Touring - Hiding Cash on a Bike While Touring

Anyone out there hide a stash of cash (and important photocopies) on their bike? Where? How? Thanks

I'll be shocked if any one answers this.

Anyone out there hide a stash of cash (and important photocopies) on their bike? Where? How? Thanks

I carry the handful of change that I will need when I return home, as well as a small cache of local currency in a small pocket in a pannier.

I keep my "walking cash" and important papers in the fanny pack I wear when I am riding. The cash is in a wallet. When I stop for the day, I transfer the wallet and important papers into my pants pocket, so that I always know where it is.

I also keep a few important papers in a second pannier.

I think the principle is to keep valuables in two or more places. If your bike or a pannier is stolen, or you are robbed, you should be able to get by for a few days. Keeping valuables in a money belt is also a good idea.

While travelling in British Columbia a few years ago, I met a guy from Europe who was biking across Canada. He was about 90% through his trip. A few days before I met him, he pitched his tent in a public campground, put everything in his tent, and left for 45 minute to pick up provisions at a nearby store. When he returned, everything was gone! All he had was his bicycle, the clothes on his back, and about $100!!

While travelling in British Columbia a few years ago, I met a guy from Europe who was biking across Canada. He was about 90% through his trip. A few days before I met him, he pitched his tent in a public campground, put everything in his tent, and left for 45 minute to pick up provisions at a nearby store. When he returned, everything was gone! All he had was his bicycle, the clothes on his back, and about $100!!


Canadians steal? Shocking! I'll bet the thief left a very polite letter of apology:)

Just kidding. This really stinks. I don't think there is a punishment horrible enough for the person that did it.

I always put emergency cash and travelers check receipts (this was a while back) inside my handlebar. I put it all in a plastic bag, took off the bar endcap and placed the rolled bag in the bar and put the cap back on.

I've heard that putting it in a small bag in the seattube can work. Tie and string to the bag and turn the bike upside down to get it out. With a fully loaded touring bike, you'll know you'll only use it in emergencies since it will be a PITA to get at.

Wrapped in plastic down a bar end, the seat tube, or as mentioned above, the handlebars. I like to keep some cash and importatnt papers wrapped up in the roll of toilet paper. It's always kept dry, and who is going to steal your toilet paper?

How much good is emergency cash in your bike? I keep the important stuff in my handlebar bag, and my handlebar bag never leaves me. If someone steals my stuff, $20-$50 isn't going to get me very far without the stuff presumably stolen. If I kept enough cash in the bike to get me a couple days, then I'd be paranoid about losing that cash (and/or personal info on the photocopies) and the bike if the bike were stolen. I can see $20 for a couple meals and a phone call, but if a lot of gear is gone, what are you going to do?

the ladies of cycling silk recently posted in their blog something related to this...
hundred in the handlebar (http://cyclingsilk.blogspot.com/)
personally, if I was gonna stash cash for a worst-case scenario, I wouldn't put it in my bike as the worst case scenario is... well, having my bike stolen

I've heard that putting it in a small bag in the seattube can work. Tie and string to the bag and turn the bike upside down to get it out. With a fully loaded touring bike, you'll know you'll only use it in emergencies since it will be a PITA to get at.


GOOD IDEA!! i always try to keep some backup cash with me but i always end up spending it. i usually try to keep a fifty handy for emergencies when im biking. if getting the money required unpacking and turning the bike upside down would def make we think twice. ive tried freezing it in ice but it just soaks everything in my panniers

there are some touring frames that came with threaded plugs in the bottom of the seattube, towards the bottom bracket. presumably to hide valuables. I wonder if any old frame could be tapped and capped that way? a little mud or a fender brace and no one would suspect a frame having a hidden security pocket on it. except border police intent on finding the hashish.

It's all right if you can spare $50 or $100 to hide away...

Shemp has it... keep your stuff in the handlebar bag and never leave it on your bike if you leave it even to go to the toilet. In addition, I slide relatively small wallets down the hip of my cycling shorts, or up the right leg of my cycling shorts. I often wear light casual overshorts, and these have "sealable" back pockets where the wallet also can go.

Your documents and cards should be separated so they are in two locations. If you suffer from hotfoot, credit cards slipped under the sole insert can be useful remedies, so in true touring tradition, one action serves two purposes (although the cards do tend to break after a period of time, and probably the magnetic strip wears away):D

My passport, second card, and other original documents remain in a Ziploc bag in a large travel wallet, which in turn goes in the bar bag, and my everyday stuff stays in the smaller wallet on me.

