Old 08-16-19, 01:37 PM
  #69  
LV2TNDM
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 731

Bikes: Cannondale tandems: '92 Road, '97 Mtn. Mongoose 10.9 Ti, Kelly Deluxe, Tommaso Chorus, Cdale MT2000, Schwinn Deluxe Cruiser, Torker Unicycle, among others.

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Originally Posted by PastorJim
I look at my Bike rack as well as others and they don't seem secured from theft. Am I wrong? I would like to take my bike to work or store for a later in the day ride, but I don't want to find that my bike was stolen. Your feedback on this is appreciated.
Some racks offer security, others don't. Trunk racks are the worst - for theft AND reliability. Thus I refuse to use them. Roof and hitch racks usually lock. However, the locks can be defeated. I've heard of entire Yakima systems being pried off of roofs with bikes attached. But that was San Francisco.

I just stopped using my Yakima roof rack system for everyday bike transport. When I had four or five bikes up there, I used the SKS locks as well as my ulocks and cables to secure the two bikes on the ends. A good enough deterrent to stop all but the most determined of thieves. I'd leave them locked overnight in front of our hotel or at the campsite. But not overnight in any urban environment with moderate to high theft incidence.

Now I'm using a Kuat hitch rack (and loving it!). I utilize the built-in cable locks for almost all low-theft scenarios. As well as backup in case of a bonehead move not securing a bike properly. But the built-in security are cable locks and inherently low security. Thus, on trips, I bring along my Kryptonite chain, disk lock and ulocks. The 4-bike Kuat rack alone is over a thousand bucks, so it's worth redundant locking it alone, even more so the four bikes attached to it. So I can lock the chain to the cutout in the trailer hitch and lock all the bikes and the Kuat rack in one shot. This is enough to allow me to sleep at night. Anyone going to town with an angle grinder would get my rack and bikes. And that's ultimately what insurance is for.

I hope that helps.

PS I LOVE the Kuat and their awesome customer service (sent me four matching lock cores for my mis-matched system free of charge). BUT, why on earth does Kuat stamp the lock key number ON THE LOCK CORES??? Right there for everyone to see! So before hitting Utah this last spring, I took the trusty Dremel Tool out and ground off the lock core numbers. Jeez people, let's NOT make it easier for thieves, shall we?!!!
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