Lock your bike to a non movable object

James912 · Jun 14, 2011

A few tips on locking your bike.

When u go to a store, lock your bike to a non moving object like a lightpole, bike rack, bench, garbage can. Always use a good lock. When a thief sees your bike, the first thing hes gonna do is try to steal it. Lock it up in a well lit place. If there is nothing near the door of the store that your going into, lock your bike to a street sign in front of the store. Always make your chain have as little slack in it as possible. Wrap it around one of your downtubes on your bike. It'll take time for a thief to try to cut thru your chain if it has no slack. Be wary when u lock or unlock your bike. Some people are crazy enough to try to jump you and some succeed.

Lock it up and have a safe ride.

biknut · Jun 14, 2011

Good advise. I try never let my bike out of my sight. If I must even for a minute, I lock it to something. Usually a pole.

I get the feeling a MB is probably the most desirable thing on earth to steal.

Poopyboogin420 · Jun 14, 2011

I see shadies eyeing my bike all the time. I went this route: heavy duty u-lock with kryptonite cable along with a hidden vibration alarm. If a theif is going to steal it, he's going to have cut the ulock with a high pitch squeal blaring in his ears, lol. It's not theive proof, but it's theive resistant, which is about as good as you can get without welding it to a pole. I thought about designing a clutch lock that would prevent the clutch handle from being pulled... Just another idea. Then they would have to carry it after they got past the locks.

rohmell · Jun 14, 2011

Just don't lock it to a tree:
How to Steal a Bike in NYC Cut Down a Tree

Mike B · Jun 14, 2011

Yeah, I lock mine to a handicap sign post conveniently located right in front of the store.

Gotta love handicap parking -

Allen_Wrench · Jun 15, 2011

rohmell said:
Just don't lock it to a tree:
How to Steal a Bike in NYC Cut Down a Tree

Tell me about it! Don't lock your bike to things that somebody can return to with a saw and cut down in short order. I had a Bianchi I used to chain to a 4x4 post in the garage of the apartment I was staying in. My neighbor got in the habit of always leaving his door open on the adjoining side. Somebody came in the night with a saw. Landlord tried to bully me into paying damages, since his garage was damaged to get to my bike. I tried to explain about neighbor's habit. He just tacked the repairs onto my rent.

Also: don't chain it to a parking meter! I see that a lot downtown. It's dumb! Thieves just lift the bike, chain and all, up off the meter post. Don't find yourself walking home.

Also, if you can manage it: when you lock down, run your chain or cable in over the downtube and back through the front wheel. Then (if you have quick-release clamps) take your seat with you. I have friends who are court clerks at the CCB and a couple ride to work. One kept getting his seat stolen. Another, on Monday, had his front wheel stolen. They'll take your lights, frame bags, etc. unless you park on the rack right near the door. But unless you ride in really early in the morning like I used to, that one's always full.

Allen_Wrench · Jun 15, 2011

Poopyboogin420 said:
I see shadies eyeing my bike all the time. I went this route: heavy duty u-lock with kryptonite cable along with a hidden vibration alarm. If a theif is going to steal it, he's going to have cut the ulock with a high pitch squeal blaring in his ears, lol. It's not theive proof, but it's theive resistant, which is about as good as you can get without welding it to a pole. I thought about designing a clutch lock that would prevent the clutch handle from being pulled... Just another idea. Then they would have to carry it after they got past the locks.

Now THERE'S a great idea! From my P.I. days, I have a really big honkin' set of boltcutters that would just amaze people. I made a sling so I could wear 'em on my back under my leather jacket. Even hardened steel hasps didn't slow this puppy down much. I kid you not. And the long handles made short work

But even I would not stick around long where an alarm was blaring and all eyes were on me. Hopefully, the thieves feel the same way.

James912 · Jun 15, 2011

Are those ulocks durable. They look huge in the pics that i see in the adds. Are they really that big? I know long thin metal is easy to bend....

