Touring - Touring Bike Locking Methods & Locks

Touring bikers have special concerns when considering which lock(s) to carry and how to use them.

-Weight
-Flexible / Adaptable in different situations
-Bulk / Size
-Combination (or) Key Locks
-Ability to leave the bike unattended (or) Always watching it.

How do you secure your bike?
Is the system flexible for different places; the woods, youth hostels, city streets, at the beach?
Do you carry more than one lock?
Are U or D locks too heavy or worth the weight?
Do you prefer to have a keyed lock or do you live a life without keys?
When on tour do you leave your locked bike unattended or do you watch it like a hawk?

In big cities (USA and Europe) it is really nice to have a good U-lock (like Bulldog) and a cable, even though they are heavier than all h*ll. When you want to go to a museum, you have to lock up securely. Now, I am told that some people use hotels instead of camping all the time. In that case, you could enjoy the security of putting your bike in locked storage. One good trick (for campers) is to lock your gear up in a train station locker (Europe only, as lockers no longer exist in the USA). On the other hand, when away from big cities I have often carried only a small locking cable to keep a thief from just grabbing my bike, and that has been sufficient.

I carry a U-lock, and I don't use quick release skewers. Realistically unless you can wrangle inside storage you can't lock up your bike and leave it for hours on end.

Also you have to consider what valuables to have in a sack to take with you so that if everything gets lifted all you loose is your bike etc... Be sure to take that stuff if you turn your back for even a second.

There is probably something to be said for making your bike unappealing, like some hunter's skunk scent, a plastic turd, etc....

I heard a good tip recently when you are camping out in a public campground.

using a cable lock, thread this through your bikes frame, the other end through the straps on your helmet. Put the helmet inside your tent and shut the zippers around it. This way it acts as a anchor for your bike. If any one trys to move it you will wake up.

That might work. Better still get one of those things that energizes cattle fencing, and either link that through your bike or the cable lock.

using a cable lock, thread this through your bikes frame, the other end through the straps on your helmet. Put the helmet inside your tent and shut the zippers around it. This way it acts as a anchor for your bike. If any one trys to move it you will wake up.

I know for me that it's hard trying to sleep when your worrying about your bike being lifted. I find myself waking up to every minute squeak.
you should post that in the tips and tricks

I use a small cable and try not to leave the bike unattended. If I want to do museum trips in a major city I leave the bike in the hostel. usually I tour in rural areas where professional bike thieves are not a big problem.

Has anyone used one of the alarms that go off if someone moves your bike? If so what brand and any comments> Gary

Okay, as someone who tours and sometimes in dicey places, I can tell you that there are a few rules I follow.
1. Two wheels, two locks. Having a coil and a U-bolt is good you you have some adaptability when dealing with large objects you wish to attach to.
2. Never spend too much on a lock. Stock lock is the best IMO. It has a 20 minute street rating. The others have 5.
3. Always lock your bike. Have different security levels depending on place and time.

You can easily convert a 'dollar store' security device into an alarm for your bike.

At this point I'd like to add I never fear or lose a moments sleep over bike security. This should never keep you from touring.

You can easily convert a 'dollar store' security device into an alarm for your bike.


Care to share? ;)

Given the recent thread from the guy who had his bike, panniers and equipment lifted while he slept in Kentucky I hope to learn a bit more from this thread.

I have a good quality U lock and heavey cable to use in conjunction, but what about panniers and their security. Easy off and easy on is one benefit that doesn't help much for in this scenario.

Given the recent thread from the guy who had his bike, panniers and equipment lifted while he slept in Kentucky I hope to learn a bit more from this thread.

I have a good quality U lock and heavey cable to use in conjunction, but what about panniers and their security. Easy off and easy on is one benefit that doesn't help much for in this scenario.

I'm not an expert, but theft is often a crime of opportunity. So long as the bike is locked, in most areas, I would think something as simple as a few tightly secured zip ties would keep someone from dashing off with a pannier in the time it takes for a short stop. If the pannier won't come straight off and the thief has to start opening buckles and rummaging through only to find dirty clothes, energy bars and a gas stove, I have to think he or she isn't going to be eager to take off with much, if they even spend the time trying. It's not fool proof, but it's cheap.

I used a tent when I tour. The tent's rain fly provides some space under the fly but outside the tent (they call it a vestibule). I take my panniers off the bike and put them under the rain fly while I sleep. I use a Master lock and a thin cable to lock my bike at night. I always lock my bike to something as I've heard more than one story of a locked bike being stolen.

