Road Cycling - What do you do with your bike at a C-Store?

I am starting to do longer rides, and I plan on using convenience stores for B-room breaks and to get some fresh gatorade/water. For those of you who do this, do you carry a lock? I just can't see leaving my bike unprotected at a convenince store. If you do carry a lock, what kind. The U-locks seem like they are too big to carry around for 100 miles for a 5 min stop. I'm looking for suggestions. Oh, and I ride alone, so I can't just take turns with my fellow riders, and I'm not prepared to take care of business on the side of the road, even if it isn't a big deal.

Good question.

If I'm by myself I have trouble with this too. I don't carry a lock. If I can't leave my bike in plain view (against a large glass window) so I can see it the whole time I'm in the store I don't stop. Churches, police stations and libraries are sometimes good water sources too.

I know its a road cycling thread and I'm a commuter, but I say suck up the weight and either carry a lock... or use a cafe lock...

(wheel locks)
http://store.yahoo.com/momovelo/locks.html

Even when I'm just cruising around for pleasure I have my kryptonite New York chain around my waist.

How safe do you feel the need to be? My theory is that the first lock that you put on your bike, however cheesy, is about 90% effective because it forces the thief to bring a tool with him. to go from 90% to 99% effective is a progressive game of one-ups-man-ship with the thief which, in the end, the thief always wins if he has enough time.

I seldom carry a lock while on a ride. I try to leave my bike where I'll be able to see it while I'm inside, but I sometimes cheat on that too. I have a friend who has the skinniest cable I ever saw with a small padlock. That looks to me like a pretty good thing to carry on a casual ride.

Even when I'm just cruising around for pleasure I have my kryptonite New York chain around my waist.

Nice way to carry it! I'm imagining the next fashion trend. kryptonite
chain belts!

Nice way to carry it! I'm imagining the next fashion trend. kryptonite
chain belts!

Damn right, cycle-fashion, and I don't mean spandex.

But really it is the best way to carry the thing, putting it anywhere on the actual bike just throws the balance way off - them chains are HEAVY!

those little immobilizers (combo lock with a light cable)...very light weight and the size of a small cell phone...might be something to consider

they are useless as a true security device...but would probably be enough in many places to discourage a thief in a place with as much foot traffic as a convenience store.

most churches...as long as they do not have a preschool or school in session...are very open to people coming in

Damn right, cycle-fashion, and I don't mean spandex.

But really it is the best way to carry the thing, putting it anywhere on the actual bike just throws the balance way off - them chains are HEAVY!


they pull yer drawers down and hit ya in the nuts. i just put my fagedaboudit over one shoulder, under the other and across the chest and back. like people in old westerns wear those shoulder mounted gun bullet belts.

they pull yer drawers down and hit ya in the nuts. i just put my fagedaboudit over one shoulder, under the other and across the chest and back. like people in old westerns wear those shoulder mounted gun bullet belts.

A bandolier...

I've never had an issue with them pulling my drawers down or hitting the boys... I put it just above my pant's waistline and put the small U-lock over the small of my back... no worries.

I would use it when I walked my old roommate's dog too sometimes ... around the waist leash through the u-lock and have the pup tethered to me... great for sitting down and reading or something...

Why not take the bike inside? I mean they dont weigh anything, just throw it up on your shoulder and walk around. Just an idea lol

I ride in rural areas and when I stop at a c-store or small grocery, I try to pick one where I'll be able to see my bike from inside the store, or at least park it in plain site to people pumping gas, working the register etc. In most small towns everyone knows everyone else and crime doesn't happen in public much.

The few times where I've worried about it, I take off my helmet and loop it through the front wheel or take out the front wheel but leave it roughly in place so the bike won't roll and the wheel would fall if anyone picked the bike up.

Those things make me feel better, but I'm relying on general trust. If someone is going to steel something, it will probably be a car parked with the keys in it, not my funny looking bike with skinny tires.

