djordan

The plan is to leave my commuter bike in NYC overnight - every night (and maybe even on weekends):

I live across the Hudson river in West New York, NJ - I'd like to take the bus into NYC (through the Lincoln tunnel) and then hopping on the bike to ride to work crosstown/downtown. For the commute back home, I would leave the bike parked near the Port Authority bus terminal overnight (and then take the bus home across the river again).

Security?
I'm going with "crappiness" as the first line of defense against theft-deterrent - meaning, an old Craigslist bike - maybe something that costs less than $75. Next,
I'm considering investing in a Kryptonite New York lock - with the guarantee. Of course, the lock can be broken, but I should be able to recover the loss if that happens.
(And I'm also thinking of gluing a steel ring attachment to the u-lock... and locking the U-lock itself to something stationary by cable - so even if the U-lock is broken, some part of it would remain at the scene, which is a condition for the guarantee)

Anything wrong with my "perfect" plan?

Thanks!

nycphotography

for something like that I'd seriously consider getting a folding bike and just carrying it onto the bus.

djordan

I suppose that's a possibility.
I wouldn't want to carry 30 a pound contraption onto a commuter bus - and through the chaotic Port Authority bus terminal,
but there are some out there in the 22 pound range that look good - and not outrageously expensive
Dahon MU Uno Folding Bike Review ? Best Folding Bike Reviews
I'd still have to experiment with the form factor to see if I'm comfortable with it.

lostarchitect 

Thieves will steal almost anything. True, your NYC lock is harder to break than most others, but if the bike is unprotected overnight it is not unheard of at all for it to be broken. I would never leave any bike out overnight here. Not even a used Kmart bike.

I agree that a folding bike is a much better bet. But your best bet might be to just get a Citibike membership.

CliffordK

One problem is what will you do if you arrive at the parking spot and you're missing half the bike? Oh, does the Kryptonite guarantee cover a loss of a seat or handlebars?

And how will you get to work when you don't have the bike you were expecting to ride?

Bike Friday has a KickStarter program for their PakIt. As low as 15 pounds for their single speed PakIt Elite.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...e-ever-fits-in

Lots of other options out there too.

djordan

Thanks architect - I've considered the Citi option but the bikes are often all gone near Port Authority -
and my politics may be controversial, but the city of New York should NOT be giving an exclusive, monopolistic bike concession to a global bank.
I just don't want to support that. I'm seeing vast amounts of premium NY real estate used for Citibike. The city could be investing in a MUCH better bicycling infrastructure for everyone.

djordan

Clifford -I just checked those out...
but it looks like EVERYTHING under $1,200 (which gets you a 3 Speed pakiT @ 19.8lbs) is already gone.
In any case, I'd be afraid that carrying a nifty-looking kilobuck bike around the city would get me jacked!

djordan

Here's is yet another option I'm considering - installing a stealth GPS tracking system in the bike:
How To Track Your Vehicle on the Cheap
I'd have to find a very small form factor GPS device that takes a SIM.
It's doubtful most thieves would consider that GPS tracking is installed - especially on a low end bike - and they wouldn't be looking for it.
Maybe I could photograph and document the operation of the system - and if the bike is ever stolen, I could just locate it, and provide the local police with my documentation demonstrating my ownership of the bike.

CliffordK

I'm seeing a couple of secure parking options.

https://nycvelo.com/2015/02/26/nycs-l...arking-garage/
https://www.bikelink.org/

Undoubtedly there are more options.

They seem mostly geared towards daytime customers, but you could ask about night use of their facilities/services.

djordan

I guess I shouldn't' try to invent something that already exists
SpyBike GPS Tracker is like LoJack for bikes

djordan

Very useful link Clifford - great that there are parking garages.

jimc101

You do know that Citigroup are just sponsors of the project, they don't own it?

Same as in other major city's, like London, where there are on their 2nd sponsor, previously Barclays, now Santander

The NYC it's operated by Motivate for more info see here Motivate and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citi_Bike

djordan

Sponsorship? Ownership? Either way a single multi-billion dollar corporation should never be given that much influence over the city's public infrastructure. On my path from the Port Authority to my office, I go from the West side to Park Ave. and from the 40's to the 20's... and I see HUGE amounts of space occupied by the industrial-looking and hideous (in my view) Citibike racks. I'm wondering if it's just a matter of time until there are crackdowns on where and how the rest of us can park our normal bikes...
(and yes, I AM a little paranoid!)

jade408

Citi doesn't own the infrastructure or have anything to do with it. They are paying for thousands of billboards. That is it.

hokie cycler

There is a HUGE difference between sponsorship and ownership. Citi is helping support the program which reduces the cost to the taxpayer. You may hate or resent big corporations but they are not profiting off this deal.