I rarely lock my bike when I go into a store or restaurant. I only lock it if I can't bring it inside with me or if I have to leave in a place that isn't in my sight at all times. My loaded bike weights 70 or so pounds and is a bit awkward to lift (let alone ride). It wouldn't be all that easy for someone to run up and grab it or ride it off. I may be being foolish but I always assume that I would react before the thief could get away.

take your pedals off

take your pedals off

thats probably one of the better ideas i've heard, if not very original

Has anyone used one of the alarms that go off if someone moves your bike? If so what brand and any comments> Gary

I've used them all for years, and even alarms that were not originally for bikes. I don't use one any more.
The ones that are sensitive have false alarms. The ones that have the best features wear out in a year or two of use. They are not strong and require a good bike lock anyway. The Cy-curity was nice for a while until I realized it eats batteries and the remote quit after only a few months. To fit a price point they are all cheaply made. You can put a towel over a bike alarm to quiet it and just take the bike anyway. I gave away the nicest ones, the rest are collecting dust.

If you put a tarp over your bike at night while camping put all your metal dishes and tin cans on the edge of the tarp. If there is no tarp balance tin cans on things like pedals and bottle cages. And tops of hubs.

Reindeer bells in the spokes at night. Monofilament trip wires with cans on it.

I'm already carrying 40-50 pounds of gear on tour anyway, right? What's the extra five pounds or so for a U-lock and cable? One of the benefits of having a friend to tour with, by the way - take turns watching the bikes while making use of the Mickey D's bathroom!

When I go touring with my hammock, I always bring climbing rope. I like to climb trees, and if I want to hike and am worried about leaving my bike at the trailhead somewhere, I hang the bike at least 4 meters up secured to a branch (closer to the trunk). Its quite easy to hang, just throw the rope over something sturdy, and hoist the sucker up. Sometimes I climb up and use my cable lock to give me more piece of mind. I believe that most people looking to rip off a bike well not risk the climb to get at it. Besides, at night you can sleep safe and secure right next to it!

i keep my dobberman tied to my bike

u lock, cable and a ring lock on the frame would be the way i'd do it. I'm still trying to source an AXA-BASTA ring lock in the USA, if anyone knows where I can buy one.....

i usually bring a mini ulock and a stout cable for lockups. even at rural grocery stores these days. in the most rural of communities across the us, meth has scoured the local populace and created a class of felonious drug addled theives ready to heist anything that looks like it'd be worth something to the local fence.

I just bought a two pound, 10 ounce tent that will hold a bike and rider inside, and it is dark green for stealth effect. I always lock bike up at night.

Heinz Stucke recently had his ride stolen (and recovered!) in the UK, no tourist is immune to bike theft.

has anybody ever tried these things?

http://www.pac-safe.com/product.aspx?pId=644
looks intresting but sorta heavy

Anyone carry a chain? A friend and I will be touring Europe for 3 months and he insists on bringing a Kryptonite chain and U-lock. I advised against it due to the weight but am I wrong? A 3ft. New York model weighs about 8 lbs plus the additional U lock. Is this too much weight for a lock to take touring? I was considering the 7" OnGuard Bulldog mini U-lock but then I wasn't sure what to do with the front wheel. Any advice?

U-locks are WAAAAY too heavy! I reckon the most versatile system is a 2m flexible braided steel cable (not too thick, and definitely not one of the springy-coiled ones - makes them impossible to thread!) and a small domestic padlock.

Depends on where you're travelling I guess. If I was going to be stopping in towns I'd maybe take a U-lock, but still be completely paranoid about leaving the bike anywhere outside. In remote areas, I think a light cable is sufficient.

U-locks are WAAAAY too heavy! I reckon the most versatile system is a 2m flexible braided steel cable (not too thick, and definitely not one of the springy-coiled ones - makes them impossible to thread!) and a small domestic padlock.

Depends on where you're travelling I guess. If I was going to be stopping in towns I'd maybe take a U-lock, but still be completely paranoid about leaving the bike anywhere outside. In remote areas, I think a light cable is sufficient.

I've been reading that cables are pretty much useless, hence lock companies not offering $ amount guarantees. I guess it is better than nothing but aren't they easily cut with cable cutters?

We will be going into some big cities as well as rural areas and obviously I will try to bring the bike with me inside places but for the times I can't? A bulldog mini 7" only weighs about 2.5 lbs, that doesn't seem too bad, then maybe a cable for the front wheel?

Anyone elses opinion about the Kryptonite Chain?

