snow_echo_NY

my coworker just had his bike stolen last Friday in broad daylight on W 64th St in Manhattan. he was using a chain lock, but not the NY Kryptonite one. he went into the YMCA to pick up his kid and returned 10 min later to see the bike was taken. he said the lock was cut and extremely cleanly so he guesses it was a powerful bolt cutter.

The best bike lock - The Best Bike Lock

in light of this, i'd like to ask commuters, what is your lock method and lock of choice? why?

i recently had my bike stolen as well (5/2015) and another coworker had hers stolen earlier this year. that makes 3 out of 10-ish irregular to regular bike commuters? the bike thieving has definitely been up this year with cops doing pretty much next to nothing (not a surprise, NYC cops' priority is to ticket cyclists much more so than motorists, even tho our street deaths have mostly been caused by motorists)

baron von trail 

I'd be surprised if a bike wasn't stolen in NYC if left outside, locked or not.

fietsbob

Number One I dont live in Brooklyn .. US Navy let me go Home from there in 1969, November .

heavy hardened security chains one around each wheel and locked up to something really solid .

Out here I dont have several million people to sell stolen bicycles to ..

So I dont need the kind of serious heavy locks You Do ..

How about a Folding Bike You Never Leave on the street ...Ever. ?

snow_echo_NY

Many people choose folders but for getting around quickly, they're not as fast on the bridges it seems. i always pass folding bikes and i have yet to see a folding bike pass a non-folding bike. it could be folders attract certain riders and that is why but who's to know.

in NYC we can bring our bikes inside. there's a local law that we can bring our bikes inside inside any office bldg - they must allow it. plus parking garages that accept more than 100 vehicles must accommodate bike parking too. but there is a number of times where you can't bring the bike indoors for whatever reason and it has to be locked up outside. for a quick run to the grocery store, gym, etc this makes sense. but bike thieves have gotten worse in NYC. this year in particular.

it just sucks to have your ride taken - a ride that fits you well. that probably doesn't cost that much money. it's a huge pain. regarding other things, people leave umbrellas and strollers (sometimes expensive ones!) but these don't get stolen.

velozi

I live and work in smalltown burbs of SLC. My bike's an early 90s MTB. I'm probably wasting my time locking it up at all, but I do (a small chain and I only bother getting the frame).

lost_in_endicot

I live in a small town, too. I have a $30 Kryptonite Keeper U-lock with a steel cable. U-lock through the rear wheel, frame, and bike rack. Cable through the front tire. No one ever bothers it. Some of the bikes on the rack at work don't even get locked.

americanlt2

I have a Kryptonite NYC U-Lock that I mostly use or a OnGuard Pitbull Mini for quick lockups. I park on the West Side/Downtown Chicago. I "uglified" my commuter to make it look less valuable. There are professional bike thieves who use angle grinders and vans. I relate to the police not really caring about bike theft. In Chicago, they do not even come out and you have to do a report over the phone.

Phil_gretz

I thought about a leaving a heavy chain with heavier lock at the bike rack for daily use. But after having ridden it for a few weeks and seeing the situation, I'm only using a Master Python cable lock. I also cover the bike with an XPort vinyl cover (like you'd cover a patio grill) that velcros to the wheels, has a bottom elastic drawstring and nearly completely covers the bike. This keeps sun and moisture off of the majority of it.

Reason Why: I work on a military post with badge id access, security cameras, building bike racks within sight of guards who patrol. It's a reasonably high security area. Several bikes are at the rack with no locks whatsoever, and apparently none are taken. So...

jfowler85

Were they being ridden still folded?

tarwheel 

Bike theft doesn't appear to be a huge problem in my city but I still take precautions. I park my bike at a rack that is not visible from the street and has a security camera, but it is still outside all day. I secure it to the rack with a Kryptonite NY U-lock and cable looped through the front wheel and the lock. No problems in 3 years of commuting to my current location, but one of my coworkers had his bike stolen at another rack outside that is in plain sight in front of our building. He also was using a small cable lock that could easily be cut.