My Louis Garneau "Traveller 2" panniers have a velcro & strap attached fanny pack that I grab whenever I leave the bike. Has camera, passport, wallet etc, and a water bottle holder :)

http://static.flickr.com/28/47076182_2a8b97a46b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=47076182&context=set-1026307&size=l)

And as for the guys hiding valuables in the bikes - I'd be more worried about having the bike stolen.

Me too the bike is the primary target. I mean you could stash a little cash in everything you have that way if somethign goes wrong you always are going to have some resource. But that strikes me to be too much planing.

Canada is almost totally electronic. You don't need cash hardly anywhere. You can use a debit card to buy everything you need. Our banking rolls out about 10 years ahead of the US. That's what having 5 banks vs 1000 does for your. Cheap fees are not part of it... I remember going into LL Bean a while back and finding the only way a customer could do a debit trans was to withdraw cash from cash machines. At the same time in Canada you could use debit in just about any store or hotel. Moral is, don't carry much cash.

Not sure if a debit card is the same as a bank atm card

Here in the usa you are much safer doing merchant transactions
with a credit card rather than an bank atm card. The reason
is if the credit card is stolen or the number is stolen and you
report it you are only liable for a small amount. However the
contract regarding an atm card is different and if the card is
stolen the bank assumes no liability for any misuse or theft.

Recently in southern california, arco gas station customers had
their atm card information stolen and their bank accounts were
raided. From the news story the police dont really know how
it was done.

Canada may be different, but I still encourage everyone to read
their bank atm card contract carefully and not to use it at
arbitrary card readers which can be easily hacked.

if i were to hide it in/on my bike, i would go for either the seattube, handlebars, or put it up the seatpost and cap the bottom of it so it doesn't fall out.

also, does this make anyone else think of the beginning of Easy Rider? Where he slides the money into a tube and then puts it inside his gas tank?

My first impression on seeing the thread title was "troll".

Either way, I simply don't leave cash on my bike. Whatever cash I'm carrying at any given time stays in my wallet which stays with me at all times. On any tour, that is the one item above all others that I definitely don't want to lose.

Keep you wallet, papers and cash in your handlebar bag and don't let it out of your sight.

If you do want to stash something on the bike, stick a $100 travellers check in the usual places (seat tubes, handlebars, etc.) so if the bike gets stolen you can at least get the check refunded. That way, should your bike be stolen, you're not adding a hundred bucks worth of salt to an already open wound!

I have a "secret" pocket sewn into the inside of my cycling shirts which exactly matches the outside seams, of the centre stuff pocket.

I can keep a few things in a ziplock plastic wallet in there, photocopies and paper money. Nice and flat.

I considered having things hidden about the bike frame but if you get the bike stolen then it is all gone.

They are unlikely to take the shirt off your back. Are they??

george

It probably depends on where you are traveling and how remote you are going to be.

In general, I'd never leave cash on the bike...the bike is usually much too different from everything else out there...it's sometimes nothing but a beacon. If it got stolen or the bags on it stolen, I'd be SOL.

I have a small, waterproof shoulder bag/purse that doubled as a carrier for the camera, keys, small waterbottle, tourbook, cash, etc. It has a zip-close and a large flap over the top to conceal the zipper. The outside dimensions of the bag was a tad smaller than the inside dimensions of my handlebar bag. When I was on the bike, it fit nicely into the handlebar bag, and, I always had in my field of vision. When off the bike, I had it with me but didn't look like a tourist (except for the lycra shorts, helmet, and funny looking shoes :) ).

For my trip this summer, I had a back-up copy of my passport waiting for me in my email account in the form of a PDF file.

If I was to go somewhere known for pickpockets, I'd probably wear the extra cash + passport under my shirt or shorts, wear something bulky to conceal the lumps, carry the photocopies in the tourist book, and not let go of the tourist book.

I've heard that putting it in a small bag in the seattube can work. Tie and string to the bag and turn the bike upside down to get it out. With a fully loaded touring bike, you'll know you'll only use it in emergencies since it will be a PITA to get at.

If you carry extra spokes (I tape mine to the seat tube), you can keep some dollars in the seat post and fish them out with a spoke.

When I'm MTB touring I wear a regular pair of shorts on top of my bike shorts so I can carry my wallet and some other items.

I would reccomend cramming the seat tube full of quarters. Or if you have oversized tubes you may be able to get away with Canadian one and two dollar coins. YMMV.

Traveler's checks. Not that expensive, full replacement if they ever get lost or stolen.

Copy of the passport is good too. But I've heard lately that US passports are nowhere near as valuable as they once were, so I wouldn't be too paranoid about it.

If you are concerned, just get a small money belt or under-the-shirt pouch, and put the TC's, some cash and passport in there.

