DogBoy

I am starting to do longer rides, and I plan on using convenience stores for B-room breaks and to get some fresh gatorade/water. For those of you who do this, do you carry a lock? I just can't see leaving my bike unprotected at a convenince store. If you do carry a lock, what kind. The U-locks seem like they are too big to carry around for 100 miles for a 5 min stop. I'm looking for suggestions. Oh, and I ride alone, so I can't just take turns with my fellow riders, and I'm not prepared to take care of business on the side of the road, even if it isn't a big deal.

Moonshot

Good question.

If I'm by myself I have trouble with this too. I don't carry a lock. If I can't leave my bike in plain view (against a large glass window) so I can see it the whole time I'm in the store I don't stop. Churches, police stations and libraries are sometimes good water sources too.

robertsdvd

I know its a road cycling thread and I'm a commuter, but I say suck up the weight and either carry a lock... or use a cafe lock...

(wheel locks)
https://store.yahoo.com/momovelo/locks.html

Even when I'm just cruising around for pleasure I have my kryptonite New York chain around my waist.

Retro Grouch 

How safe do you feel the need to be? My theory is that the first lock that you put on your bike, however cheesy, is about 90% effective because it forces the thief to bring a tool with him. to go from 90% to 99% effective is a progressive game of one-ups-man-ship with the thief which, in the end, the thief always wins if he has enough time.

I seldom carry a lock while on a ride. I try to leave my bike where I'll be able to see it while I'm inside, but I sometimes cheat on that too. I have a friend who has the skinniest cable I ever saw with a small padlock. That looks to me like a pretty good thing to carry on a casual ride.

bluejack

Nice way to carry it! I'm imagining the next fashion trend. kryptonite
chain belts!

robertsdvd

Damn right, cycle-fashion, and I don't mean spandex.

But really it is the best way to carry the thing, putting it anywhere on the actual bike just throws the balance way off - them chains are HEAVY!

bandaidman

those little immobilizers (combo lock with a light cable)...very light weight and the size of a small cell phone...might be something to consider

they are useless as a true security device...but would probably be enough in many places to discourage a thief in a place with as much foot traffic as a convenience store.

most churches...as long as they do not have a preschool or school in session...are very open to people coming in

robertsdvd

A bandolier...

I've never had an issue with them pulling my drawers down or hitting the boys... I put it just above my pant's waistline and put the small U-lock over the small of my back... no worries.

I would use it when I walked my old roommate's dog too sometimes ... around the waist leash through the u-lock and have the pup tethered to me... great for sitting down and reading or something...

J-McKech

Why not take the bike inside? I mean they dont weigh anything, just throw it up on your shoulder and walk around. Just an idea lol

SchreiberBike

I ride in rural areas and when I stop at a c-store or small grocery, I try to pick one where I'll be able to see my bike from inside the store, or at least park it in plain site to people pumping gas, working the register etc. In most small towns everyone knows everyone else and crime doesn't happen in public much.

The few times where I've worried about it, I take off my helmet and loop it through the front wheel or take out the front wheel but leave it roughly in place so the bike won't roll and the wheel would fall if anyone picked the bike up.

Those things make me feel better, but I'm relying on general trust. If someone is going to steel something, it will probably be a car parked with the keys in it, not my funny looking bike with skinny tires.

otoman

The times I have stopped at c-stores I have either put the bike against a plate glass window so I could see it the whole time or I have brought it in with me when I knew I was going to be going into the bathroom. I have definitely gotten some looks from the clerks but I think it was mostly because I was a duck walking weirdo in tight shorts. If they don't like it, just apologize after buying your Gatorade and leave...

Dahon.Steve

Exactly..... I look for a small grocery store and bring the bike inside. Most owners don't care providing you don't stay too long. As for going to the bathroom, I never had problems finding a place other than a bathroom. On the other hand, you have to have to do number 1 and 2, you're in trouble if you don't have a lock.

I don't know what to tell you. Buy a used bike and ride that. This is the reason why I have used bikes because they give me the freedom to lock them without having to resort to the New York Chain!

brokenrobot

The clerks, they yell

pgreene

ride with a group. take shifts peeing/buying. that's what we always do. most of the stores along the route are so used to seeing cyclists it's not an issue, though.

J-McKech

You yell back at that clerk! Tell him your bike cost more than the car he drives! lol..i bet that would piss them off

superchivo

I usually have a lock with me, but if I don't, look for a nice enclosed area like a fence around a dumpster. These are out of the way places that make your bike disappear - especially when people aren't looking for a bike there.

brokenrobot

Actually the last time I did this went like this:

"You can't bring that in here!"
"Sure I can! It just goes right over my shoulder, see?"
"You can't bring that in here!"
"Sure I can! No problem at all!"

Etc. I jus kept pretending to not understand what he was getting at until I'd gotten what I needed

-chris

bluejack

No, no! I don't want my bike to disappear. That's the problem!

But seriously, for a quick, daytime pop into a convenience store, it's best
to know your territory. For most of the United States, leaving it unlocked
would be a reasonably safe bet. For the exceptions, you might as well just
throw the bike over the railing of a bridge. In Philadelphia, I have left a bike
untended for less than 30 seconds and had it disappear. In Seattle, you
have to be pretty damned unlucky to have a bike stolen, even if you leave
it outdoors, unlocked, all night. (Depending on the neighborhood, but even
the "worst" neighborhoods in Seattle are miles better than any neighborhood
in Philly.)

Know your turf.

PS. "Seeing it" through a plate glass window doesn't make the bike any safer.
It just means you get to see someone jump on it and disappear. But
even a light, theoretically useless chain lock would be your best friend in
a situation like this.

J-McKech

HAHAH! thats too funny brokenrobot...i forgot how pretending to not understand can work so well

TXCiclista

On occassion, I've taken the front tire off and carried it into the store with me. That makes my bike a less attractive steal. The fork tips might get a tad scratched up, but it's worth still having a bike. Heck, you ask a local shop for one of those plastic thingies they put in the forks grroves when they ship a bike to protect the tips. Another thing I've tried was taking the saddle and seat post in w/ me. Who ever steals it better be able to dance on the pedals (though a saddle is much cheaper to replace than a front tire). Heck, if you have a chain rivet tool or a quick-link chain (now I'm getting silly )

TXCiclista

Another thought is that the store clerk might be kind enough to let you put the bike just inside the door if you ask nicely first (or might at least grab your Gatorade for you. If so, be sure to leave him the change... )

TXCiclista

PS Merton, I guess you're a Bush fan? ARGH! I guess that's one of the drawbacks of being a Democrat living in TX

stridercc

When I go for rides I don't bring a lock. When I stop I just lean my bike on the window of the store. I have also found that stopping in the same store helps because the people get to you know, and they will then know when someone else who doesn't own your bike tries to get on it.

-Matt-

pyze-guy

I have one of those locks made by kryponite. I think its for locking skis up. I loop it through the wheel and frame. Works fine for quick stops at my dealers, um coffee shop.

CRSO

I live in NYC and carry mine everywhere I go. If I can't bring my bike or dog, I don't go. I'd leave my dog outside before my Brooklyn. Just kidding...