I use the Axa Defender lock and chain assembly. I bought it for my city bike originally, then bought two more for a couple of other bikes I ride regularly including my tour bike. FWIW all three bikes came equipped with the braze on fittings for the ring lock. I buy mine from Clever Cycles (http://clevercycles.com/store/?c=web2.128). The locks can be mounted on most bikes. One neat feature is you cannot ride without the key, it stays in the lock while it is open, you have to lock it to remove the key.

Aaron:)

http://clevercycles.com/store/photos/1143.jpeghttp://clevercycles.com/store/photos/1142.jpeg

The kryptonite chain is way too much!!. It is almost certainly uneccessary, and very heavy. This lock setup will weigh as much as 1/4 to 1/3 of all your gear combined.

For the wheels, either use bolts or Pitlock skewers. I use Pitlocks on my city bike and they are wonderful. If you have pitlocks, you can easily get away with a small onguard Ulock, without worrying about your wheels or seatpost. The cheaper option is to use a 7 foot onguard cable plus a mini ulock to secure seat, wheels, frame and bags...

What big cities are you going to visit? your best bet is to not leave your bike outside at night. If you are planning on hostels, this might be problematic, but I'm sure you can ask about parking the cycles inside or in patios/storage areas. use common sense and you should be fine in europe...

A fully loaded touring bike is going to be an unattractive theft target. Its going to take time to rip it down to make it light enough to load into a vehicle. Riding it away the thief is going to be rather conspicuous. As far as panniers go, I take my valuables (camera, wallet, cellphone) on me when I leave the bike. I figure the rest is not worth stealing. Its easier if you concentrate the valuables in a handlebar bag with quick release, then you can just take your handlebar bag with you when you go in somewhere.

If it makes you feel better that nobody is going to root around your dirty underwear looking for something worth stealing in your bags you could use a small padlock on the pannier - easy to break but enough to keep the honest people honest.

Take something lightweight to lock with. If you are going to be in major cities try to find indoor nighttime accomodations for your bicycle (ask at your hostel) and consider trying to leave the bike in these same accomodations and walking/using transit to go do multi-hour indoor city stuff.

On my most recent trip with a friend around Vancouver island area we brought one cable lock between the two of us. I think we used the lock twice - once to feel better when bikes were outside overnight at a hostel, once when we went to a store unloaded. Never bothered to lock at any campgrounds, left the bike (me a bit nervous) in parking lots to do things like go hiking in a park, restaurants, grocery stores (sometimes one person stayed outside).

For their pacific coast tour (Canada to Mexico down the coast), Adventure Cycling recommends a "lightweight lock and cable (not a U-lock)". Obviously this trip includes some cities, where the group will stay in hostels.

I do take a cable and lock when I tour. I lock the bike occasionally, if I feel the situation warrants it.

I did take a U-lock on my first tour. After I came back, my desire to take weight off the bike lead me to jettison the U-Lock, first thing.

What I also do is wrap a piece of velcro (one of those straps you wrap around you pant leg) around my front brake lever so that the bike is very hard to push. This not only stops it from rolling a bit and falling over, but it also means that someone hopping on the bike and trying to ride off would have to deal with a full on front brake. I only do this if I have the bike in my view at all time (say, in a restaurant).

It doesn't make the bike secure, but in my experience, the vast majority of the times you leave your bike somewhere it will either a) be completely secured in a room, b) being watched by someone, or c) not a problem to leave it unlocked. If I am at all concerned about it, I lock it.

Ray

when camping, I use my bike as a stake for my tent, so if anyone tries to mess with my bike it will inadvertently wake me up

As far as lock or no lock, I think if the worst happens and the bike does get stolen, you'd rather think to yourself "at least I tried and had it locked up" versus "how stupid that I just left this out here!" Still be awful either way, but personally I'd beat myself up less if I tried.

One tangent: We once had a pair of mtn bikes stolen from a locked bikeshed & were glad to have our receipts, serial #s, and photos on file for police and insurance. Keeping that kind of info on a usb drive, website, or in an email you save in your online account, could speed recovery when you're on the road.

What I also do is wrap a piece of velcro (one of those straps you wrap around you pant leg) around my front brake lever so that the bike is very hard to push.

I've heard of people doing that with velcro straps around the downtube (or seat-tube) and through the wheel - less obvious than around the brake lever, but it seems to me that a determined thief could bend or break a spoke.

similar idea ^ :

Shift into your hardest/easiest gear after stopping, and without pedaling. Or drop the chain to the bottom bracket..

Anyone hopping on to make a fast getaway will be SOL for a minute or two.