Before my office moved downtown, I was able to keep my bike inside during the day, so theft wasn't an issue and I never locked it up.

gregf83 

I leave a combination cable lock at work as that's the only place I lock my bike. I work in an industrial office park where theft isn't high. I wouldn't leave it outside if I was in downtown Vancouver. Theft is very high in the city.

locolobo13 

Depends on where I'm stopping at. Try to lock the bike where I'll be able to see while inside. If that's not possible, then a place where there are security cameras and/or lots of foot traffic.

Normally for a short pit stop I just use a U-lock. Going to be inside a while or don't trust the neighborhood, then U-lock and cable lock.

So far nobody has tried to steal the bike with the U-lock. But in the last 5 years I've lost 2 bikes that were locked just with a cable and master lock. In one case they cut the cable. The other the lock.

mconlonx

Not so sturdy cable lock with a combo release. All I need where I lock my bikes up in the small towns and cities which make up my commute.

However, same kind of lock led to a stolen bike in Boston. Solution was to ride a spray-bombed beater and lock it with one of those hardened steel chains, in my case and On Guard unit.

ItsJustMe

I don't, because bike theft just isn't a thing here.

So I guess my method is to not live where there's a lot of crime. It's a valid choice.

Well, you asked.

Leebo

NYC, good luck with that. Boston suburbs? I just bring my bike inside where I work. I don't lock my bike up on the street. Ever. Comes inside the shopping store with me. Locked up in my garage too.

azgreg

jfowler85

Ha! The full size riders look like bunch of elite dorks.

TimothyH

The "Modified Sheldon Brown" locking strategy is good.

The Abus Granit X Plus Mini 54 U-Lock is about the best out there right now. There are however, pictures of this lock cut cleanly by victims who report that their bike was stolen in a matter of minutes.

I have seen people adjust the brakes so that they work with the caliper quick-release lever in the up position. Flipping the lever down when the bike is parked effectively locks the brakes. The theory is that a thief who tries to jump on and ride away will abandon quickly when he can't push or pedal because the wheels don't turn.

My bike sat in my cubicle at work every day for ten years. A co-worker once rode it around the office as a joke and so I began locking it even there.

The best strategy is to never let your bike out of your sight. I've walked through Kroger with my bike. You just gotta do it with style, like you are the World's Most Interesting Man.


-Tim-

striknein

Single 12" u-lock through the rear wheel, rear and front triangle, braided/sleeved steel cable looped through front wheel.

theft isn't an issue in my town, but when I lock up my bike is almost always the nicest on the rack, usually by a few orders of magnitude.

Reynolds 

I don't live in a high crime area, but bikes are still stolen every day. One of these + a 3/8" hardened chain worked for me so far:

PaulRivers

I just use a ULock through the front wheel and front of the frame.

If you're dealing with professional thieves like that - there's only so much you can do.

Only question would be if it was a bike lock chain. Just a hardware store chain is easier to cut through.

Other thing you can do is lock with two different locks, then it takes twice as long to get through it.

Unfortunately if a professional wants to steal your bike and they have the tools they can always cut through it, it's just a matter of time. :-/

Darth Lefty 

I route my U-lock through the frame in a Mobius strip, thereby making it vulnerable only to bolt cutters with inside-out blades.

Trevtassie

If it really is a high theft area: Matt Black spray paint. Maybe some yellow stripes. Everything except the chain, tyres and rim brake area. And a U lock. So there's no point even stealing it for the parts. After all, you know what kind of bike is under the paint.

ColonelSanders

Do you have a link to that?

And why do you believe the Abus Mini 54 is better than the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini?

Trevtassie

I like the look of that Krytonite, just from the fact it has an 18mm shackle. That's a damn big set of bolt cutters needed, just to get enough jaw opening to go over the shackle!

The only thing it needs is a bunch of rings on the shackle to slow down an angle grinder, it's hard to cut something that's spinning around.