Fastfwd01

I recently purchased a security chain for any prospective new carbon frame bike that I'm looking to buy. In retrospect now that it has arrived I'm concerned that it is so heavy it might potentially cause damage to the carbon fiber. I know I see a lot of advice not to use the bike racks that put stress on the top tubes while transporting. Is this a valid concern?

Fly2High

How much do you weigh and how much does the chain weigh? I would think in the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't matter. You could get a frame bag designed to hold the chain so it spreads out the weight over a few points.

rpenmanparker 

I don't know what your bike will cost, but you won't protect a new CF bike at any price point with a "chain". Actually not with anything. Such a bike is not for leaving locked up outside for even 10 minutes. It is for keeping either locked inside your house, under your butt, or under your watchful eye. If you try to leave it locked on the street, it won't matter how heavy the chain is, you won't have any chance to damage the frame. The bike will be gone before you can blink.

OldTryGuy

Took a nana-chocomilk break yesterday at the 65 mile mark. Locked my CF Giant up using a 6'-4 digit cable lock while I went inside food store to purchase the refreshments.

Fastfwd01

This is for in my house... obviously I should have clarified that.

rpenmanparker 

Why would you need a chain inside your house? If someone can break into your house, they can certainly cut your chain.

kookie

If it's just for your house, go ahead a use a bike rack. I have my carbon bikes resting by the top tube. A lot of bike shops display their CF files by the top tube.

rms13

home owners/renters insurance

floridamtb

I take my bike in the store with me all the time, walking through the aisles with it. If anyone says anything to me I ask them if they're going to take responsibility for watching a $3500 bike, they just turn away at that point

indyfabz

I had a bike stolen from inside my house while I was home and awake. Had the bike been locked up with a chain, even to another bike, it would not have been stolen. No one broke in in the physical (as opposed to legal) sense. We inadvertently left the front door unlocked.

Have you even seen the heavy duty Kryptonite chains? They take a bit of work to get through:

Kryptonite New York Noose Chain With EV Disc Lock - BikeBandit.com

At least in many urban settings, burglaries are relatively quick operations. People sneak in and sneak out with easily portable items like wallets, purses, bikes and small electronics for quick drug money. They usually are not carrying tools like heavy cutters with plans to hang out in your place for a while.

In my case, the burglar must have known I was home because the two of us were upstairs watching the late news. I have a small house and sound travels easily. I heard what was him slamming the door shut on the way out. Took my about 45 seconds to realize what had happened. By then it was too late to do anything. Had the bike been locked I am sure he would not have bothered hanging around trying to cut through a thick chain, even if he had the tools. I could have easily gotten up for a snack or to use the bathroom and caught him in the act. He did get my cheap cell phone. Fortunately, the GF's lap stop and iPhone were upstairs. Even more fortunate was the fact that he took my Surly LHT and left behind the two custom IFs that were hanging on the wall. This is further proof that the crime was a quick hit and run. The Surly was close to, and pointed towards, the door. He came in, found no portable electronics (other than my phone), wallets, etc., and decided to go for the easy bike that could be rolled right out the door on his way out rather than spend the effort taking down a bike from the wall rack.

Nothing will secure you in every situations, but there are definitely situations where a chain will prevent theft.

rpenmanparker 

Granted, anything can happen, but if you are secure in your home, your bike should be too. If you are not, you have bigger problems than protecting a bike. The overall security of your house should be your first concern, not a chain on the bike. Just my opinion.

youngbull

It really depends where you live. Location and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Obviously being in a big city will up those chances. In a nice suburb at the local mom and pa shops you'll probably be fine.

But if you don't lock it up at all, then it doesn't matter how nice of a location you're at. That will definitely be gone!

indyfabz

No one is perfect. Things happen, like accidentally leaving the garage door open and having someone who happens to be walking by walk off with something. Even with everything (doors,, windows, etc.) locked up some junkie on the street can get in, grab some unsecured items and walk off. Nothing wrong with adding another layer of protection, especially one as simple as a chain around your bike in the house.

bbbean 

Being smart about where you park it will do wonders for keeping your bike safe, and good insurance will help if it does get stolen. Maybe if you live in NYC or a high crime area, there simply aren't good options - in that case, get a beater bike and save the CF for race day. But in huge swaths of the country, people get by with no locks or just enough lock to keep a kid from riding off on it.

