I always carry water when I ride. I never ride with out it. I drink once every mile or every ten min., which ever comes first.

I leave the lock in the parking ramp when I commute so I am not hauling it to and from home. It is a 2 piece set up. The first piece is an old u-lock I've had for over 15 years. That part is locked to/around 2 vertical pipes that go through the parking ramp structure. I know one is a water pipe I do not know what the other is. Next to the pipes is one of the vertical support columns for the parking ramp structure. The other piece of the lock is a 2" thick vinyl coated 6' cable that I weave through the rim and frame. There are loops at each end of the cable that I run the u-lock through. There is a piece of steel bar attached to the pipes to keep them from banging together. That is what my bike actually leans against.

In front of the column is the lane used to exit out of one side of the structure. It merges with incoming lanes cars use to enter the structure. The exit lane curve around as it merges. Across from the exit lane that curves around and merges is the parking ramp office. On the other side of the pipes is a fence.

If you were facing where I park my bike, which is facing south, on your far left is the ramp office, then you step off of a curb onto the exit lane, then there is another curb that surrounds the support column. Then there is the pipes and finally to your right is the fence that goes so far up the ramp. When I am getting ready to leave or when I park my bike where I do I am actually standing against the curb, on part of the exit lane.

If you were to face east and look at the office to the left of the office are 2 exit lanes, one of these lanes breaks off and merges with the 2 entrance lanes that come into the ramp on the right of the office if you're facing east. If you were to put one car in each lane you'd have a total of 5 vehicles there. One in each of the incoming lanes facing west, one in each of the exit lanes facing east and one in th eexit lane that curves around and merges with the incoming lanes. Traffic that exits from that lane drives through the structure so they can exit out of the west side of the building. You have to understand how they designed parking ramps built in the 1970's to understand the one way traffic concept for parking ramps and what I am describing looks like.

It near this part of the ramp I park and lock my bike. On the curb against the pipes.

The parking ramp is a city owned and operated facility. They have a big sign on the fence I mentioned that states they only provide a parking space. No guarantees are made about the safety of your vehicle or it's contents, yada, yada, yada. So it is a good idea to lock my bike and take anything that can be stolen inside with me.