Fifty Plus (50+) - Recommended Chain & Lock for breaks during rides

I'm dreading some of the club rides I'll be taking part in, because there will be occasion where club members will ride to a breakfast place for a meal, and the bikes may or may not be in plain sight through the window while we eat.

For occasions where you're away from the bike for up to a half-hour, what are some recommended locking devices for securing your bike?

I'm also wondering ... is there is a typical weight of the lock & chain ... that people tolerate toting around during either solo rides or club rides?

I'm using a simple combo lock on a coiled cable, with the Master Lock brandname, that I picked up at Wally World for $3. I saw a Trek labeled lock that looked exactly like it in a store for $8. I coil it around my seatpost.

It's a low security lock that I probably wouldn't use on an expensive bike. But it is a lock and one can see that the bike is locked up, so it would stop the quick "grab and run" thieves.

Since pretty much all of my stops are in small rural towns, I think it is sufficient.

I was in a town this past week, Cedarburg WI, where there were no bike racks & so everyone was leaning their bikes up against trees & buildings, or just resting on kickstands. I walked past around 15 bikes and didn't see a single one that was locked up. Most of them were Giant & Treks too, not many Huffy's.

If it's not in sight, I would get a Kryptonite U-lock to lock the frame and back wheel to something solid. Use a short cable lock to secure the front wheel to the frame. Even if they break the U-lock, they are guaranteed with a refund from the company of varying amounts. like $2,250-$3,000. I'll be getting one later this year.

When I was a club rider riding the breakfast/lunch rides, I never used a lock. Yes, I did worry sometimes but luckily never had a problem with theft. Some wiser but weight conscious riders used ski locks. They are quite light and easy to carry and seemed to ease the minds of those who used them. Of course they are only good for stopping "grab and run" theives, as TB mentioned, a pro could probably cut them in a second or less.

http://ecom1.sno-ski.com/product180.html

Choose the Cafe's better- The only way to secure your bike is to have your hand or your butt on it.

If I do have to stop and have to leave the bike- Take the front wheel with you.

I seldom do anything. Neither do the vast majority of the people that I ride with.

I used to think that I was full of fear and worry until I started reading the internet bulletin boards. Geez! I'm utterly amazed at the amount of stuff that some people find necessary to carry with them on every ride.

We never lock up a bike up here in ND and have so far never heard of anyone losing a bike but while traveling I remember this topic on the forums so I do have a combination coiled cable lock that I use, but probably only stops the grab and run crowd. Stepfam's idea of taking the front wheel off is a good one and one I never heard before.
I use the Yakima locks on the racks and also add cable lock around both bikes and the racks with the locking mechanism in the center of the pickup to make it more difficult for someone to pick, or at least slow them down and make them think twice.

Don't lock 'em here. But we usually don't stop either.

+1 for the ski locks...they're small enough to fit in a jersey pocket, and you can easily lock up 3 or 4 bikes with one. Especially when riding with groups, they provide a bit of security against "grab and ride" theft.

On a group ride, you don't need perfect security. You just need better than the other riders. Thieves are looking for easy money. If there are bikes that are unlocked, and bikes that have even flimsy locks, they'll tend to go for the unlocked bikes.

When I lived in west Los Angeles and attended UCLA, I carried a big case-hardened steel chain with an Abus diskus or other heavy-duty lock. When my son attended high school, I got him a Kryptonite lock for his mountain bike. Since I live in an extremely low-crime area and leave the bike unattended only briefly, I use a basic lightweight cable with my Abus lock, substituting a heavy cable for visits to UCSD.

The only bike which gets left unattended for any appreciable length of time is the UO-8 beater. Fortunately, every one of my bikes is unique, which could help with identification and recovery, but which may or may not be a deterrent.

Don't lock 'em here. But we usually don't stop either.
+1, Same here. The only time I stop at a cafe is during the International BF 50+Forum Ride For Pie. Then I use a Kryptonite cable lock. During our vacation this year, I may be storing a bike in plain view from the street, I'll use the same Kryptonite lock. I like cable because I can secure both wheels and the frame. Can't do that with a U-lock unless you remove the front wheel.

Paranoia is the reason all bikes weigh 25 pounds. If you have a 25-pound bike, you don't lock it at all. A 23-pound bike takes a two-pound lock. Get a 15-pound bike, and you need a big motorcycle chain and a lock as big as a road apple.
Generally on group rides (with bikes ranging way upward from my Rambouillet), we don't lock up at all. If we do, we hook together as many identical cable-combination locks as we need (all with the same combination, a date we can all remember) to go through all the frames. The locks are less than $20 at REI. By myself, I use a light Kryptonite cable, also w/combo lock. and leave the bike where I can see it. I'd rather sit with the bike than carry a heavy-ass security device.

Don't lock 'em here. But we usually don't stop either.

Shoot, jppe doesn't even lock his van at a public parking lot when he goes for a multi-hour ride. Different levels of honesty and trust in different parts of the country.

I had my Kryptonite locked Jamis stolen from a bike rack at the George Washington University campus med center--thief broke the bike rack. Make sure that the bike and lock are secured to something pretty substantial.

Breaks?

go to walmart- they have several cheap- the easiest to fit in a bag is one with the multiple number combination on the cable itself

Any cheap lock is a deterrent.
Locked up our tandem onetime when one of the know-it-all riders said . . . 'I can steal your tandem in less than 3 minutes with that chintzy lock/cable.'
Told him, "I'm timing you as of right now. If you can steal our tandem . . . it's yours'.
Got lotsa sputterings and saying of 'well if I had a cable cutter . . .'

For something to slow the theives down, until you can chamber a round in the 9mm, try REI for an On Guard lock. They make a small combination cable lock which has a straight cable rather than coiled. I find the coiled a pain to use and store in the bike bag. You can set the 4 digit combination to what ever you please and you can store it easily. About $10.

The coil is to make it easy to keep it around your seat post or top tube. I keep mine on my seat post and never notice it being there while riding.

Glad to find out this discussion has nothing to do with brakes.

I'll be getting one later this year.

Like for a Birthday Present? I peeked at your profile. Happy 54th!!!! That calls for some pie!

:beer: :beer: :beer:

For something to slow the theives down, until you can chamber a round in the 9mm, try REI for an On Guard lock. They make a small combination cable lock which has a straight cable rather than coiled. I find the coiled a pain to use and store in the bike bag. You can set the 4 digit combination to what ever you please and you can store it easily. About $10.

I will sometimes carry a cable-type trigger lock. Doesn't coil, fits neatly in a jersey pocket. Primarily a deterrent, especially when "Smith & Wesson" is plainly visible on the lock...

(btw, most serious handgun owners will use a 1911 ACP rechambered for .40 cal S&W. Way more stopping power than a 9 mil (and more magazine capacity than a .45). And you thought Canadians were gun control wusses...)

- L.

(btw, most serious handgun owners will use a 1911 ACP rechambered for .40 cal S&W. Way more stopping power than a 9 mil (and more magazine capacity than a .45).

Now there's a couple of sentences that read pretty much like gibberish to me.

Which works better with a 1911 ACP, a 26.8 or 27.2 seat post, or would it be a 26.0 shimmed out to 27.2?

A lock would not have helped this guy

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/370322044.html

When riding in groups, make sure that a couple of guys are on bikes that are a lot more expensive than yours.

Order a take-out and you all can sit outside eating and watching the bikes. Ask if you can have refills of drinks. Another thing: get a designated bike watcher. Have him or her order the take-out and watch all the bikes while everyone else eats inside. Or get two designated bike watchers or three.