But I've heard lately that US passports are nowhere near as valuable as they once were, so I wouldn't be too paranoid about it.

You had better rethink that if you want to travel just about anywhere outside the USA! You won't get into Australia or New Zealand without it. Which, I think, makes your citizenship claim about the most valuable thing you've got when travelling.

I lost my wallet in Australia (as an Australian national) when travelling from the far south to the far north. I was without it for several weeks, and I had no spare card, no driver's licence, no birth cert... no thing. I was stateless, nameless, homeless and penniless (because I couldn't access cash at the bank... without identification). Not a nice situation to be in. Just as well I was travelling with my partner at the time.

+1 for hiding stuff in your seatpost

For those of you suggesting travelers checks...how would you get one cashed without identification documents?

For those of you suggesting travelers checks...how would you get one cashed without identification documents?

I hide a photocopy of all my travel docs in my seatpost and I email myself scanned copies that I can access from the web.

I hide a photocopy of all my travel docs in my seatpost and I email myself scanned copies that I can access from the web.

Careful with the email security, it's not very secure at all. Kinda like using a postcard as opposed to an envelope. Also I'll bet your gmail is more secure than your hotmail (knowing MS & Google).

Careful with the email security, it's not very secure at all. Kinda like using a postcard as opposed to an envelope. Also I'll bet your gmail is more secure than your hotmail (knowing MS & Google).

I'm not worried at all. I use jpgs with ambiguous filenames. I am more likely to be hit by a bus than have anyone grab that info from gmail. I have used that system for 4 years with no troubles.

You can get a really thin and comfortable money belt.

I always take the essentials with me wherever I go (bar bag). Anything that's not possible or very difficult to replace: i.e. cash, cards, passport, flight tickets, documents and any valuables. I also place electronic versions of documents on HotMail so at least they're obtainable from anywhere connected to the InterNet, just in case.

This way, if everything did disappear while I was in the showers, I'd still have the means to be able to eat, find shelter & travel. Someone I bumped into coming down the coast from Fort Bragg lost all his money, cards etc after popping in to some restrooms... he left his bar bag on the bike! He was heading north back home since he couldn't go any further without help. I've even actually took my bike into restrooms & showers where possible, just to be safe :)

Wallet hung around my neck at all times. if they want it...they can try to take it...if they dare. Everything else in the handlebar bag... which comes with me at all times.

I've even actually took my bike into restrooms & showers where possible, just to be safe :)
I've done this at airports and railway stations.

On my world tour despite riding in alot of dangerous places, I was never successfully robbed. I did scare a few people off; and I took evasive action in some places (changing my riding route by a few streets).

I used to keep a wad of 20 dollar bills stuck in jockstrap pouch (sorry ladies if this is a tad risque). I figured that way if i was ever really robbed, at least I would enjoy it.

On the Pan Am highway in central america during Hurricane mitch, I was afraid i would lose my passport and cash (ATM cards were worthless, all systems were down.) I took an ace bandage, rubbed it with mercurachome so that it looked like blood, and wrapped it around my upper calf to look like a nasty, recent dog bite. I had my passport and some cash mixed in with the wrapping. It worked quite well.

If you are really robbed by true professionals, there is nothing you can do. They will take all your clothes (off) and leave ya on the side of the road with just your skivvies and socks on...hopefully, alive.

roughstuff

For those of you suggesting travelers checks...how would you get one cashed without identification documents?

I always Xerox a copy of all important documents (as well as my credit cards, license, passport (on international trips) and stick a copy elsewhere on my bike. My assumption is everything I own won't be stolen, which has thus far is been the case. (I also note the travelers check series on this so that if they are stolen, I can call them in and have them canceled.)

Even if all my documents and copies are stolen, I'm confident that someone would be willing to cash a small denomination travelers check. (I'm betting a local bank would accept a copy of your police report documenting your bike theft as adequate identification!)

Rent "Papillon" with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman.

might be a good idea to hide a real little bit of cash. But I wouldn't count on it.

Realistically, you need to have a way totally away from your bike to replace your cash, checks, ID if lost or stolen. Usually a trusted friend or family member who can forward those things to you quickly. Make sure they have copies of everything you need. Banks are real quick with this stuff these days and yes, a VISA or MC debit card is protected against theft except for the first $50 bucks unless it's a prepaid.

Or if you can scan and upload those documents and keep them on the web in a password protected account would also do the trick.

It's also real easy to forget important stuff at rest stops, breaks etc... So it's a good idea to plan what if I would lose.......

You could always use the "Brief Safe" to leave things in a hotel room.

http://murl.se/16422

george