Touring - what type of bike lock is suitable for touring?

I am wondering what type of bicycle lock should I bring along for touring? The most common type available now are either D-lock or cable lock. D-lock are strong, but the heavy weight only make it suitable for commuting uses. Cable lock weight much lesser, but can easily be divided by a small wire cutter!

So is there any suggestion of a lock that can compromise between weight and toughness? (or perhaps handy in carrying) All suggestion are welcome.

I don't know how things are in Singapore, but touring in the US I rarely bother to lock my bike at all. Touring bikes are not highly desireable and are not stolen often. It is difficult for someone who hasn't trained to ride away on a loaded touring bike. Since the bike carries all of my worldly goods, I never get far from it. When I go into a restaurant, I leave it near a window where I can keep an eye on it. No one has ever molested my bike.

When I do carry a lock on tour, I use a simple cable lock. By my reasoning it is more than sufficient.

Originally posted by RegularGuy
I don't know how things are in Singapore, but touring in the US I rarely bother to lock my bike at all. Touring bikes are not highly desireable and are not stolen often.

When I do carry a lock on tour, I use a simple cable lock. By my reasoning it is more than sufficient.

I have to disagree with RegularGuy about this. I always bring a first-rate U-lock. The lock is heavy, I know, but then again the cost of losing the bike on tour is enormous. Sometimes I bring a light cable lock _also_.

When I'm camping the bike is not very heavily loaded at night. So, I can't rely on a heavy bike to deter theft. I find a place to lock the bike up.

I know some guys get away with no lock on tour. RegularGuy's not alone in his attitudes. But I'd worry about theft too much without a lock. In my case, the extra weight of a lock makes for more tired legs, but for more restful sleep.

Yep, I lock my bike as well when touring. I use a large D-lock and a cable. I lock the bike to a post or something and use the cable to lock up the front wheel. I use a dyno-hub for lighting, that hub aint cheap, and it was a gift. I would hate to loose it. I also have tiny locks on my bags, my life is in those bags when touring.

I have lost a few things off the bike. A pump and someone took the water bottles once. What would anyone want with used water bottles? Ew! I think it was just lids being kids.

Still I don't like to leave the bike alone, when riding. I walked out of a store and found a man about 40 sitting on the bike. He started telling me how he wanted to get one just like it and how cool it was. There was no way he could ride off, the bike was locked. :mad: He sat there clicking gears and playing with the mirror... It takes all kinds. I know he ment no harm, but i wonder how he would of felt if it was me sitting in his car "to see how it feels"

Oh Yes. without a good lock, we simply can't leave our bike alone for too long. Sometimes we simply feel better just by having it locked! This is especially true when touring in developing country like Asia, South Amercia, Africa etc.
I remembered there is a rack that is designed to carry a D-lock in its integral rail. (Topeak Mule Rear rack if Im not wrong). Maybe thats a good solution to minimize loading space for a bulky lock.

I know that I don't make a very strong case for leaving a bicycle unlocked. I probably worry less about theft than most tourists. It's just that in most situations I find a lock unnecessary. I would never tell anyone that leaving your bike unlocked is a good idea. It isn't. On the other hand, in most situations, I think a cable lock is more than sufficient for a touring bike. Heavy U-locks are overkill. Cable locks will deter casual theft. Where I travel, serious theives aren't interested in touring bikes. It may be different where you travel.

I have a 9' Yakima cable-type lock that consists of a large diameter cable coated with a tough PVC hot-shrink material with a looped end and a Yakima lock cylinder. This makes for an adjustable, packable, and relatively light security item.

That being said, I rarely lock my bike when on tour (except at night--I sleep pretty soundly after a 75 mile day!). The majority of the times my lock is used is when the bike is on my roof rack or when I'm day riding into town and my bike is out of my sight.

Someone mentioned kids messing around with your bike; for this reason, I ALWAYS remove my water bottles at night (not for fear of them being stolen, but for fear of them being filled with something other than water) and stow them with my panniers in my tent. Not really secure, but out of sight is out of mind when it comes to kids...

B.

A good cable or U-Lock + cable are the best bets!
Almost everyone that I know though has run into a store or washroom without using either. I got into the habit of moving one of my shift levers all the way forward when stopped, so that someone jumping on would be way out of gear for the amount of time it would take him to move the lever to the right location again. Albeit, it would not take much time for a cyclist to figure that out, but would give me an extra 4-strides in getting over there; and if the would-be thief was not much of a cyclist you would be buying even more time. Just a thought!

Ok, I will see it this way. For general touring in a countryside, a cable lock would be fine, Get a good one, and it should be light and tough enough to keep away non professional thief.

