Originally Posted by
MartinOne
I live midtown, NYC. There are places where I simply cannot or do not want to go indoors with my Birdy or wife's Brommie. Trader Joe's, Metropolitan Hardware, Museums, etc. I have a 3.5 foot Fuggedaboutit Kryptonite chain attaching the frame to secure racks + a cable through the wheels and through the seat. The cable can be snipped if thief wants to bother with the evident tangle. But the chain must be attacked with a grinder (est. time is about 4 minutes.) Even in NYC, that's a little much for busy daylight environment.
I have a well-fitted backpack, but sometimes I transport the heavy chain in a bungied sack on my rear carrier. This is about fairly limited, just several mile, distances, not touring.
Better yet, leave the bike(s) at home or another similarly sort of indoor place. I don't feel the need to drag either of my bikes along
everywhere I go. Either I drive, carpool, or take public transit & walk instead. When I was younger, I skateboarded or had skates, too. Kyptonite and other bike lock companies are in the business of making money on purchases of their locks, not guaranteeing replacment of your bike if stolen 100 percent of the time (have any of you taken the time and read the fine print?). Beside would they-even if they're able to-replace my no longer-made-folding bikes? My Raleigh Twenty and the Brompton CE3 both have been discontinued for years. I think not plus I really like my own now customize bikes and I am not interested in "giving" them away to some neanderthal bike thief brute. And these idiots can be anything from a brain dead kid out for a free bike, to a junkie needing a fix, to the real professional bike rings. They are no longer confined to the larger cities either.
Originally Posted by
MartinOne
So don't jump to the conclusion that folders are unlockable and only an idiot would ever have a reasonable occasion to lock. I haven't had the bike that long, and if it's stolen this thread will be the first to learn of it along with my apology. Until then, use common sense, spend the $ for a chain, and enjoy.
Folding bikes are
very lockable. They are just like
any other bike except they are able to fold and/or separate. But why go through the extra expense of buying this type of bike (they cost more compared to a similarly spec bike that does not fold/separate), if you are going to treat it just like any other bike? Remember dear forum members, that all of us here are not created equally financially and loss from theft can mean anything from uncomfortable feeling/violation to a major personal/ financial disaster and disruption of getting to work to make a living. I always keep that in mind when I discuss personal security with other people. Apologies don't bring back the bike, personal safety, or money.