I am starting to do longer rides, and I plan on using convenience stores for B-room breaks and to get some fresh gatorade/water. For those of you who do this, do you carry a lock? I just can't see leaving my bike unprotected at a convenince store. If you do carry a lock, what kind. The U-locks seem like they are too big to carry around for 100 miles for a 5 min stop. I'm looking for suggestions. Oh, and I ride alone, so I can't just take turns with my fellow riders, and I'm not prepared to take care of business on the side of the road, even if it isn't a big deal.

The times I have stopped at c-stores I have either put the bike against a plate glass window so I could see it the whole time or I have brought it in with me when I knew I was going to be going into the bathroom. I have definitely gotten some looks from the clerks but I think it was mostly because I was a duck walking weirdo in tight shorts. If they don't like it, just apologize after buying your Gatorade and leave...

Why not take the bike inside? I mean they dont weigh anything, just throw it up on your shoulder and walk around. Just an idea lol

Exactly..... I look for a small grocery store and bring the bike inside. Most owners don't care providing you don't stay too long. As for going to the bathroom, I never had problems finding a place other than a bathroom. On the other hand, you have to have to do number 1 and 2, you're in trouble if you don't have a lock.

I don't know what to tell you. Buy a used bike and ride that. This is the reason why I have used bikes because they give me the freedom to lock them without having to resort to the New York Chain!

Why not take the bike inside? I mean they dont weigh anything, just throw it up on your shoulder and walk around. Just an idea lol

The clerks, they yell ;)

ride with a group. take shifts peeing/buying. that's what we always do. most of the stores along the route are so used to seeing cyclists it's not an issue, though.

You yell back at that clerk! Tell him your bike cost more than the car he drives! lol..i bet that would piss them off

I usually have a lock with me, but if I don't, look for a nice enclosed area like a fence around a dumpster. These are out of the way places that make your bike disappear - especially when people aren't looking for a bike there.

You yell back at that clerk! Tell him your bike cost more than the car he drives! lol..i bet that would piss them off

Actually the last time I did this went like this:

"You can't bring that in here!"
"Sure I can! It just goes right over my shoulder, see?"
"You can't bring that in here!"
"Sure I can! No problem at all!"

Etc. I jus kept pretending to not understand what he was getting at until I'd gotten what I needed ;)

-chris

I usually have a lock with me, but if I don't, look for a nice enclosed area like a fence around a dumpster. These are out of the way places that make your bike disappear -

No, no! I don't want my bike to disappear. That's the problem!

But seriously, for a quick, daytime pop into a convenience store, it's best
to know your territory. For most of the United States, leaving it unlocked
would be a reasonably safe bet. For the exceptions, you might as well just
throw the bike over the railing of a bridge. In Philadelphia, I have left a bike
untended for less than 30 seconds and had it disappear. In Seattle, you
have to be pretty damned unlucky to have a bike stolen, even if you leave
it outdoors, unlocked, all night. (Depending on the neighborhood, but even
the "worst" neighborhoods in Seattle are miles better than any neighborhood
in Philly.)

Know your turf.

PS. "Seeing it" through a plate glass window doesn't make the bike any safer.
It just means you get to see someone jump on it and disappear. But
even a light, theoretically useless chain lock would be your best friend in
a situation like this.

HAHAH! thats too funny brokenrobot...i forgot how pretending to not understand can work so well

On occassion, I've taken the front tire off and carried it into the store with me. That makes my bike a less attractive steal. The fork tips might get a tad scratched up, but it's worth still having a bike. Heck, you ask a local shop for one of those plastic thingies they put in the forks grroves when they ship a bike to protect the tips. Another thing I've tried was taking the saddle and seat post in w/ me. Who ever steals it better be able to dance on the pedals (though a saddle is much cheaper to replace than a front tire). Heck, if you have a chain rivet tool or a quick-link chain (now I'm getting silly :D )

Another thought is that the store clerk might be kind enough to let you put the bike just inside the door if you ask nicely first (or might at least grab your Gatorade for you. If so, be sure to leave him the change... :) )

PS Merton, I guess you're a Bush fan? ARGH! ;) I guess that's one of the drawbacks of being a Democrat living in TX :( :)

When I go for rides I don't bring a lock. When I stop I just lean my bike on the window of the store. I have also found that stopping in the same store helps because the people get to you know, and they will then know when someone else who doesn't own your bike tries to get on it.

