Folding Bikes - is it safe to leave folding bikes outside locked up?

besides the obvious fact that i can fold it up and carry it with me sometimes i wouldn't want to carry around the extra weight and would rather lock it up outside. but with all the folding mechanisms, could security of the bike be easily compromised? would it be dificult to detach a part of the bike at a swivel joint with some tools and then slide off the lock and so on?

You'll have to examine the bike and see.

See the "stolen Brompton" recent thread.....

From personal experience & reading that of others, I have no confidence in any lock for a folder, or even a conventional bike. Much better seems to be to find a folder that strolls along instead of having to carry it, & small enough to keep indoors at your intended destinations.

Hi
Sure it's best if you can carry the bike, but if you have to lock it, make sure there are no weak links:
Hardened chain, good quality lock, chain locks the bike to a tree, lamp-post etc and chain locks bike parts together - with Brompton and Merc it's easy. And a public place.
I have witnessed breaking of a cheap cable lock with two medium size wrenches - the owner had lost the key. It took less than 10 seconds. And sometimes I've noticed bikes locked with a good chain, but the lock is of cheapist quality - they brake as easily.
The good lock is allways heavy and expensive, so it seems.

The good lock is allways heavy and expensive, so it seems.

But sadly, doesn't seem to make much difference.

See:

http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/

Left hand panel "Stolen bikes register"

Motorcyclists face the same issue, and can carry monster Abus, Krypto, etc. locks.... but even with weight-is-no-object, there are two basic approaches: alarms, and multiple locks. Alarms for obvious reasons. Multiple locks to make your bike comparatively less attractive than one with fewer locks.

If the risk is high, I bring my bicycle inside... hotel room, restaurant, store, doesn't matter. At worst, the shop owner can tell you to take it outside, which I do, after I make my purchase. If the venue is your workplace, there's always a place in the building you can lock a bike. It may take a little lube with the building management, janitor, whatever.

Motorcyclists face the same issue, and can carry monster Abus, Krypto, etc. locks.... but even with weight-is-no-object, there are two basic approaches: alarms, and multiple locks. Alarms for obvious reasons. Multiple locks to make your bike comparatively less attractive than one with fewer locks.

If the risk is high, I bring my bicycle inside... hotel room, restaurant, store, doesn't matter. At worst, the shop owner can tell you to take it outside, which I do, after I make my purchase. If the venue is your workplace, there's always a place in the building you can lock a bike. It may take a little lube with the building management, janitor, whatever.

Yes, I've noticed those monster locks & chains on some of the bikes & scooters around here!

I'm thinking about an alarm idea for my folder at the moment.
The multiple lock approach for a (folding) bicycle is very heavy & cumbersome of course, & still only a deterrent.
I agree, taking it inside is the safest policy, & simply go somewhere else if there's an admission refusal.

On a less depressing note, are you still on your European trip? Presumably the current rain spell in the UK is much more depressing than Hawaii? Our friends were there several weeks ago, & still haven't stopped telling us about it, so we're looking forward to going there in the next year or two. We watched a very interesting program about Hawaii recently - how there's a determined effort to stop the habitat destruction by tourism.

Why risk it if you can take it in?

It is as safe to leave a folding bike locked up outside as it is any other bike. It's much easier just to clip the lock than to disassemble the bike.

It is as safe to leave a folding bike locked up outside as it is any other bike. It's much easier just to clip the lock than to disassemble the bike.

I'm afraid that this simply isn't true, the high value of top end folders makes them prime targets, I always take mine in, even to posh pubs & restaurants, the Stridas wheel into supermarkets or any folder can go in the trolley with your shopping, If I absolutely have to lock the GoBike outside I use 2 D-locks (one cost £120) & is designed for motorcycles and a wire loop between them to link wheels,frame etc. and also to catch the seat lock. But the combined weight of these locks makes this a rare occurence!
If I carry my GoBike into a Pub or resto & they say "That'll have to stay outside"
I say "No problem! Goodbye!"
I passed a Brompton in Kensington High Street a few weeks ago, it was locked to a huge tree! Good idea, right?
Trouble was the muppet who owned it (temporarily) had locked it with a cheap lock & chain, WHICH WAS WRAPPED AROUND THE TREE........................................AND THE SEATPOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek:
Yeee Gods, why do my bikes get stolen when there are easy pickings like that? :mad:

I don't lock my Strida at work, and I do leave it outside. Folded, it tucks neatly between a large concrete planter and the front window of our building. Not easily noticed from the street or to people walking in - but within sight of the security guards.

