Originally Posted by
J.Oxley
The method: On approach to store, shift to big ring/small cog. Park bike. Use heavyweight, color-matched rubber band on front brake lever as "parking brake." Go inside, buy stuff.
The logic: Any thievery in this situation would be a crime of opportunity; the badguy sees an unsecured bike, jumps on and rides away. However, it is 2015. Shifters are supposed to be on the bars. Pedals don't have cages. And while rubber bands are still common enough, you can't see mine from a riding position. Imagine a drug-addled twenty-something trying to figure out how to make that bike go in less time than it takes me to notice he's messing with it. Ain't gonna happen. Too many WTFs to process in a totally foreign environment.
I used to also throw the quick-release levers to the open position. Especially effective with horizontal dropouts since the wheel will shift and jam against the left chainstay as soon as the thief stomps on the pedals to get away.
But now I always carry a light combination cable lock for those situations. Won't stop anyone with tools, but will prevent the opportunistic thief who may view an unlocked bike as too tempting a target.