Ultimately, a bona fide bike thief will defeat any lock you can buy. That's their business, and they already have the tools and technique they need. The best way to protect yourself against a pro is to park your bike next to a rack of nicer bikes, inside the police station, or chain it to a rabid pit bull wearing gang colors.

It's easier to protect yourself against thieves of opportunity.

BB

Jeremy_S

I typically chain mine to a rabid pitbull wearing crip colors lol.

The only time my bikes get locked up in if they're in the back of my truck. I just use shielded cable locks so not to scratch the frames. They can be defeated with a 15 dollar pair of bolt cutters but so can anything else for an experienced thief. I live in a nice part of the Ft Worth suburbs so not extremely worried about it, just keeping honest guys honest because nothing will stop a determined thief.

rms13

That's poor logic. Lots of really expensive high end road bikes get stolen from suburbs right out of people's garages who leave them in there unlocked with garage door opened while at home. Where I live, there is a ring of bike thieves who hang out around the popular group rides, specifically target people with high end bikes, follow them home and then come back another day to steal bikes when they have better opportunities.

Black wallnut 

I sure hope not or my bike will be asploading in the near future. Think about this. A carbon frame will hold up under riders that weigh in excess of 250 pounds but will not when the <24 pounds of the bike is hung by the top tube.

Where I live we frequently lean our bikes up outside the micro brewery while we have an after ride beverage.

dtrain

Seattle Forrest

I've never locked my carbon bike up, that's not what it's for.

bbbean 

Yeah, but what's the use of buying a $5K CF bike if you have to drag a 250 lb guy up hills to protect it?

youngbull

I've never heard of people following bikers home to steal their bikes before where I live. You'd have to be pretty stupid to unknowingly be followed home by a car while you're on a bike.

JerrySTL

While locking up a bike while at home just might be a good idea, I'm betting that the chain will soon be gathering dust somewhere and not on the bike.

Fly2High

This thread brings up a few thoughts?

1. If you can afford an expensive bike, is it enough to own one? What I mean is should you always consider replacement costs if and when it gets stolen? You do not need to have 2 bikes but maybe one should consider holding some money on the side should replacement be needed. This would be no different than if you were out riding and hit a pothole or were in an accident and you had to replace the bike or repair it. You need funds to repair and maintain and possibly replace it if you are going to have an expensive bike. Of course having a second bike of equal or lesser quality reduces this fund's size but I would think it doesn't remove the need for it. In fact, the more bikes you have might instead require a larger fund.

2 Stolen while riding. There was an article about bikes being stolen by a group that would put out a cable across a path and knock you off the bike. If you park the bike, eventually you will have to unlock it to ride it. Of course this emphasizes the need to be aware of your surroundings when you lock it up or are out riding. I also heard of someone on a motorcycle at a stoplight being knocked off and the bike stolen. Same could happen to us. Bike locks only ease your mind while not riding but I think there are plenty of opportunities still available to have it stolen.

3. Insurance - Need to make sure it covers and that the deductible is reasonable. Otherwise, you are SOL AND have to pay a up-charge for declaring the bike on the policy. Depending on the fee and the likelihood of theft, it might be cheaper to bank the up-charge to cover replacement. If it costs nothing extra on the insurance, then why not include it. Make sure your policy can cover the bike. Not sure all will.

4. Would it be helpful to make the bike 'unrideable' to deter theft? Cars can have removable steering wheel installed, why can't they make the handlebars removable?. They put boots on car tires, maybe a boot on a bike could be helpful and adds a little insurance/prevention? Is it so bad to take the front or rear wheel with you and put a small string on it to toss it over one's shoulder? Maybe just removing the saddle would help a little making it less appealing to a thief. I suspect most thieves ride the bike away and do not drive up in a vehicle to toss it into. Maybe they should make a lock on the stem to lock the wheel at a 90 degree angle so it cannot be ridden. It could be just a peg with a lock on the end that the manufacturers provide to lock the fork at an angle. If you cannot steer, you cannot get away as easily. The additional benefit is that it might help prevent the fork from being stolen or other front components depending how it is implemented. Yeah, a u-lock could serve this purpose too but people might be more apt to use it if it is included or built into the bike.

Bah Humbug

In north Austin there's been a rash of people breaking into houses to steal high-end bikes (often, multiple at a time).

OldTryGuy

In Ft. Laud I would also.

BTW.......Those garage doors with the windows across the top have proven problematic in that some nasty people have broken a window, grabbed the release cord and opened the door.