-Matt-

those little immobilizers (combo lock with a light cable)...very light weight and the size of a small cell phone...might be something to consider

they are useless as a true security device...but would probably be enough in many places to discourage a thief in a place with as much foot traffic as a convenience store.

most churches...as long as they do not have a preschool or school in session...are very open to people coming in

I have one of those locks made by kryponite. I think its for locking skis up. I loop it through the wheel and frame. Works fine for quick stops at my dealers, um coffee shop.

I am starting to do longer rides, and I plan on using convenience stores for B-room breaks and to get some fresh gatorade/water. For those of you who do this, do you carry a lock? I just can't see leaving my bike unprotected at a convenince store. If you do carry a lock, what kind. The U-locks seem like they are too big to carry around for 100 miles for a 5 min stop. I'm looking for suggestions. Oh, and I ride alone, so I can't just take turns with my fellow riders, and I'm not prepared to take care of business on the side of the road, even if it isn't a big deal.

I live in NYC and carry mine everywhere I go. If I can't bring my bike or dog, I don't go. I'd leave my dog outside before my Brooklyn. Just kidding...

Another thing I have seen is to adjust your front brake so that the quick release lever is in the "up" position while riding. When you stop, put the lever in the "down" position. This will lock the front wheel. If anyone tries to ride off on the bike they'll have to figure out why the wheels won't turn. Also, clip your helmet strap though the frame and the wheels to give the "would be" thief one more thing to fuss with.

I carry a small bungee cord (~12" long) along with me. If I'm feeling real paranoid, I'll wrap it around the wheel and chainstays, the though being anyone who wants to swipe the bike will find it immobolized, glance down and mistake it for a lock. Tehy'll think twice about spending any amount of time trying to disengage it.

I am starting to do longer rides, and I plan on using convenience stores for B-room breaks and to get some fresh gatorade/water. For those of you who do this, do you carry a lock? I just can't see leaving my bike unprotected at a convenince store. If you do carry a lock, what kind. The U-locks seem like they are too big to carry around for 100 miles for a 5 min stop. I'm looking for suggestions. Oh, and I ride alone, so I can't just take turns with my fellow riders, and I'm not prepared to take care of business on the side of the road, even if it isn't a big deal. Get to know where you can take your bike right in to the john. City parks are a good example. The restrooms in Madison parks are, well, marginally clean enough. The ones at Lake Farm county park, on the Cap City trail, are quite nice, and plenty roomy to pull your bike in. Where in town (or out) do you ride? I'll try to think of specific places to stop. For water, I just fill my hydrator to the very top from the filter at home; the tap water here is so chlorinated (not to mention the lawn/ag chemicals, etc.), I hate to drink it at fountains, etc. unless absolutely necessary.

Most LBSes are cool about wheeling the bike in for a "pit stop". You know where they are, I reckon.

I'll second the suggestion of knowing your surroundings. Although I haven't done it, I've considered carrying around a lightweight lock since most of my stops either involve securing the bike by other means (read: having it at my side) or only leaving it for a short time and within view by myself and the public where any attempt at theft is more conspicuous. As for the lock, given that all the above precautions are followed, I feel it's fairly safe to use one that offers intermediate protection. I've considered carrying around a laptop/luggage security lock like this:

http://www.targus.com/us/product_images/PA400U_accessories_b.jpghttp://www.targus.com/us/product_images/pa400u_img4_accessories_b.jpg

I'm not sure how much they weigh though... but they do have a built-in alarm.

I always carry a mini-krypto in either my back pocket or my bag. I'm not sure how i'd handle it if i were a member of the lycra contingent.

No one steals road bikes around here. All the theives are looking for freestyle BMX bikes. I've seen two Trek MTBs locked with a cheap Huffy BMX bike, the lock cut, and the BMX taken, but the Treks left behind.

I leave it out front. The "funny" pedals seem to deter theft.

