brunning

not as big a problem as wheel or seatpost theft, but i've heard a few cases of (sometimes quite expensive) track stems and bars being stolen from locked up bikes with the simple losening of the stem bolt.

do you do anything to prevent this?

bicycle habitat gives away a "securing your bike" brochure and actually suggests super gluing a ball bearing into the end of the bolt. this seems somewhat absurd but i can't really think of any alternatives.

i guess if you did glue a ball bearing into your stem and handlebar binder bolts, you could knock it loose with an awl and hammer when it came time to work on the bike, but still - ever have a little crash where your stem or bars are knocked crooked and you just need to return them to position and tighten them up?

SamHouston

Some folks put one of numerous available products as it was suggested for the ball bearing to make it annoying rather than impossible for the thief. Wood glue, caulk, etc that can be easily dug out when you need to. If your stem bolt is in a fairly deep recess that may be your best bet though it certanly isn't as secure as the ball bearing trick. If it is deep I'd recommend putting some of whatever substance in letting it dry then filling it the rest of the way up with the same stuff.

Stumprofig

I use several wraps of duct tape around anything adjustable and hence removable-- seatpost, stem, handlebar clamp. I've been fitted on my bike and don't tinker with the fit, so I rarely need to take the tape off unless I swap components, in which case some time with a blade and solvent works fine. If you care about your bike's looks, hot glue in the bolts serves a similar purpose. Either solution is removable, but particularly the duct tape seems to say 'waste of time', and 'that can't be a nice stem/seatpost/bars; some idiot put duct tape on it.'

riderx

Like Sam Houston I've heard of people filling the holes with wax. Probably enough of a hassle for the theif to move on to another bike.

Otherwise, instead of allen head bolts, I'd replace them with torx head bolts. Easy enough to find but unlikely the theif will have the tool w/ him.

brunning

the torx bolt is a good suggestion.

i was thinking more about it and i have some small, softer sanding bits for my dremel. i bet i could fill up the bolt heads with krazy glue and easily remove it without damaging the metal of the bolt at all. time for some tests later.

i just still fear being out on the road and requiring and adjustment!

halfbiked

If you use wax, it may be enough of a deterrent to persuade the casual thief to go elsewhere, while allowing you to make your adjustments on the road. You just need to keep a lighter with you - heat allen wrench & sink into the wax when its time to adjust.

mmerner

Someone on here once mentioned filling up the head with solder. seemed like a nifty idea. easy to get out with a solder iron and the optional sucker.

Cynikal 

I'm thinking of trying the BB in the allen hole and drilling out a bb sized hole in a allen wrench and keep it with me.

na975

travel with a pitbull, chain him to the bike when you leave!

FlippingHades

One possibly major drawback to that approach though, is the solder getting down into the threads where you can't get it out! A stem is a gigantic heat sink too, which would majorly lessen the effectiveness of a soldering iron (although a butane torch would be just fine).

Ya Tu Sabes

Who you callin' an optional sucker?!

caoimhin

This all seems like waaay too much work. I'd rather just throw some money at it (not that I really have any, but I'd try). Just before this thread came up I was wondering how to do something like the payphone companies/Public Works depts do. They have special bolts that need specific wrenches to remove them. I googled them and found these folks at the top, but I don't really know anything about threads and such to know what exactly to get. Does anyone here have a some familiarity with threads or should I do some research on it?

It seems that bike theft (of any sort) is a crime of opportunity. Aside from the thieves who can mess with a bike as long as they want, most will walk away from something that makes them work at it...or they might just break it because it pisses them off ...either way, you've done what you can do.

riderx

Well, my suggestion on the torx bolt is the same idea, but you can find the torx stuff a bit easier. Regardless, most stems are metric threaded, usually M4, M5 or M6 and then measure the length. If you don't know how to tell the size, go to a local hardware store buy a couple of each for a few cents. For these types of bolts and the special tools, etc. I highly recommend www.mcmaster.com - the prices are good and they usually ship the same day. I'm in MD, they are in NJ and I usually get my stuff the next day without paying any special shipping. They are also a great place for tools and all kinds of materials for the mad scientist/inventor type

xylx

I've heard people use plumber's putty. It sets up and looks solid but isn't. It will gouge out fairly easily. Better than a torx, one of those square head recessed bolts. I looked all over town for a tool to take off that bolt on a car once. Very unlikely anyone would have that tool. With the prevalence of disk brakes I'd tend to think a torx driver is a fairly common thing to have now.

Ceya

Yeah back in the day we used to but foil and glue that in with crazy glue. It works.

S/F,
CEYA!