Originally Posted by
makingmark
Solsticejk,
Thank you for asking this question. I think it's a good question. I own a Brompton and I recently bought a Strida in part because it is indeed cumbersome in some situations to *bring* a Brompton inside, and yet if you have to *leave* a Strida inside, it is not as tidy a package as the Brompton. Being able to leave a bike outside is a lot more convenient than dragging it around, regardless of how well designed the folder. Sure there's risk of theft. But I wonder sometimes if that risk is overestimated. Most of us are more averse to loss (theft) than gain (convenience).
I've locked my Brompton outside in a couple of 15-minute type situations. I haven't yet done so with the Strida, but I can imagine being tempted to try it because a) I have renters insurance which would cover bike theft and b) I now have a backup bike.
I feel that locking through the wheels is secure. Sheldon Brown says that cutting through wheels is quite difficult. As for taking the wheels off, the bolts that would let you do that are hidden on the inside, where the magnets lock together. If your lock is tight enough, like a U lock, the only way I can see that a thief could get the wheels off is to break the lock. Which in any event seems their most likely route anyways.
The main disadvantage I see to locking the Strida then isn't security from theft (I don't see it as any less secure than a non-folder) but security from abuse, intendend or unintended. When folded, you'll have to either prop it up (meaning it could fall over) or lie it down, which makes it take up a lot of low & horizontal space, seeming to leave it prone to kicking or knocking about.
Now, if you're just locking through one wheel, leaving it unfolded - and I realize now perhaps that's what you were thinking - hmm. That deals with the abuse issue, but then it doesn't seem secure to me. You just need an Allen wrench to take the wheel off. It seems probable most theives might not recognize you can "undo" the frame if you lock it through the frame, but I wouldn't want to risk it.
You could have a cable going through both wheels - but that would sure be cumbersome and it wouldn't seem to be much more secure.
So now that I've thought about it - I'd much rather lock a Brompton outside than a Strida.
I lock my 20" Downtube outside most of the time because its not much more expensive than a beater (especially a beater with decent tires) and although I can take it with me in a pinch, it really doesn't fold well enough to be worthwhile in the vast majority of situations. So I agree that there are situations where one might want to lock a folder.
However, I would never lock a Brompton or Strida because while locks and locking techniques can reduce the risk of theft and accidental abuse, there's no way to protect from intentional abuse; and bikes, being a minority vehicle, are at high risk of vandalism, doubly so for unusual bikes like folders, quadruply so for expensive folders like the Brompton, and octoply so for expensive unusual folders like the Strida.
I also don't agree that folders are always inconvenient to take inside. One of the reasons I love my Carryme so much is because I actually think it is easier to fold it up and take it with me than to lock outside. Folding it is quicker than locking, I don't have to waste time findind a place to lock it, I can ride it straight up to the door, and its pretty much completely unobtrusive indoors. Of course that's not to say it's so convenient that it's worth dragging around just in case, but neither is a box of tissues. Also, yes, there are situations where keeping the bike right at hand can get slightly inconvenient, but in those cases it is still easier to simply stand it up in the nearest corner than locking a bike outside ever would be (and there is always a spot in the nearest corner because, quite frankly, the Carryme fits in corners better than just about any other object known to man...without scratching the paint on the walls by leaning it up like the Strida).
This is why, tempted as I am, I have not seen fit to fill in the middle of my collection with 16" bikes like the Brompton or the Strida. They're not quite convenient enough to drag around in *all* situations and they're not suitable to put at risk of theft, abuse, and vandalism by locking outside...plus it's a hassle to not know exactly what you're going to do with your bike at your destination and to waste time scoping out the situation before deciding whether to lock or fold. When I ride my Carryme I know I'm taking it with me without regrets and when I ride my 20" Downtube I know I'm locking it without regrets.
That being said, I don't see why the OP would have a problem with a Strida in a gym. Gyms tend to be spacious and sectioned with big machines in mind. Just lay down the Strida next to your treadmill, weight lifting bench, etc.