Walgreen's allows bikes through the drive thru, but only for prescriptions.

Get to know where you can take your bike right in to the john. City parks are a good example. The restrooms in Madison parks are, well, marginally clean enough. The ones at Lake Farm county park, on the Cap City trail, are quite nice, and plenty roomy to pull your bike in. Where in town (or out) do you ride? I'll try to think of specific places to stop. For water, I just fill my hydrator to the very top from the filter at home; the tap water here is so chlorinated (not to mention the lawn/ag chemicals, etc.), I hate to drink it at fountains, etc. unless absolutely necessary.

Most LBSes are cool about wheeling the bike in for a "pit stop". You know where they are, I reckon.

I'm actually in Sun Prairie, so I ride east: Columbus, Waterloo, Cambridge, Cottage Grove etc.
If I'm riding in madison, its usually with bombay or wed. night groups, so no worries then.

Specifically, I'm planning a ride from Sun Prairie to West Allis as kind of a mix between training ride/tour. I figure I'll need at least one stop, probably somewhere around Concord (just west of Delafield). I wasn't sure what to do, but the little lock/alarm thingy looks like a good approach if I can't bring the bike in with me.

Thanks for all the responses!

I always carry a self coiling cable lock, I store it between the seat stays and brake bridge with a peice of velcroe. When I'm too lazy to use the lock I'll park where I can see the bike, and leave it shifted to the 52-11, make it tough to get a quick get away.

I am starting to do longer rides, and I plan on using convenience stores for B-room breaks and to get some fresh gatorade/water. For those of you who do this, do you carry a lock? I just can't see leaving my bike unprotected at a convenince store. If you do carry a lock, what kind. The U-locks seem like they are too big to carry around for 100 miles for a 5 min stop. I'm looking for suggestions. Oh, and I ride alone, so I can't just take turns with my fellow riders, and I'm not prepared to take care of business on the side of the road, even if it isn't a big deal.

Most of my rides are planned so there is a publicly accessible bathroom with cold drinking fountains at least ever 90 minutes to two hours, as that is how long two bottles of Gator-Ade last. On my normal routes, there are libraries, sports complexes, state parks, and, in a real emergency situation, plenty of country roads with lots of trees!

At libraries, sports complexes, and state park facilities, you run into a better class of people than at the normal urban, or even suburban 7-11 or WaWa. I have left my bike in front of the library, gone inside, refilled my bottles, used the facilities, and hustled back out.

There are also some grocery stores, a Safeway, in particular, that has drinking fountains right inside the doors and an adult condominium complex or two with community center with bathrooms and fountains.

I keep looking for a light lock and cable to carry with me as I don't want to haul around a chain and padlock, the big handcuffs, or anything of that nature. But until then, I plan ahead.

[QUOTE=bluejack]No, no! I don't want my bike to disappear. That's the problem!
In Seattle, you
have to be pretty damned unlucky to have a bike stolen, even if you leave
it outdoors, unlocked, all night. QUOTE]
I know plenty of folks who have had bikes stolen in the seattle area not just in bad sections, some were even, lets say, not so shiny bikes. I even know one guy who found a drunken bum sleaping in his back seat when he got off work. Then again I occationaly ride my bike through hilltop in tacoma at night with out anything worse than "nice night for a ride eh" of course the late liquer store(closes 11pm) has an 'interesting' crowd in the parking lot most nights.

Oh and whoever said leave it by the trash, there are plenty of honest dumpster divers who might think its "free junk".(I didn't say they were smart)
I use a two foot plastic covered chain combo lock that I got in elementary and wrap it around my seatpost a bunch of times for storage. quick, light, easy, always on the bike so its not forgot; its to tough for dikes(wire cutting pliers) but a small bolt-cutter could make short work of it like the dude said 90% it is stopping 'grab and go' the rest is the size of there clippers (some fit nicely in a medium paper bag, a trick I saw on a hidden camera news show)

I know plenty of folks who have had bikes stolen in the seattle area not just in bad sections, some were even, lets say, not so shiny bikes.


