Originally Posted by
Northwestrider
I have never locked my bike while on tour, however a recent experience has driven home the idea that maybe I should. While having coffee the other day in a coffee shop. I noticed someone steal my Surly LHT, I stopped the thief after he had ridden the bike maybe 10 feet after which he left hurriedly in a waiting car. ( I had his license plate number in this, a very long story ). The Police said little could be done. The reason for the post however is to ask what other tourists do to prevent a bike theft, when leaving a hotel on a walk through a local community, or possibly while taking bus tour to a local attraction away from your tent, or even while sleeping in your tent. For the later I've thought of a bell , as well as a string attached to the tent to provide some warning. Idea's ?
Why did the police say that little could be done? If you have the lic. plate number, you could file a complaint and they can track down the culprit from the lic. plate.
Frame locks will not be effective when a thief with a van or pickup truck or a larger vehicle could carry the entire bike, without riding it. A cable lock attached to a pole or other stationary object is the best way to lock a bike. I used only a cheap frame lock on my bike in India - as everyone else did, because at that time everyone rode a bicycle or a scooter and very few people had cars. In the western world it is easy to steal a bike and carry it away in a vehicle.
I read a tour account where a young man on a tour from CA to VA lost his bike in Phoenix, AZ while visiting a convenience store. He had to buy a new one to continue.
The famous world traveler Heinz Stucke had his bike stolen a couple of times, too.