I'm comfortable that nobody is gonna walk or ride off with it.

Even so, I'm not telling you where I work :)

I'm afraid that this simply isn't true, the high value of top end folders makes them prime targets.
Just to be clear, my point is that whoever wants to steal the bike is just going to break the lock, rather than take the bike apart. In that sense, it's not like a folding bike is less secure to lock up than a regular bike.

As to desireability: Maybe things are different where you live, but in the NYC area, anything and everything is fair game. A friend of mine had an utterly junked-out 10 speed, and people tried to steal it numerous times. One joker even put his own lock onto the bike, hoping they'd abandon it.

Maybe Bromptons are more common where you are. Most of the what I see around here, including ones locked up outside, are typically low-end folders.

Plus, not many serious roadies will leave their $6500 Orca Record sitting outside anywhere, right? :D



I always take mine in, even to posh pubs & restaurants...
Not always possible here. Since I occasionally meet with friends, I cannot order them to switch restaurants at the last minute because they won't let me bring in my dirty $300 folding bike. :D

That said, I do occasionally park my folding bike with a reasonably sturdy cable lock on the streets of NY. It's a cheap folder anyway, so my heart would not bleed if it ever got stolen. Heck, it would almost be a relief at this point -- one less object cluttering up my apartment! ;)

On a less depressing note, are you still on your European trip? Presumably the current rain spell in the UK is much more depressing than Hawaii? Our friends were there several weeks ago, & still haven't stopped telling us about it, so we're looking forward to going there in the next year or two. We watched a very interesting program about Hawaii recently - how there's a determined effort to stop the habitat destruction by tourism.

cj, I returned "the fast way", non-stop to SFO, then a bleary hop to HNL, in early May. I was ecstatic with the weather I had in the UK: 7 sunny days, 2.5 partly cloudy, and .5 rain. I had wanted to visit the DeHavilland Mosquito Museum near St. Albans, and HMS Victory in Portsmouth, for years, and finally got the chance on weekends. Another plus was using the bus/taxi lanes in London on my Swift.

PM when your plans to visit the Sandwich Isles firm up, and bring your folder if possible.... the only rental bikes here are beach cruisers and "campus bikes" (looks like a MTB, but only looks... ). Best months are November to June. Richard the Lionhearted announced that Virgin would like to fly nonstop LHR/HNL with its new 787s.

It's a cheap folder anyway, so my heart would not bleed if it ever got stolen. Heck, it would almost be a relief at this point -- one less object cluttering up my apartment! ;)

come clean.... you would actually get to buy a replacement folder.

I lock my folder and Trek when outside behind the house. The U lock holds them together. I know I live in a safe community but I won't risk losing my valuable bikes because of the fact we haven't had any break ins or robberies in our community. And when I head to the grocery, I bring two locks with me, the cable and the U lock. Better to be safe than be sorry. Make it a habit to lock not just your bicycle but your house eventhough you're home.

I don't lock my Strida at work, and I do leave it outside.

Even so, I'm not telling you where I work :)

Is that because your employer doesn't allow bikes in work, or is it miles to stroll it to where you're located?
I ask because I read somewhere recently of a man working for an American car manufacturer that wouldn't permit bicycles on the premises.

Very wise - you never know who's lurking in these forums ;-)

cj, ... I was ecstatic with the weather I had in the UK: 7 sunny days, 2.5 partly cloudy, and .5 rain.

I had wanted to visit the DeHavilland Mosquito Museum near St. Albans, and HMS Victory in Portsmouth, for years, and finally got the chance on weekends.


PM when your plans to visit the Sandwich Isles firm up, and bring your folder if possible.... the only rental bikes here are beach cruisers and "campus bikes" (looks like a MTB, but only looks... ). Best months are November to June. Richard the Lionhearted announced that Virgin would like to fly nonstop LHR/HNL with its new 787s.

Maunakea, please come again - you have good connections ;-)

We have a friend in Potters Bar, yet we still haven't visited that, so must do it.

