Collin wrote:
Obscurity is another savior, though. I think thieves won't feel they
can unload a single-speed 61cm road bike. This is only a guess, though.

well, they believed they could in minneapolis.
--
david reuteler

"Steven Chan" wrote in message
...
Hi there!

I just bought a resettable combination cable. However, I was told
that it is not a secure way to lock up a bike. Should I use a u-lock
in addition to the cable? How about Kryptonite's NY chain? How
secure is it to use it alone?

The old joke is that all bicycles weigh 50 pounds:
* a 50-pound bicycle requires no lock
* a 40-pound bicycle requries a 10-pound lock
* a 30-pound bicycle requires a 20-pound lock
* a 20-pound bicycle requires a 30-pound lock

Sorry to repeat the old joke (circa late 1960s), but it seemed appropriate.

- Skip

The one thing that I always do when putting my bike up against a wall for
just a few seconds . . .

.. . . is to open the rear quick-release. That way the bike can't be ridden
away immediately.

of course, I'm a bit over 6 feet, and most people couldn't ride my bike
without adjusting "stuff" anyway.

- Skip

I use a large cable from a motorcycle shop, and a Master padlock. The
cable is long enough [maybe seven feet] to thread through both wheels
and the frame, and go around something substantial. A smaller cable
holds onto the seat. It's not lightweight, but neither am I.

I recommend not leaving your bike unlocked at any time you're off it. I
was having coffee in a doughnut shop in Sacramento when some fool stole
a well-marked but unlocked COP'S BIKE parked outside, in full view of
the officer sitting a couple yards from me inside. Fellow bike cops
bulldogged the perp about two blocks away after a radio call, but the
event served as proof that theives will steal anything they can.

On 10 Jun 2004 00:32:33 -0700, (Chalo) wrote:

I have a bike called "the X-plane", which is a Schwinn Varsity frame
with a 24" coaster brake wheel in the rear, and a long rod extending
out where the fork used to be. This rod pivots on a couple of tapered
roller bearings affixed to a 3-foot-wide axle with a plastic BMX wheel
on each end. So you can turn the front wheels, see, and the bike
leans freely side to side, but the front axle remains level.

Gotta picture of that posted somewhere?



tmac


"Money-saving suggestion: let's cut directly to the scene where
Mr. Bush dresses up as an astronaut, and skip the rest of his
expensive, pointless - but optimistic! - Moon-base program."
-- Paul Krugman

http://www.specialplaceinhell.org