Commuting - Locking a bike at a rail station

I have requested an application for a bike locker at two metro stations within commuting distance from my home. On the off chance the locker doesn't come through, I need to know what things I should take off my bike to make it less attrative to thieves. I was thinking of taking the saddle and front wheel, and locking the rest of the bike to the rack. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

I think it really depends on what the neighborhood and bike are like. In minneapolis, in most areas, I'd take my bike computer, and my panier. I have never locked my front wheel to to the back wheel and 520 Trek frame nor done anything special with the quick release seat. Usually I dangle my helmet on a break lever. I've never had any problem. If your village is anything like NYC, you wouldn't be asking the question, but things might be less safe to leave unattended there than here. So you'll have to figure it out!

I have requested an application for a bike locker at two metro stations within commuting distance from my home. On the off chance the locker doesn't come through, I need to know what things I should take off my bike to make it less attrative to thieves. I was thinking of taking the saddle and front wheel, and locking the rest of the bike to the rack. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Walking away with the front wheel and saddle can be quite tiresome. Why not get the Kryptonite "Locking Skewer Set"?

I park my junk folding bike at a rail station and leave it hoping it will be there when I return. The bike is all scratched up and looks like a real beater which I hope yours does too. As for locks, only a big heavy U-Lock or chain will do and you can leave these at the station. The one thing you cannot avoid are the vandals who will damage your bike.

Overall, you should expect to spend over $150.00 dollars in locks.

Walking away with the front wheel and saddle can be quite tiresome. Why not get the Kryptonite "Locking Skewer Set"?

I park my junk folding bike at a rail station and leave it hoping it will be there when I return. The bike is all scratched up and looks like a real beater which I hope yours does too. As for locks, only a big heavy U-Lock or chain will do and you can leave these at the station. The one thing you cannot avoid are the vandals who will damage your bike.

Overall, you should expect to spend over $150.00 dollars in locks.

taking the tire away makes it harder to steal. i would go to a thrift store and get an old single speed. there are always some single speeds on ebay.

Walking away with the front wheel and saddle can be quite tiresome. Why not get the Kryptonite "Locking Skewer Set"?

Overall, you should expect to spend over $150.00 dollars in locks.

Really? I'd think that it should cost much less for a lock and some locking skewers.

All you really need to do is put the lock around the back tire inside the rear triangle. It's not like you can get the wheel out of there. You can do this with a relatively small U-Lock. If you want to leave the front wheel at the scene, you can put the U-lock through it, as well. For extra security, you can use a cable lock and a U-lock, since the two require different tools to compromise, and a thief is unlikely to carry both.

See Sheldon Brown's Lock Strategy (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html) for the full logic of this system.

On my lock-and-forget bike I fit solid axles and track nuts. They seem less attractive to thieves, and I dont have to remove and refit them every day. Fit a bolt on the saddle as well, and dont use a high-end seatpost. (BTW why the hot market in seatposts and saddles?)
Forget about fitting a computer. Take a shackle lock for the frame/rear wheel, and a light cable lock for the front wheel/helmet. In vandle-prone areas, I lock my wheels with the valves directly under the brake calipers to make access hard.

Thanks for all the replies. I bought the bike specifically for commuting, so purchasing another is not a option I am willing to entertain. I will look into the locking strategy on Sheldon Brown's website, and the recommendations you all have made. All them sound great and really will help me feel a bit better about leaving my bike.

Since my bike still looks relatively new, are there any recommendations on making it appear less appealing? I was thinking of using duct tape to make it look like it is being held together.

Thanks again for the tips.

Since my bike still looks relatively new, are there any recommendations on making it appear less appealing? I was thinking of using duct tape to make it look like it is being held together.

Flat black spray paint. Strip everything off, and spray the frame flat black, or some combination of flat colors. It won't be your shiny new bike anymore, but it will be the same bike, if you don't mind the looks.

If your seat is a QR, you can get a "seat leash" that you install thru one of the stays and the seat rail. Allows you to raise/lower the seat, and in some cases take it all the way out of the tube. But you can't walk away with it without a tool (i.e. same security as if you didn't have the QR). For the wheels, lock one wheel with the bike to a fixed object with a good U-lock. Get a cheapo cable with two swaged ends, or a "wheel tether" cable, run it 'round the other wheel, run one swaged end thru the other, and then onto the lock.

Coupla friends of mine wrap their frames in old innertubes. Disguises the value, protects from dings, but adds some weight.

Don't hold your breath on the locker. Dunno what the demand is there, but here, I was on a waiting list for three years.

Lock it to the train tracks. No one will mess with it then.

Keep all your locks at the train station, rather than carrying them with you when you ride.

I have the kryptonite skewer set. Pretty good for the money, but has a few problems.

One is they have no alignment springs, so you can possibly mount it off kilter and have your wheel rub against your brakes.

The other is how easy it is to strip the threads. My rear is almsot stripped. I should get another set soon.

The third is installation...You have to trim them for security purposes...otherwise using a nut and superglue a thief could defeat those skewers....the problem is HOW MANY DREMEL DISCS IT TAKES TO CUT ONE.....I nearly burnt up a diamond cutting disc on my dremel from cutting my set....those things are stupid tough....but the strength means the threads are somewhat brittle.

Either way, i got mine new on EBay for $30...and they seem good enough to buy a second pair.

Something that may not have been mentioned yet is the issue of vandalism. This has happened to me in the past when I've left my bike unattended in certain locations. Even though the lock has prevented theft, I've still had issues with immature punks deciding they didn't have very much to occupy themselves that day. Might be an idea to look into a beater bike second hand where a vandal can't really do a lot of damage.

Y'all live in a world so much scarier than mine, that it's, well, Scary! Please tell me that it's only NYC and Bagdad in which every useless thing is stolen if not securely nailed down.

Y'all live in a world so much scarier than mine, that it's, well, Scary! Please tell me that it's only NYC and Bagdad in which every useless thing is stolen if not securely nailed down.

Actually, when I think of some of the things I've had stolen here on the Gold Coast...

Although sometimes it isn't a bad thing. In some cases, the joke really has been on the thief.

I've been in paces where my car got borken into...for all things....a damned number 2 pencil. The reason why someone would leave my radio alone, my change alone, heck even my $80 custom sunglasses alone....but take my number 2 pencils....

What...is there some sort of scholastic gang or someting..."Yo dawg...to get into our history club yo, you gotta go gank some numba 2s from that car over there...go git em!" For some reason...that just seems far more disturbing than someone acutally taking my radio...

Given the radio was a $10 new pyramid tape deck...practically worth nothing...but still...that's jsut wrong....