You are a mind reader, well anticipated on those times, etc., & I shall indeed PM you nearer the time, thank you :-)

I hadn't spotted Sir R.B's plans, thanks. Our intentions were tentatively to buy 2 new folders somewhere en route where the prices were less extortionate than here, & we'd get a chance to put some miles on them. In any event, we will bring folders, as we're always disappointed with rental bikes.

I have had a QR stolen from my bike. In general I would take the seat post with you if you chain it outside. MKS has removable pedals.

I live in a small town with a low crime rate, but you never know who might pass through. There's a very nice restaraunt less than a mile from where I live, and some cars were broken into in their parking lot a while ago.

On the other hand, the last bike of mine actually to be stolen was 30 years ago, in another state. I'd probably be safe enough locking any of my bikes outside in the towns in this immediate area, but I don't usually care to take the chance. Even a failed theft attempt might do some damage to the bike. As long as I've got folders, I'd rather bring them inside with me. The main reason I got my Curve is that it's easier to do that than with my Bike Fridays, which makes it a good bike to use for shopping and running errands. I've occasionally chained my Raleigh Twenty outside, but not recently.

My situation at work is very favorable for bicycles. I can bring even a full sized non-folder inside, where there's no reason to lock it.

My best lock is a five foot Kryptonite New York chain. It turned out that the original lock that came with it could be easily picked with a ball point pen. Kryptonite replaced these locks with a different kind at no cost, they even paid for the shipping when I sent the original back to them. However, that shook my faith in locks in general. The lock and chain are extremely heavy anyway, and I don't like to carry them.

http://www.transalt.org/blueprint/images/bloop90.gif

besides the obvious fact that i can fold it up and carry it with me sometimes i wouldn't want to carry around the extra weight and would rather lock it up outside. but with all the folding mechanisms, could security of the bike be easily compromised? would it be dificult to detach a part of the bike at a swivel joint with some tools and then slide off the lock and so on?

I have a special section on my original text version web site devoted just to this topic of Security. I turned to folding bikes for the number one reason of even my junky non folding ancient bikes were attempted to be stolen while using a Master Lock U-lock securely locked to the iron fence with a secondary cable lock looped around wheels and other easily snatched parts. I was lucky that the bike was not damaged. But I find that taking it with me at all times almost eliminated this problem. And folding bikes are now a premium find for thieves, both professional and amateur.

How about these? :-)

http://www.geocities.com/verdrahciretop/invisibike.html

come clean.... you would actually get to buy a replacement folder.
Actually, I wouldn't. I have a cheap 700c road that I'd use instead as my beater bike.

I'm seriously considering selling my cheapo folder, but it is just barely useful enough that I haven't ditched it yet.

... but the space the cheapo folder occupies could be occupied by a project bike. You would get to buy new parts and dial in the cockpit and take pix and ... think of the opportunity cost of not starting a new project bike.

Locking just came up on the BikeFriday list and somebody posted this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC3hFr8p2ck

Which says to me, if they really want it, they will steal it no matter what kind of lock you use.

But for me the bike is transportation not just recreation so I do leave it locked during the day for an hour or so (while eating lunch, etc.). I try to watch it but it is not always possible. If it gets stolen I'll be pissed but I figure you can go around worrying about everything -- I would never leave the house if I did. But wait-- since most accidents happen in the home I'd worry about that and would just curl up in a ball and die :)

Locking just came up on the BikeFriday list and somebody posted this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC3hFr8p2ck

Which says to me, if they really want it, they will steal it no matter what kind of lock you use. . . .

Interesting. I notice that my Kryptonite chain lasted 29 seconds, which reinforces my prejudice against carrying that extra weight around.

Support the saying if "there's a will there's a way". I suppose no matter what kind of security or anti theft device you have, it will be stolen if there's so much interest and the will to steal.

Here in Toronto its never safe to leave any bike unlock... including junkers...

I usually have at least two locks on my folder, and I make sure it's folded and wrapped in lock... and that's IF the folder doesn't go inside with me...

This may be a tangent... but three weeks ago, I was going to donate a cheap MTB to a person needing transportation... (one of those crappy tire/walmart bicycles from 10 years ago)... lets just say this bike wasn't worth anything by now... and had damaged parts...

