Commuting - Having to park a new bike outside.

Hey everyone, I'm going to finally be getting my new Crosscheck this weekend or next weekend, and I will start commuting to work on tha regular. Unfortunately, I don't think HR is going to let me bring it inside anywhere, so I'm going to have to lock it to the handicap posts in the parking lot. This is going to have to happen M-F for as long as I can ride to work and have this job, so I'm worried mostly about:

Theft and Rain Damage.

I have a Kryptonite U Lock and will use it, but I still worry about it. There won't be a lot of foreign traffic going through this lot, but still.

I'm also worried about riding in the rain and having to leave it out in the rain all day. What should I do as far as maintenance and keeping it dry?

Lube and when it rains dry off when you get home.

Toss a plastic sheet over the bike if it looks like rain.
Wear rain gear if it's raining.
Use a cable lock: through wheels, frame around post.
Commuted for 16 years, worked fr me.

Buy a cable lock and a rain cover. I always use two locks, and it's nice to have a dry saddle at the end of the day. Rain cover is ~15$ at target/walmart/other box store, and you can get okayish cables there too, though I'd go for something a bit stronger for such a nice bike.

I wouldn't worry about the rain so much. It's just water and Chicago is certainly not a Portland. As far as your lock, you have a good one. I would still invest in a second cord or chain lock and a set of Pitlock locking skewers.

I do have a question for you. If going into this situation knowing you would be this uncomfortable locking your bike up outside, did you ever consider purchasing a folding bike instead of the Crosscheck?

De-identify your bike. You're thrilled it's a Crosscheck, as you should be, but no one else should be privy to that information. I think theft risk is exaggerated, and a single good lock (assuming you don't have a QR rear wheel), locked in a good spot with good technique should be entirely adequate in my opinion. And I work in the medical district in Chicago, which is pretty shady.

Where do you work? Downtown? Wherever, there's probably somewhere close by that is at least somewhat sheltered. I park it outside when I'm at work, but leave it a block away at a rack under an overhang when it's raining usually.

Lube the chain when you get home after it's out in the rain. Not in the morning before you leave. That'll help minimize rust formation.

Don't like the idea of locking up to handicapped parking sign on a regular basis. Usually, you would want to leave you heavy u-lock & cable at at the bike rack overnight so you do not have to drag them back & forth, not sure how that will work with leaving the u-lock attached to a sign.

I would work with your employer to find a better location that will not block access or possibly interfere with someone using the handicapped parking place. With a little luck it will in be a covered area. One building I worked in without a bike rack had a covered yawning area by a side employee entrance, with plenty of space to lock the bike on a fixed secured pole and be out of the way.

+1 on two locks; not a cable that loops through your current u-lock's shackle, but one with its own lock. Personally I prefer chains to cables for a second lock. I once had to cut a cable off of my wife's bike when her lock jammed, and it was disturbingly easy to cut through. Bike-specific chains usually come with a protective cover to protect your bike's finish, and the chain itself. I use one of these (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/2026.html) to back up my u-lock, but if my bike weren't parked in a fenced-in compound like it is now, I'd want this lock (http://www.abus.de/us/main.asp?ScreenLang=us&sid=6409853707093030042011741530187&select=0104b02&artikel=4003318286254) from Abus. Alternatively, Abus also makes this cool folding lock (http://www.abus.de/us/main.asp?ScreenLang=us&sid=6409853707093030042011741530187&select=0104b11&artikel=4003318450532) which is transported on your water bottle bosses.

Protect your investment by investing in its protection. ;)

Oh, and protect your saddle with a dollar-store showercap. You can buy them by the dozen and it's as if they're tailor-made for the application!

two locks are a good idea especially if you want your wheels to stay attached to your frame, see so many in the bay area its crazy. Also, I have seen bike specific covers for rain, I have an Xtracycle which is longer and my husband brought me home a cover for it. It was originally for a snow blower but I think it was a motorcycle cover it works great and if I needed to I can run lock through bottom. Buy wet specific chain lube and go to drug store and hit the dollar area and get microfiber towels with net on backside. I swear by them, I keep two in my bag, they absorb coffee leaks and when I get to work I just take one and wipe my bike down of snow, slush, grime. They dry quickly and work great.

My question is how do you know that HR will put the kibosh on bringing it inside? Have you asked? If not, have you considered asking forgiveness, instead? :)

Also - lest they try this angle - unless the bike is blocking an exit route (or could, if it falls over), it poses no safety hazard while it is inside of the building. The only issue might be water dripping off of it when it rains, but for that, just bounce it a few times on the mats in front of the door when you bring it inside and try to carry it to your desk.

Don't lock it up to a handicap sign. A friend at work tonight was joking about stealing my bike, and told me a story about how an old co-worker locked his bike up to a handicap sign, and he just lifted it up over the sign and walked it to the back.

