wolfchild

Sometimes I wear my helmet when going inside, my helmet has a light and a battery pack mounted on it. Watching the look on some peoples faces is priceless. But most times I just take it off and hang it on my bag.

vol

What about mirrors? Do thieves steal easy-to-remove mirrors? I always took them with me, but it's a hassle.

Easy Peasy

If I can see my bike, say at a diner, I leave everything on. Otherwise, I pack it up and carry the trunk/panniers in with me.

SlimRider

A crack-head will steal chewed bubble gum if he thought he could get any kind of money for it!

Your removal mirrors are like a sign saying, "Please come and take me", to a crack-head.

PS.

I'm sorry, I meant no offense. It's just that I hate people who steal in order to maintain their stupid A drug habits!

LeftinFlint

I leave it all on the bike. No problems, which is funny since I live in a town known for crime.

SlimRider

Some thieves are very organized and fast. They would remind you of the Great Houdini!

- Just remember the Art of Distraction and that the Hand is Quicker than the Eye...

Not too long ago (maybe a couple days ago, someone here at BF posted that their bike had gotten stolen.

At first, they went to the window of some store, and looked outside at their locked bike. They walked away for just a few minutes, returned to that very same window, and looked to find that their precious bike was gone!

Stolen within just a few minutes!

chandltp

No, people hate cyclists because we're engaged in an activity outside of the norm. Walking a bike into the store is just an example of that. Another example would be riding on the road with traffic (at least in my area, that's outside the norm).

bragi

I use panniers that come on and off the bike very quickly (Ortlieb), so it's usually not a big deal at all. I stop, lock up my bike, put my helmet in one of my panniers, and walk into the store or restaurant. I leave the lights, cycle computer, etc., on the bike. The lights are cheap, somewhat hard to remove, and have little resale value. The cycle computer display is useless without the rest of it, and also not really worth sealing anyway. I do walk into stores with two bags slung on my shoulder, but, compared to driving to the store, it's a very minor inconvenience.

John_1961

I Leave mine on the Bile

no1mad 

Um, care to re-phrase that?

Rltot

Sorry my bike comes with me. I have a $3200 bike without any of the accessories. I am not leaving it outside.

bikebuddha 

Everything that can come off the bike comes with me.

LesterOfPuppets

Depends on where I am and how long I'll be there. I got my panniers for $25 so I'm probably more blasé about them than folks with fancier bags.

Portland < 30 minutes I'll bring my lights with me but leave bags on the bike unless there's something really valuable in them. Over 30 minutes I'll often bring in my panniers.

Up here I'll usually leave my lights on bike unless I'm right downtown. I've never taken my bags in while in Clark County.

As for grocery stores, at Freddy's and WinCo I'll bring my bike in. My local Safeway has narrower aisles that make passage difficult so I lock up there.

I wear a backpack more often than I ride my racked and bagged bike, however.

LesterOfPuppets

2 employees at my local Freddy's used to get bent out of shape about me shopping with my bike. Most thought nothing of it and a couple thought it was the coolest thing ever.

I can handle my bike in a store just as well as I can handle a shopping cart in a store so it shouldn't be a big deal. I've moms can roll in with their double wide strollers why shouldn't I be able to roll my bike in there?

JeremyLC

And what do you do when they try to confiscate your backpack? Occasionally some overly paranoid peon will stop me at the door or (like this weekend at Half Price Books) come after me some time (30-45 minutes in this case) after I've already been in the store and try to take my bag. Usually, I'll just leave, maybe with word or two about how I don't appreciate being treated like a criminal, and the NEVER go back. Being presumed guilty doesn't sit well with me. (plus, unless they're confiscating purses as well, it's a useless effort) It makes me doubly angry if it's place I've been in a half-dozen times prior with my pack on.

Booger1

Depends,I've been known to go shopping with my bike,panniers and all.If it's what I think is a high crime area or something just doesn't look right,it comes in.Otherwise it gets locked up outside in plain sight.

treebound 

+1

I was going to add something similar but this pretty much nailed it. It really depends upon the store, and yeah backpack versus purse versus diaper bag, pretty much all the same to me as far a store security goes. If I have a backpack I just do not stop at certain stores having learned their selective policies and lack of concern for the protection of my personal property. Example: clerk/door-guard at a local x-mart type store states I can not bring in my backpack and that I can leave it on the floor behind them, which I do, and upon my return the door-guard is nowhere to be found yet my bag is laying there unattended, never again. I have learned that I can sometimes just leave it on my back, state I'm going to use the restroom, then after using said restroom just enter the store out of earshot of the door/hall monitor. YMMV.

chandltp

I've often wondered.. does time really make a difference once the bike is out of your site? If it only takes a minute to take off the panniers, anything over that is just breathing room for a thief. In my line of thinking, if they see you leave your bike that's the prime time to strike since they have a realistic expectation you'll be gone long enough to do whatever you went inside to do.

LesterOfPuppets

It's all a game of chance. A thief might be watching you park and swoop as soon as the coast is clear or you may be able to park and spend 5 hours in a concert and come back to an unmolested bike. I do agree that in many circumstances right after you lose sight of your bike would be a prime time. Just as with burglars that wait for people to leave their house - they often strike right after you leave the driveway.

MO's not the same for every pannier/light/fender thief though. A lot of light theft is just a driveby kinda thing. I don't think it's often done by someone who stakes out a bike rack. For some reason light theft seems more prevalent where bored, drunk, young people may be present.

Zrane

I don't have a ton of gear on my bike, and use a messenger bag as my primary storage device. I leave the lights on, lock the bike up, carry my helmet in with me.

I do keep the bag slung tight on my back and don't undo the buckle that keeps the strap short. I also don't open the bag until I'm at the register(to get my wallet). No one seems to care, though I suspect it helps that the local grocery people recognize me somewhat.

JeremyLC

I was wearing this, completely buckled and strapped with a helmet hanging on the back. I couldn't possibly slip anything into that without making a full production out of it. :-/

sudoshift

Leave it on and shop. Taking the bike inside. If they don't allow me to bring my bike, they do not get my business. Simply as that.

AltheCyclist

I guess I don't understand the folks that take the bikes with them to stores.
So, it would be okay if everyone who shopped at the store rode and brought in their bike? Talk about a mess.

Why not just lock it up? If you have a half-decent lock, the bike isn't going to get stolen. People leave their $50,000 cars outside unattended, and cars are very easy to steal. Your house is pretty easy to break into as well but that doesn't happen often (I hope!).
Bikes are difficult to steal if properly locked. Find me someone who has seen a thief outside a Safeway with a blowtorch stealing a locked bike...

Hangtownmatt

I think the big difference here is that if someone gets caught stealing a $50,000 car they will go to jail. A bike, probably nothing will happen. Also, that $50,000 car is more than likely insured.

Antaresia

I just have cheap accessories. Rain jacket from a thrift store, my helmet, lights, beat-up water bottle, sometimes even veggies I just bought at the market all stay in my milk crate. The "pannier" I have on my expensive bike is a neon pink & yellow back pack I got at a thrift store and fixed up; that doesn't come off the bike.

anyway, as far as walking a bike into the store goes, only if there's no place to lock it. I have a beater-bike for around town errands, and a nice bike for my daily commute (it gets locked inside the building, so it's safe).