I chained this bike with a cheap dollar store chain, emailed the combo to the person I'm donating it to, and told this person to pick it up (he can have the cheap lock too)... the bike was locked in front of my apartment building in a heavily travelled main artery street... I locked the bike before I headed off for my vacation...

I get back from NY, and the person who was supposed to receive the bike, stated he went to pick it up, but it was already gone...

so go figure... even a locked crap bike... with no air in the tires, no rear brakes... rusting... was stolen... what the heck... this getting ridiculous???...

Here is an article on thieves stealing something that most people would be suprised about-even about it being made of gold:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070530/ap_on_fe_st/odd_gold_tub_stolen;_ylt=ApKDUsuVZSKm_K8lbd.O_jntiBIF

This is not a bike of any kind, but I felt that this type of theft (including chain cutting and poor means of protecting a valuable) best illustrates why thieves find it so easy to take advantage of situations and people-the targeted victim(s) do not expect to be taken advantage of.

This is not a bike of any kind, but I felt that this type of theft (including chain cutting and poor means of protecting a valuable) best illustrates why thieves find it so easy to take advantage of situations and people-the targeted victim(s) do not expect to be taken advantage of.

Interesting, thanks.

Even after having my full size bike stolen a few years ago, I naively thought that unusual bikes like Stridas & recumbents would be less attractive to thieves as they're so distinctive, ie., a rider would stand out a mile.. It seems irrelevant in fact.

A BF member has had *2* Stridas stolen, & I've read on a non BF recumbent forum of 2 of the kind I have being stolen in the last year or so.

Where do they ride these bikes without attracting attention?

This fear of theft is a dreadful state of affairs, & like "TheMadBrewer"
postulates, we could all end up paranoid (who's watching whom?)

I imagine this sort of thing puts a lot of women off cycling who could otherwise benefit greatly from cycling.

Even after having my full size bike stolen a few years ago, I naively thought that unusual bikes like Stridas & recumbents would be less attractive to thieves as they're so distinctive, ie., a rider would stand out a mile.. It seems irrelevant in fact.

A BF member has had *2* Stridas stolen, & I've read on a non BF recumbent forum of 2 of the kind I have being stolen in the last year or so.

Where do they ride these bikes without attracting attention?

This fear of theft is a dreadful state of affairs, & like "TheMadBrewer"
postulates, we could all end up paranoid (who's watching whom?)

I imagine this sort of thing puts a lot of women off cycling who could otherwise benefit greatly from cycling.

I-being female-find that cycling is far more safer than walking down the street in the neighborhood where I am stuck for a while longer. You are moving at a faster rate than a far more slow paced walk and do not attract as much attention by the wrong sort. The folding bike, if it is taken everywhere with you and not locked up like a regular bike, is about the best deterrent against opportunistic thieves. The only thing I have to worry about now is the far more violent bike jacking criminal. And that sort of person is bent on the target's personal harm-nevermind the bike-than most others. But no, actually I am far less paranoid with my bike. That is really healthy in most ways than one.

But no, actually I am far less paranoid with my bike. That is really healthy in most ways than one.

That's reassuring to know.


I-being female-find that cycling is far more safer than walking down the street in the neighborhood where I am stuck for a while longer. You are moving at a faster rate than a far more slow paced walk and do not attract as much attention by the wrong sort.

Funnily enough I was only thinking about that recently - one of the rare cases where one might feel better in traffic :-)


The folding bike, if it is taken everywhere with you and not locked up like a regular bike, is about the best deterrent against opportunistic thieves.

Yes, I've abandoned the lock idea, other than something simple but totally unintuitive, as a temporary couple of minutes thing whilst nipping into somewhere it's difficult to take the bike.


The only thing I have to worry about now is the far more violent bike jacking criminal. And that sort of person is bent on the target's personal harm-nevermind the bike-than most others.

Hmmm, hadn't thought of that scenario, & not something to dwell on. I don't think I'll mention that to one of our friends - she's paranoid enough as it is!

besides the obvious fact that i can fold it up and carry it with me sometimes i wouldn't want to carry around the extra weight and would rather lock it up outside. but with all the folding mechanisms, could security of the bike be easily compromised? would it be dificult to detach a part of the bike at a swivel joint with some tools and then slide off the lock and so on?

Tell me where do you plan to lock up your bike?;)