SethODucks

So I have a 2010 Scott Aspect 45 MTB that I'm going to be taking to school with me in a couple weeks.

Let me start, I am confident that I have done an exceptional job so far in trying to prevent theft on it.

I have a Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-Lock that I believe will keep my frame safe.

I have put pit locks on my front and rear tires. And will be throwing a cable lock around them during the night. Also pit locked my head so the forks will not be stolen.

However, there are a few more things that I am worried about.

Do you think that I should pit lock my seat or just take my seat with me during the day? I don't want to have to take my seat off every morning and every afternoon. Just seems like a major pain in the rear. Give me an opinion on that.

What about my components on the bars? Shifters and brake levers? What are the odds of being stolen, and are there any ways of preventing those from being taken?

How about the pedals? Anyone have any problems with those being taken? Any input would be appreciated. thank you.

dabac

Rule #1 of Urban Riding:
- If you intend to leave it unattended in public places, always assume that one day, your bike will be stolen or vandalized. Spec your bike accordingly. Locks will only tweak the odds somewhat. Eventually you'll think "I'll just be gone a few minutes" and won't bother with all the locks. That's when the opportunist strikes.
Or, your bike rack will be struck by people who have turned it into a business. A van, or a pick-up, a heavy duty bolt cutter, a crew of three with poor morals and they'll clean out a whole rack in 90 seconds. A single bike, if yours is specially tempting - 20 seconds.
The way bike parts are priced, losing the wheels but retaining the frame may not be much of a blessing.

Rule #2 of Urban Riding:
- Even if spec-ed so that theft is a nuisance rather than a tragedy, make sure that bike is as identifiable and has as little value to someone else as possible. There's a bike in "my rack" where the owner has engraved his name, as large as possible, on (almost) every single part. Derailers, shifters, brake levers, brakes, rims, stem, fork, cranks etc.
I've settled for either low/mid-range components, or parts that are as generic looking as I can find them. No blingy logos. All topped off with a brush applied paint job. Bikes exist to be ridden, don't buy one you don't dare to use.

I've never seen pedals stolen from a racked bike. They're fairly inexpensive and often viciously torqued. I've seen forks stolen though. For saddle I'd get myself a sacrificial department-store/noname post and saddle for everyday use, and save the nice parts for the special rides. I might even do the same for the stem, it's easily enough swapped in.

You might try shooting every Allen/Torx head full of hot glue. It'll come out readily enough after a few minutes of poking with a sharp object when you need to tinker with them, but it will be a serious nuisance to anyone who's in a hurry.

mikezs

You won't believe how quickly an angle grinder can cut through a very thick bike lock. I snapped the keys in my 10mm motorbike chain padlock and I got through it in under a minute!

8Fishes

You can do the ball bearing + epoxy trick but I don't think you'll like it once it comes to adjustments.
Since you already got the pits for most of the major things, you might as well get the seat post lock, or just make your own out of an old chain+inner tube. You might be even able to ask your LBS for the raw materials. Just need a chain tool to set it to the correct length and setting the pin. If you leave your bike for any extended amount of time, I doubt you can prevent component theft as much as them wanting to simply take your bike.

Since it is for school, ask the teacher(s) if you can bring the bike in with you. If you can't don't ride a nice bike to school. If it's a large lecture hall style, I don't bother asking and just bring my bike in. Usually there's plenty of room.

motobecane69

i use pinhead skewers for my seatpost, saddle, wheels, and fork. I have had my stem bolts removed and cables cut a couple of times which is why i run inexpensive microshift flat bar components up front. $30 for shifters and cheap brake levers are $20. the microshift flatbar stuff shifts VERY good. if you've got your fit dialed in, go ahead with the ball bearing and epoxy but understand that a microtorch can easily heat up and remove epoxy ( i'm an avid golfer and build my own clubs, takes about 30 seconds of microtorch heat on the hosel of a golf club to get it to break it's bond. direct heat to it would burn it out quick.

motobecane69

this is true, this is why many people use multiple locs versus pitlocks/pinhead skewers because cutting through 2 or 3 locks will take that much more time and time is a thiefs enemy

dbg

My commuter bike sits all day at a public train station. It has internal geared rear hub and dynamo front with lights and other good stuff. BUT it intentionally looks like a piece of crap. Old frame with lots of dirt. I even added rust-looking coloring all over it. The point has always been to make it look less attractive than every other bike in the vicinity. Sort of like the old adage about bears in the woods (I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to out run you). It won't be totally theft proof. It will just be the last choice for would-be thieves.

Also, my college bike plan for anyone who asks my opinion has always been, "cheap single speed." You don't need gears, and that saves on component theft.