DuctTapedGoat · Jun 15, 2011

Honestly - I don't always lock to something stationary, cause there's not always something there. If the business has carts, I'll grab a cart and lock it to the cart and leave it by the door. If there's absolutely nothing, I leave it by the door, flip my master kill switch and run the chain from the top tube and through the back wheeland through the drive chain. It's pretty solid that way. I use a wrapped cabled lock, so when I lock to a sign pole, I wrap it once or twice around it. Heck, even trees are good.

Poopyboogin420 · Jun 15, 2011

James912 said:
Are those ulocks durable. They look huge in the pics that i see in the adds. Are they really that big? I know long thin metal is easy to bend....

Depending on how much you want to spend, they are durable. They come in different sizes, and I assure you, if you pony up the extra dough, a good ulock will not bend. I'm sure a pair of HD bolt cutters would cut them, but my advice is to use more than just a ulock, like a nice cable, maybe an alarm, anything to make stealing your bike as much of a hassle as possible. If you can, bring it inside at night, leaving it locked up outside overnight is giving a thief the perfect opportunity to yoink it. If you lock it up in broad daylight, with beefy locks and such, a thief may move on to an easier target. They are looking for opportunity, they dont want to be seen, and if an alarm is screaming at 110db, they might not stick around to meet me, the best anti theft device ever. Lol.*LiveLeak.com - Bike thief get his caught and his ass kicked

Not me, but an excellent example...

GearNut · Jun 23, 2011

I found this after exploring the link that Poopyboogin420 shared.
LiveLeak.com - The ease of stealing bikes in NY

Folks these days just don't give a damm!

Ernst · Jun 24, 2011

Too funny!

People live in their bubbles.

davew3b · Mar 3, 2012

Thievery is one of my main concerns in putting a lot of $$$ into a bike (besides having to potentially walk home). I've had regular bikes stolen in the past and it's no fun, for sure! It'd be nice if there were some way to lock the front wheel so it was un-steerable as well.

Allen_Wrench · Mar 4, 2012

davew3b said:
Thievery is one of my main concerns in putting a lot of $$$ into a bike (besides having to potentially walk home). I've had regular bikes stolen in the past and it's no fun, for sure! It'd be nice if there were some way to lock the front wheel so it was un-steerable as well.

Witness - "Hey, Dude! There's a guy out front stealing your bike!"

Owner - "Did he get away?"

Witness - "Not yet. He's still riding in circles."

laff

Allen_Wrench · Mar 4, 2012

I've noticed some cyclists who lock up at the racks near the market, across from my building, will sometimes have quick-release hubs - so they'll lock down the back parts and take off the front wheel and carry it with them. One guy even took off his seat and put it in a shopping bag. It's probably a pain to do this all the time, but they seem pretty sure of having a ride home waiting for them when they get back.

thegnu · Mar 5, 2012

I just bought a pair of handcuffs an added an extra long chain to them , cuff up the front wheel wrap around a pole slip through the frame an cuff up the rear wheel , maybe not the best lock but I wanna see a theif try an get mine .

GearNut · Mar 5, 2012

If they are Master Lock Street Cuffs you should do pretty well. If they are police issue handcuffs, keys for those are easily had and all over the place.

nightcruiser · Mar 5, 2012

Locking your bike to a street sign is a bad idea. Years ago when I was in college, one week after I bought my brand new Specialized Mountain bike (for a pretty penny on my first credit card none the less) I locked it to a street sign and went into a club. From the third floor of the club I kept looking out the window at my bike. I spy some guys messing with my bike, by the time I made it down from the third floor my bike and the sign I had it locked to were gone! I found the street sign broken off laying on the ground nearby, luckily I had my kryptonite lock through the rear wheel so the bike couldn't be ridden. I found two guys hiding between cars trying to get the wheel loose, after a short scuffle I had my bike back.... WHEW! From that day I always check the integrity of whatever I lock my bike to! Sometimes we take for granted that things are solid when they are not, street signs are one of the easiest to take down and slide right out and your bike is history!

Texhun · Mar 6, 2012

Lucky for me here everybody knows the bike is mine.

alienboy366 · Mar 6, 2012

how do you guys lug your locks around? I have a new york series kryptonite lock (3-5 lbs) and just dont like having to tie it to my rack every time. You guys have panniers?

Lock your bike to a non movable object

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