alien8 ([personal profile] alien8) wrote in [community profile] bicycles2010-05-11 04:26 pm
Entry tags:

Lock your bike securely!

We've got a big campaign against bike theft here in London. Here's one video produced showing good/bad locking techniques etc.

sara: photo of a bicyclist (bicycle)

[personal profile] sara 2010-05-11 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Hunh -- well, I don't think I'm going to start hauling two locks anytime soon (I have one big Kryptonite U-lock, and a 1/2" diameter cable I take with me when we're out on the tandem) but this is a good reminder that I should have someone replace the quick releases on my wheels with locking bolts. It's not like I take the wheels off more than a couple of times a year anyhow, with the touring tires on.
darkemeralds: Naked woman on a bike, caption "I don't care, I'm still free" (Bike Freedom)

[personal profile] darkemeralds 2010-05-11 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Great video! I'm lucky right now in having a secure garage where my bike lives during the workday (even there, I U-lock my cruiser to a vertical rack, and wheel-lock my Dutch bike plus chain it to a post), but when I leave either one of them in open bike parking for any period, I double-lock them.

For my Dutch bike, I just got an Abus Bordo lock, which is heavy but compact and easy to carry (who cares about an extra kilo on a 22-kilo bike?), and I might splurge on another one for my cruiser.

I don't worry too much about the quick-release wheels on my cruiser because I always lock to the frame and I don't think single-wheel theft is very common. Nevertheless, I feel better about my Dutch bike having no quick-releases anywhere.
darkemeralds: Old French poster of bicycle with naked flame-haired woman. (Bike)

[personal profile] darkemeralds 2010-05-11 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks for the tip on the Bordo. I won't take it back (can't, really--been using it), but I will reconsider my idea of buying a second one. The locks recommended in the post you linked are rated for their utility in high-theft areas, and I'd consider spending upwards of $250 for a lock if that were my situation.

Happily, my bikes are secured either at home or in a limited-access garage about 95% of the time when I'm not actually riding them, and the other 5% they're in front of grocery stores where I do double-lock them, or cafes and restaurants where I can see them the whole time, in mostly pretty good neighborhoods.

I decided when I bought my cruiser last summer that I'd take all reasonable precautions against bike theft, but the definition of "reasonable" certainly varies from bike to bike, cyclist to cyclist, and region to region.
darkemeralds: Old French poster of bicycle with naked flame-haired woman. (Bike)

[personal profile] darkemeralds 2010-05-11 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Also? Nice to see a new post in this community. I've been wracking my brains to come up with something and you beat me to the punch with a really good, informative post.
wychwood: Fraser and RayK pulling a sledge in snow (due South - Fraser and RayK hauling sled)

[personal profile] wychwood 2010-05-11 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Good video.

I use two D-locks, which are great except that it's not always easy to get the angle to lock the wheel to the frame and the stand at once - usually I lock the back wheel onto the frame and the front wheel to the stand, or vice versa. I don't have quick-release wheels, though.

I'm not sure how good my locks are (...I've seen too many links to those "how to break a Kryptonite lock with a Bic biro" videos), though! There's a bike group where I'm working now that sells discounted Sold Secure locks - I'm thinking about getting one.

How do people transport their locks, talking about weight issues? I keep mine over my handlebars when I'm cycling; they destroyed my last front light bracket, but it's easier than carrying them otherwise (no panniers or back bracket).
roadrunnertwice: DTWOF's Lois in drag. Dialogue: "Dude, just rub a little Castrol 30 weight into it. Works for me." (Castrol (Lois))

[personal profile] roadrunnertwice 2010-05-12 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
I like locking a U-lock to my belt and letting it ride on my hip; as long as you cant it heavy-side-up with the loop angled back, it actually doesn't bounce around much. (I tried that handlebar thing for about a week, and the rattling and control issues drove me about nuts. Plus it was pushing all the bowden cables all over the place, which was making my brakes and derailers behave insanely.)

If I'm not wearing a belt, I just purse it, because I haven't found any other sensible solution. (It's a 49cm frame, so basically no dice on those handy-looking mounting brackets.)
sara: S (Default)

[personal profile] sara 2010-05-12 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
I carry whatever the highest-grade Kryptonite lock is (in this town, they will not warranty anything lighter!) and bungee it to my rear rack. This mostly works.