Sure, anything can happen anywhere. But when I first moved from Philadelphia
to Seattle I needed a bike, and my first stab at it was something I picked up
at goodwill. It was basically a piece of junk, but it looked decent; had all
the requisite parts. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sell it, and didn't
feel like donating it back to goodwill, so when I bought a real bike, I decided
to see how long it would take to be stolen.

I parked it unlocked on Broadway, on Capitol Hill, and then sat at a cafe across
the street to time it. In Philadelphia, I would have given it an hour, tops.

Well, I ended up going home disappointed -- no one took the bike. Indeed,
it sat there for nearly a week before someone took it.

I have had a bike stolen in Seattle -- so I must acknowledge that it is
possible. I had a cannondale hybrid stolen off my porch. I'll admit I had grown
somewhat negligent in my attention to security, lulled into a false sense of
security. The bike was locked only to itself, not fixed to anything. I felt like
an idiot -- I would never have been so lax back in Philly. (Or if I was, it would
have been punished on day 1.)

I wasn't comparing sea to philly I was just saying that I know of plenty of bikes that have been swiped in sea as well as the rest of east puget sound. Sea tends to be a little higher income so the theives usually know their booty better and don't go for the huffies. One bike that comes to mind (not a bicycle) was a harley davidson, 750lb motorcycle, that was completely blocked in by two cars and a 4foot fence and close to the house, no marks on the fence or cars. That was near renton. There are a few parts of seattle I wouldn't go wandering through with my g/f at night(places strewn with needles, condoms, passed out bums, and bum poop right near downtown) every big city has those sections some a little more than others but they all have a few seattle just tends to keep its bad sections hidden a lot of 'locals' up there don't even know about them.

Well, I figured out what I'm going to do. I bought one of those seat protecting cables, and I'll just use a padlock. It's not that secure, but hey, its better than nothing. Now I just have to make sure the C-store has a pole or a sign I can put the lock around.

Thanks for all the tips!

I wasn't comparing sea to philly I was just saying that I know of plenty of bikes that have been swiped in sea as well as the rest of east puget sound. Sea tends to be a little higher income so the theives usually know their booty better and don't go for the huffies. One bike that comes to mind (not a bicycle) was a harley davidson, 750lb motorcycle, that was completely blocked in by two cars and a 4foot fence and close to the house, no marks on the fence or cars. That was near renton. There are a few parts of seattle I wouldn't go wandering through with my g/f at night(places strewn with needles, condoms, passed out bums, and bum poop right near downtown) every big city has those sections some a little more than others but they all have a few seattle just tends to keep its bad sections hidden a lot of 'locals' up there don't even know about them.

Ditto. Our Seattle thieves are "come prepared" and take most anything they want even the junk bikes. Cuz the junk bikes are "less likeley to be stolen". I've been bike-less for about a month even tho my bike was "safely" locked up with a comb-o lock, the helmet trick, clipless pedals AND in an employee parking garage.

At libraries, sports complexes, and state park facilities, you run into a better class of people than at the normal urban, or even suburban 7-11 or WaWa. I have left my bike in front of the library, gone inside, refilled my bottles, used the facilities, and hustled back out.

There are also some grocery stores, a Safeway, in particular, that has drinking fountains right inside the doors and an adult condominium complex or two with community center with bathrooms and fountains.

I keep looking for a light lock and cable to carry with me as I don't want to haul around a chain and padlock, the big handcuffs, or anything of that nature. But until then, I plan ahead.

It'd be good not to be lull'd into a false sense of security. Please lock up that brand new Trek 5200! O and register it with NBR tonight!

Another thing that works pretty well is a leather pedal toe strap. Once they're attached to the wheel they're a pain in the butt to get off, preventing a grab-n-dash.

I heard leather toe straps aren't made anymore. You'll have to go to one of those S&M shops or Hot Topics and ask if they have any leather straps. :)

I heard leather toe straps aren't made anymore. You'll have to go to one of those S&M shops or Hot Topics and ask if they have any leather straps. :)Sounds like the voice of experience!