siddartha

My bike has been built by the dealer with quick release levers for both wheels and seat. Now, the main reason to get this bike was to increase my action range, including doing the groceries. I got an Abus Frame lock and an Ulock made by the same manufacturer which are together about 50% of the bike value and a little bit shy of 2kg. I thought such measures should convince an oportunist that the locks are out of his league and a professional with power tools that the bike is too cheap and mass produced to bother. And that would insure my safe ride back home. So far so good. As for the quick release I was told to replace them with the standard. Well, I could not find the standard locks. So I turned to ebay. Where I found out something like this: a lock with a detachable bit that uses a hex key to open. Are they woth it? Or is it just a pain in the behind because you have to take care of the bit as well? Are they any harder to open than the regular nut and bolt?

jimc101

There are various options you can use, from Allen / hex key skewers or Pitlocks, both require you to carry tools to open the locks. don't forget your seatpost if doing this.

Alternatively you could use a cable lock to go through the wheels, but a lot of it comes down to your locking technique (how and where). from the sound of it, the locks which you have should be Ok, are they rated Soild Secure Silver or Gold?

Check out this vid for good advice on how to lock your bike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTA3JsZWiec

larry_llama

Just get the allen bolt QR replacements. If you are riding further than you'd normally walk then buy a small multitool, pump and patch kit.

For best theft resistance make your bike look really ugly. This can be accomplished with electrical tape, duct tape and spray paint. Make everything not shiny! I even spray painted my rims and hubs "rust red"

There is no way to guarantee you won't be victimized. But if you make your bike less attractive and more of a pain than it's worth to steal then you greatly reduce the chances.

Would you steal this ugmo?

jimc101

thats a fugly bike!

for making it ugly, would suggest that painting rims is not a good idea if you use rim brakes, as that's the braking surface, in Larry_llama's case he is using drum brakes so not an issue

fietsbob

you can often exchange the QR axle for a solid one fixed with a nut.

3alarmer 

...................Nashbar Bolt-On Skewers

https://www.amazon.com/Nashbar-Bolt-O...d_sim_sbs_sg_3

If you go this route, make certain the ones you buy
have steel rods........some of the "lightweight" ones
have alloy rods and you cannot tighten them down
adequately on the rear wheel without stripping them.

Not a problem if you have vertical dropouts.

fietsbob

Pretty much what I actually use , Schmidt supplies one with their hubs,
for the front,
I got a 135mm long one, for the rear .
steel skewer-bolt.

siddartha

I sincerely thought of the cable as being the lazy man's solution. As I am lazy it sounded as a wonderful idea. But going on Youtube and watching the wonders of skilled hands I thought to myself that's a waste of money, the cable I mean. Also, spending some time thinking about it a couple of nights ago I also discovered that installing a cable does take some precious minutes to install well and sometimes even more minutes to get it off. A couple of minutes here and there seems like a good investment, but, as I plan to use the bike more often, this looks like bad business.

I don't know what's Solid Secure. It's an Abus Amparo 4580, strongest frame lock they make. The only drawback it's that the thief can still leave with the bike on his back. Otherwise it looks pretty strong. And an Abus Granit Futura Ulock. Still, given the large, and a bit unusual thick frame of the bike (https://www.btwincycle.com/EN/original-5-grey-170477812/) the back wheel should be secured to the frame, the frame should be secured to some object. The front wheel is free.

I have the multitool. I guess most people have them as well. As for ugly, I don't know. It does draw attention by the shine, yet I love that look. I get what you mean by less attractive and I also know that temptation is the main reason why people take. One might have a trunk full of hash and nobody would care, not even the police looking for it. At the same time, an empty bag left on the passenger seat has a good chance of generating a broken window. I even checked the locks to have some plastic around to make sure nothing happens to the paint.

Just found out some wonderful idea on this forum. Just get a hex bolt and fix a metal sphere from with superglue or nail polish. Now where do I get the balls from ballbearings? And the right size too.

But it's a wonderful idea: cheap and soft bolts and nuts can be worse than leaving the bike with a QR system, because an accident is always worse than a theft.

Thank you guys! I get feedback for things that never crossed my mind. And that is going to save me a lot of headaches down the road.

leob1

Not only would I not steal it, I'd leave a dollar in the basket.
Good urban camo.

BCRider

Having recently been the victim of a bike theft (my first) I can attest to the fact that it's more about the style of bike than the look. My oldie errand bike was definetly not shiney. But it had enough recognizable items on it to show that it was more than it seemed.

The screw on skewers isn't a bad idea. The idea of switching to solid axles and nuts is another. Cutting down a dollar bin 15mm wrench with a cutting wheel only takes a few minutes and the shortie wrench fits in with the spare tube just nicely.

tanguy frame

What fender is that?