ModeratedUser

Hello all,

Hope everyone is doing well. I on the other hand got my seat, seat post, and collar stolen today! Ewwwwww I'm so mad and want to nail these f**Ker's! I just had a nice seat and OK post stolen on this bout a month ago! That over $200 in parts! This time it was over $200 in parts with the seat seeing some use to it. Any ways I'm going to have to step up my game. I did change out my QR on my wheels so you need a hex wrench to get that off, but that's what they used to take my seat off!

What was suggested and I like the idea, is to cement a small ball bearing to block the access with the hex wrench. My question is what type of cement should I use? I'm going to use this trick for the seat and the wheels. Would nice to have something that would take a little time getting off. Would nice if it came off kinda clean. Really don't want something that permanent.

The defense would be for times I'm parked in front of a store for an hour or two. I don't plan on leaving the bike over night somewhere.

pdlamb

I think silicone (caulk?) has been suggested for the ball-in-hex-socket defense.

Someone also suggested using part of a chain to prevent saddle/seatpost theft. Run it below the seatstays, then up through the saddle rails. Wrap the chain in an old innertube section to prevent damage to the finish. Obviously, don't use quick links, but re-use a chain pin (or use a new pin) to rejoin the chain.

79pmooney

I can relate. I had about the same $$ amount of stuff taken from my fix gear last summer.

Have you notified the store? That won't help you but that is related to that store's business and they should know. Maybe they can locate racks in a more visible, better surveyed location.

I suggest you buy some similar sized hex bolts and experiment with glues. Perhaps Crazy or Gorilla Glue. A drop of Elmers might even work for the thief who isn't going to work too hard and will clean out easily with water.

Ben

FBinNY 

You don't want to glue the ball in too well since you'll need to get it out at some point. I suggest dropping in the ball and melting candle wax around it to keep it there. To do the job right you'll also want to warm the bolt with direct flame (warm, not crazy hot) so the wax will flow as it hits. I warm the bolt first by holding it over the flame, then turn the bike the other way put in the ball and drip the wax in from a lit candle, or see if the bolt is hot enough to melt it in on contact with the bottom of the candle. (work fast and finish before the bolt head cools)

To remove, warm the bolt with a flame and the ball will drop out on it's own.

Besides this, you can make a seat leash from cable or chain. This is SOP for messengers here in NYC, and my preferred method is to slide on two short covers cut from an old inner tube, loop and splice the chain as short as possible. Then I position the protective covers at the top and bottom and use tape to close the middle of the chain and tape it into a tight bundle from end to end. Done right it's decent looking, won't rattle, and encourage theives to look for an easier target.

dsbrantjr

Hot melt glue might work similarly to candle wax. It might be stronger but still be released with the heat from a small butane torch. Might not even need the BB, just fill the recess.

FBinNY 

The ball isn't critical. Often just filling the hex is enough to discourage someone. But here in NYC thieves are more determined, and will scrape out the wax or fill with an ice pick. The ball makes that nearly impossible.

fietsbob

https://www.pitlock.com/ Prestige Parts? Atomic22 - The ultimate bicycle security solution has special keyed fasteners.. may be worth it to you ?

My self I just moved .. away from where there is a traffic in stolen Bike Parts ..

, & a downside to brooks saddles is their resale value is high enough to be worth taking them,

where I am I take my Brompton in with me.

FastJake

$200 for a saddle and post? You're spending way too much on that stuff to leave it out of your sight. My bikes fall into two categories: nice bikes that don't get locked up or left out places, and my beater commuters that are old and ugly. They get so banged up from use, abuse, and the elements (especially in the winter) that there's no point in using anything nicer than necessary. It's important to note that old and ugly is not the same as low-quality or heavy.

If you leave your fancy $xxxx machine unattended for hours at a time it will get ripped off, period.

JohnDThompson 

That's what I did for the Brooks saddle on my commuter bike. So far, so good.

Leebo

I don't lock up my bike that often outside, and not out of sight.

leob1

I'd suggest using a heat *** instead of a torch or flame to heat thing up. Your much less likely to light things on fire.

leob1

They got me, a heat g u n.

ModeratedUser

+1, would be so nice if planners take into account the people that are using the items laid out for the public to use. I pointed that out where I had someone try to steal my front wheel. They couldn't get the brake released cause it was a cantilever brake and I guess they didn't have the time. I switched to non-QR after that one! This was in front of the main library in LB and I'm now working on them moving their tree rack. It's very similar, if not identical to this one. The design on this awful! It leaves the front wheel vulnerable to theft. They put this rack where no one can see their bike in the library. They could have moved it ~50 feets and at least owners could have a fighting chance protecting their stuff.

ModeratedUser

Seems like a soldering iron or g u n would work quite nicely for this.

ModeratedUser

Seems like a soldering iron or g u n would work quite nicely for this.

(sorry bout the other post. Not sure how to delete it, but let me know and I will.)

ModeratedUser

Yeah I was aware of this but I'm not crazy bout how this would look strapping down a non-Brooks saddle. Both of my saddles were Fizik saddles. I know, I know, I shouldn't think about looks and weight I guess if I'm trying to protect my stuff, but I'm leaning towards my first option still. Granted I do think that system works good.

FBinNY 

My local Wells Fargo Bank branch got rid of a rack they'd had for a few years. Too many complaints. They were willing to accept complaints from non users, but when the users started griping it as too much. OTOH- They constantly remind me not to leave my bike outside when I visit. They don't want it stolen, and keep telling me to bring it inside, or at least into the lobby so I don't have to walk home.

IMO- half a loaf is better than none, and those who aren't satisfied sometimes end up with none.

FBinNY 

No one mentioned it, and it often isn't possible, but if the post is long enough to reach a bottle boss, you can drill a hole and trap it with the screw. Or, you can drill and tap a hole in the post at the keyhole a the bottom of the frame slot (if there is one) and run a screw into that.

Some time back people used to place a star nut into the bottom of the post, with a bit of cable ending in a ring that was trapped by a water bottle bolt that ran fully across the seat tube. This allowed a bit of adjustment, but the post wouldn't come out unless the water bottle bolt as removed. Thieves tug at the post once or twice then move to an easier target.

jin_yeugh

This sounds like an excellent solution! I wonder why people don't do it much anymore.

FBinNY 

Too much work for a casual thief, and not bulletproof enough for a determined one. But it's very nice for mtn bikers who want to maintain the freedom to change the seat height, while detering theft.

davidad

As a last resort you could use a QR seatpost bolt and take the saddle and post with you.

Jiggle

This was my solution.

I also considered drilling the bottom of the seat post, inserting a metal pin, and running a wire lock around it, down the seat tube, and around the crank spindle. That way I could still drop it into the frame for easy transportation, but pulling it out required removing the cranks.

fietsbob

a cable down the seat post with the lower end secured below a long water bottle cage bolt might do the trick...

ModeratedUser

+2
I like both of your suggestions! I'll have to see what kind of post I find. I'm going with used stuff. So what ever I run across. Seems that if I find a carbon post, I could even cement something at the end of the post and work at that. The main thing to do is have the cable long enough for adjustments, but not where the post comes out and exposes the cable. This maybe enough to make them move on.

Thanks!

Thumpic

I've done this on flippers for college kids. I will clean the tube section really well and cut it longer than the chain. If you roll the tube ends up (like pants legs) and carefully position the chain symmetrically (I make a figure 8) it's not much uglier than a seat bag. Be sure to unroll and overlap the tubes. You could even glue the ends together.