However if anyone intended to leave the bike longer for sightseeing or shopping within a city. it is advisable to get a D-lock and secure it in a sensible place (Eg. inside a hostel area, busy street or request someone to look after it etc)

I also got the idea to apply non-permanent black paint over the bike to make it look old and dirty. This will prevent opportunist be interested with it. How is this idea?

Frazer,
obviusly each touring sisuation is different, as noted by the number of replies.
From my experience in North America and Europe, there are at least three levels of security that may be observed when leaving a bike.

In rural areas where I have just stopped for some water or directions and will not let the bike out of my sight, I do not lock.

For times when I stop for food or rest and the building I am going to will not easily allow me to see my bike I lock the frame and back wheel to an immovable object

If I am leaving my bike out overnight I remove all accessories and lock the frame, the back wheel and the front wheel to an immovable object.

I have a D lock and a cable both made by Kryptonite. They are heavy, but they work. Think of what you would do if you came back to find no bike.
My motto is:
Two wheels, two locks.

I use a Kryptonite combination D lock and cable... The advantage of a combination type lock is that you don't have to worry about keys....

Originally posted by Frazer Huang
I also got the idea to apply non-permanent black paint over the bike to make it look old and dirty. This will prevent opportunist be interested with it. How is this idea?
Any non-permanent paint is likely to come off all over you while you're riding. The idea of making the bike look "nothing special here, move along to the shiny bike next in line" seems like a good one though.

When I finally settle on my dream bike, and have ridden it enough to make sure the frame is a good fit and such, I plan to strip it down to the frame, use a solvent to remove any waxy finish, and then give it an obviously amateurish paint job with an unattractive but highly visible color (safety orange, for example). In fact, if I can find some Huffy decals I'll stick those on too!

If other riders want to laugh at my goshawful ugly "DS" bike, let 'em, I'll be the one laughing after thieves take their bikes and leave mine :D

John

Actually, if you're having your dream bike custom made and fitted, just have it professionally painted dull grey (if it's a steel frame, so it doesn't rust) at the factory and ask them to leave out any decals or markings whatsoever... They'll be happy enough to oblige. This way it won't look like much to a thief (especially with road dirt all over), but you'll still have a nice looking bike (once you've wipped it down)...

I had a titanium touring frame custom made for me at Seven Cycles for a year long tour and was afraid of theft. So Seven graciously ommitted the decals and markings (no paint required on a titanium or aluminium frame since they don't rust). I had no problems in such high theft areas as southern Spain, Morocco, Italy, etc...

Most posts mention that they do not lock for very short time spans such as getting water etc.
I previously posted that I don't either, but got into the habit of leaving my shift levers out of sync.
Maybe a small light lock with a hoop large enough to go around the tyred rim would be the best. It would help for the kind of theavery involving someone wanting to ride away with your bike, but not the half-ton professional thief. The former are far more in number anyway, and would have a shock as soon as the lock body smacks against the brakes. Most have a lock something like this along for the ride anyway, and key locks are fast to apply and remove.

After my friend from England completed the RM1200 (1200 km randonneur ride through BC) this past summer, he rode across most of Canada and part of the US to Boston for the BMB. On his journey, during inclement weather he found an outhouse in a rest stop and pulled his bike into it and slept on the toilet. Other times he located a big sign and slept under it with his bike close to him. Although his ride was full of adventure, he had no problem with theft. But as I read some of the previous posts, I got to wondering, when you tent, can you take your bike into the tent with you? Or take the wheels? Or take the frame? Thus avoiding the need for a lock?

Just curious.

I just use a $5 Nashbar coil lock and pray!

Rip-offs while traveling are common and the extra weight of a strong U-lock/cable combination is worth more then theft insurance. I have had to leave my bike outside of hotels at night and in places that were not secure, without option so it is worth being prepared. Being rip-off while on vacation is not a pleasant experience, I know, and for those who are on a trip of a lifetime or just out for a few weeks, having your trip interrupted for the loss of a rim or your bike is not worth the savings of a few hundred grams. Lock it to a tree, a pole or to the stair-railings in your hotel and you will sleep better at night and have more freedom to explore places on foot. If you are worried about weight I would leave something else behind and in reality a few hundred grams while touring won't even be noticed!
Gordon P.

If I'm staying at a motel, I take my bike in with me. I don't think I'd ever leave it outside. If the motel won't let me take it inside, I'd choose a different motel. The last time I was in a motel with my bike, I asked for a non-smoking room on the ground floor. They gave me the handicap room. It was great. There was lots of room for my bike.