f4rrest

You'd at least need some kind of cutting tool. But maybe a couple zip ties would work.

Of course, I'd need to carry dikes then.

GlennR

OK.. you convinced me. I won't bother locking it since everyone carries scissors.

Or maybe the guy just stabs you with them when you unlock the bike.

Vicegrip

$8K in bike that can be held in one hand = take it with me. Someone not liking that gets a dead stare. Funny how someone going all pissy ends up sounding stupid even to themselves you just let them hear themselves.

rms13

Better stop using the word "dike" before someone gets offended

CliffordK

I don't stop at a lot of convenience stores. There is one gas station that has good chocolate, and I usually leave my bike outside unlocked, even if I have my lock with me.

Once at Jerry's Building store, I discovered I had left the lock at home. I talked to customer service, and they said just to take it with me. After all, it isn't much bigger than the average shopping cart, and the building supply store has lots of people with awkward carts and loads.

I've been considering a Frame/Wheel lock like this one.

, just for convenience when I don't have a better lock.

I don't race. It would certainly surprise someone who thought they just found a free bike (not too commonly seen in the USA).

GlennR

You're confused with the word "****".

GlennR

Stupid censored word.

rms13

No, I'm just amusing myself. People get too bent out of shape about every little thing these days

gregf83 

I had to google 'dikes' I'd never heard of them before.

GlennR

I bet he agrees

2manybikes

I went up to one size thicker cable, after cutting one of those with an old swiss army knife. I lock my best bikes even if I can see them at a convenience store. In some places I will only ride or lock up a cheap beater bike. I have plenty of places to ride that are not high crime.
areas , but I always lock up.

f4rrest

The Linemen Union, no?

Willbird

I'm not fully white according to DNA tests, I did not take offense.

prathmann

That may not be a good test for identifying an inadequate lock. I once used an old swiss army knife to saw through a pretty decent dead-bolt house lock when the mechanism failed and refused to open with the regular key.

rousseau

Oh...Christ. Lots of non-native speakers of English are white, so if the OP is white, then it wouldn't be racist, it would just be making fun of a funny accent. Maybe making fun of a funny accent is just, well...making fun of a funny accent.

I'm a white Canadian guy who has lived in other countries. I've been made fun of countless times for my accent when speaking other languages, and somehow I managed to live.

Vud you haff srown a hissy fit iff ze funny English vas in a Cherman accent? Ve maybe don't zink you are racist ven you make fun like zis, but it hurtz our feelinks, zis is true. I sink I vill start a civil rights group for Chermans who speak English in ze funny vay. Ja?

smarkinson

You should just by a cheap Chinese carbon fibre lock. That way, if someone tries to cut through it will assplode in their face. (Apologies to any Chinese reading this).

Machka 

I've never taken my bicycle into a service station. For one thing, they're too small, there's no room for a bicycle inside. For another thing, it has never occurred to me to do that.

But then, when I'm cycling by myself, I don't swing by service stations very often.

GlennR

This guy never apologies.

2manybikes

I guess we need to watch out for people with Swiss Army knives. I always have one with me. I don't want anymore bikes though.

Up North

Is it wrong to say I lock up my black bike?

DrIsotope

One of the BMX riders that works at the LBS got yelled at for walking his bike through the supermarket while picking up something for lunch. So he walked back to the entrance, put the bike in a shopping cart, and resumed shopping. What were they gonna say? No carts in the store?

lyrictenor1

I usually carry a small cable lock with me (like the ones posted earlier), and keep it in a medium Lezyne Caddy Sack bag in my jersey pocket (along with other stuff I keep in the bag).

However, if a place is in a sketchy part of town, I usually will be proactive and ask the clerk if I can bring the bike in as I'm waking in with it. They're usually okay with it, or ask me to place it by a wall inside, which is fine with me.

Not quite sure how being antagonistic with a store employee about this will help. If they won't let me in with it and it's too sketchy outside, I move on-- they won't get my business.

kbarch

The only errands I run with the bike are to the bike shop, where of course I take the bike inside. For breakfast or lunch in the city, I go to places where I can sit outside - often I don't even have to go in to get the host/hostess attention. Otherwise, on a long ride I just stop at places where there are a lot of other cyclists, or nobody at all that would be walking around and in a position to ride off with a bike.

It's not quite as illogical as it seems, and if it's any consolation, the same goes for strollers in some cases. A lot of places have policies of not allowing bikes inside because if they do allow them, they can be held negligent if someone trips over them, or if they get in the way of an exit. There was a letter from the fire department prominently posted in a local diner about this very issue, warning the owner not to allow strollers inside.

Ironically, the assignment of an anti-cycling 'hater' attitude to the agent of the store who expresses this policy is as presumptuous as the assignment of a racist attitude to anyone who would quote broken English. Seems some people just enjoy getting upset and indignant.

FLvector

If I'm doing a long solo ride and I don't have enough water to finish the ride I'll stop at a convenience store for a quick purchase. I'll place the bike along the window at the front of the store so I can turn and see it at any time. Along with the other suggestions to slow someone down, you could put the bike in the hardest gear so the thief would be grinding as he tried to get away - assuming he doesn't know how to use brifters.

The only real issue is the time it takes if you need to use the restroom. With some urban route, peeing on the side of the road is not an option. There's no good place to rest the bike in these crowded stores, so a cable lock would be best to slow someone down and be obvious to others visiting the store. The other option is to stop at a Starbucks or something like it where many people are sitting outside. The good thing about doing group rides is this isn't a problem.

rm -rf

Some of the local riders have those retractable ski locks. Small and lightweight.

A bike thief might not notice the thin cable before he attempted to grab the bike. I wonder if another hard yank on the bike would just pull the cable out of the broken lock? I've never seen a test of these locks.

I've done the "shift the rear a few times after stopping" so the thief won't be able to ride off easily, then forget, of course. I go to ride off and almost jam everything up. I'll never try the "open the quick release" method!

I suppose bringing the front wheel into the store would be useful. No riding off!