Beware of locking to a simple pole. He might go back to Poland. No, someone can lift the bike off.
Use an armoured cable wrapped around the pole then through your frame and also use a shackle lock.
Use Pitlocks for wheels and seatpost.
Put a waterproof cover over the saddle and seatpost.
Make sure your bearings are fully packed with grease to prevent the ingress of water.

One extra thing I do to secure my saddle (which, like everything else, is quick-release) is to run a cable through the front wheel to secure it, and then use a padlock to secure the saddle rail to the cable. The cable is too thick to go through the saddle rails, I don't want to have to keep taking the saddle off to avoid it being stolen, and so the padlock keeps it secure.

In theory someone could remove the seatpost from the bike and then unbolt it from the saddle but in practise there comes a point where you have to accept that it's not worth it for the thief. In theory someone could steal your chain, your pedals, your brakes etc.

The first item of business for you should be IMO, is to find out for a fact that HR will not allow you to bring your bike inside. I think they'll give you the ok.

My question is how do you know that HR will put the kibosh on bringing it inside? Have you asked? If not, have you considered asking forgiveness, instead? :)
I wouldn't (and didn't) even ask, where I work. I have floor mats for it, and I carry it if it's wet or snowy. People track in and drip a lot more crud than a bicycle will.

I keep it in my office. When I had a cube, I kept it there, too. Whatever you do, don't leave it in hallways or stairwells.

Bring it inside and see if they say anything. If not, then you are good to go. If they do, then secure it to something sturdy and permanent.

I recently bought the bike registry locking skewers for my wheels. They don't need any fancy tools, just two wrenches. I also have my saddle locked to my bike with an old bike chain.

I think your Ulock should be fine, but probably get a cheap cable lock as another deterrent. They usually don't weigh much. Also, try to lock your bike somewhere that you can see it or has a lot of traffic. You might also want to make mention of you riding your bike to your coworkers, and where it is locked. That way if they see someone messing with it they will hopefully say something.

When I moved into a new building a few years back, I just started parking my bike under the stairs. Nobody said anything for a month, then a (non-resident) jerk tried to cause trouble. I was calm, cool, and collected, asked for a reasonable accomodation, and even though I've left the building now, other people are parking their bikes in the same stairwell.

Moral of the story: Do it, and don't blow up. You might start a trend, like I did.

I e-mailed HR today, they basically said if I bring my bike in, EVERYONE'S going to want to bring their bike in. pretty lame! I told them to buy us a bike rack, if there are that many people interested. Unfortunately, everything is pretty open here and it's only one floor, so there's no where to hide the bike or anything. The cubes are definitely not big enough either, so I guess it's staying outside!

Anyone have recommendations on the rain covers?

Good call on the chain idea. I like the look of those big clonkers, and the extra weight can add to the training exercise!

Hey everyone, I'm going to finally be getting my new Crosscheck this weekend or next weekend, and I will start commuting to work on tha regular.

My girlfriend has a nice Cross Check. You're supposed to ride that bike hard. It don't need no dainty flowers in a garage... In fact, I think you might wind up insulting it if you try to pamper the thing too much. A Surley likes it rough. :innocent: :love:


Unfortunately, I don't think HR is going to let me bring it inside anywhere, so I'm going to have to lock it to the handicap posts in the parking lot.

That sounds oddly familiar. Your HR person might know my HR person. I was pretty bothered at first, but it winds up not being a big deal.


I have a Kryptonite U Lock and will use it, but I still worry about it. There won't be a lot of foreign traffic going through this lot, but still.

Can you lock it ( the lock itself ) to the bike rack at night, when you go home? This won't do a thing for your theft situation, but it'll mean you won't have to carry the lock back and forth every day.


I'm also worried about riding in the rain and having to leave it out in the rain all day. What should I do as far as maintenance and keeping it dry?

Invest in a plastic shopping bag, and put it on over the saddle when you get to work if it looks like rain. Lube your chain about once every hundred miles in a rainy place.

I e-mailed HR today, they basically said if I bring my bike in, EVERYONE'S going to want to bring their bike in. pretty lame! I told them to buy us a bike rack, if there are that many people interested. Unfortunately, everything is pretty open here and it's only one floor, so there's no where to hide the bike or anything. The cubes are definitely not big enough either, so I guess it's staying outside!

Pretty lame is right. Why wouldn't your company want EVERYONE bringing their bikes in? What could be a better PR move; boasting that half their workforce commutes by bike? I have never had to ask my company if it's ok to bring my bike in. I just do it. Some people park it outside and some bring it in. We've occupied three buildings so I've been in a shared office, a cube, and now a "cube/workspace" and I've never had HR or a co-worker complain about my bike. Nobody says a thing. And we have new bike racks just outside the doors, for every building. I guess I am very lucky.