Even with GPS tracking and a good lock, the bike will get stolen, guaranteed. So you will need to spend time either filing the claim or trying to track down the stolen bike. And then what? Do it again?

Bike share programs are designed to serve users like you. They are one element in public transportation and you are already using one element that is subsidized by taxpayers so why not use another?

blakcloud

I think CliffordK nailed it. You will come to a stripped bike at best.

As for the Kryptonite insurance, I have yet to meet or read about anyone collecting insurance from Kryptonite. It also looks like it is an optional cost to get that after the first year. Here is the link. Plus not all locks are covered in New York City, you will have to check which ones are. That document can be found here.

I wonder also about wear and tear of keeping a bike out in the elements everyday and how you are going to service the bike because you don't take it home.

Then again I also want to see if your experiment will work. At worse you will be out $150 if they take the lock also and you might be late for work on that day. Try it and report back.

djordan

I can appreciate your perspective on this... but consider that the New York City Council's transportation committee had to enact a specific law... just to get Citi Bike to open up its financial books to the city.
Citi Bike might have to let city know if it?s making any money | New York Post

djordan

All good points - bike can get vandalized any number of ways, exposure to the elements, uncertain that a claim would be honored by Kryptonite etc. but still... for less than a couple hundred bucks, it might be worth the experiment to see what happens...
and in addition to starting with a pretty crappy bike to begin with, I can think of a few ways to further deter theft:
* paint just random parts of the bike with some grossly ugly color paint - like pepto-bismol pink - so it would have little value for a quick buck.
*maybe two or three really small, but very strong disc locks around the hubs or cranks... making it impossible to actually ride the bike without risking damage to remove them with force (and without having surgical power tools to cut them)
*another (pretty common) idea is just to take the front wheel with me... or lock it up somewhere else on another block... or even remove the quick release hubs and take them with me (i.e., do thieves keep spare hubs with them?)
* I'm also thinking of having a lightweight quick release seat and taking that with me as well

Could be an interesting experiment:
Likelihood of being stolen = perceived value X ease of theft.... so at some point, a low enough perceived value and a high enough security level would result in a negligible (or sufficiently acceptable) risk of theft.

oddjob2

There are so many trashed and partial bikes on 9th Avenue near Port Authority, yours would succumb to same, unless you painted "Police" on it, but that would create additional complications. In April, I witnessed a guy taking his too big mtb into the mens room inside PA.

That Hell's Kitchen NYCvelo garage is a deal at $50/month. It is $175/month at Columbus Circle.

"Bikes are generally allowed on board PATH trains. However, there are some exceptions depending on the time of day you are riding.

Collapsible (foldable) bikes are allowed on all trains at any time
Non-collapsible (non-foldable) bikes are not allowed on trains during weekdays from 6:30AM-9:30AM and 3:30PM-6:30PM
When bikes are allowed, up to two bikes can be brought into any car. No bikes are allowed in the first car of the train."

During the non-winter, the ferry is nice, but pricey.
Port Imperial / Weehawken

hokie cycler

You use the bus and the transit authority is probably corrupt.

djordan

All good information... I used to take the ferry when I worked in the financial district. An amazingly efficient commute - less than 20 minutes from New Jersey to lower Manhattan - but not cheap.
That garage is a good deal for NYC.

djordan

True that. HOWEVER, I was riding my motorcycle into NYC up until recently... when I received yet another "TOTAL BS" ticket for "improper passing" in Hoboken... and I'm now exposed to skyrocketing insurance rates or even losing my license. So yes, the transit authority is corrupt... but traffic enforcement in Hudson County is even more corrupt.

djordan

btw...
If anyone doubts that law enforcement around here are corrupt, consider that on a "per city official" basis, Hoboken might be the most corrupt political subdivision in the history of this country.

If It's Bribery, This Must Be Hoboken - WNYC

MSV: Corruption bomb drops in Hoboken with Chris Campos and Carmelo Garcia at epicenter

Hoboken Mayor Arrested

I-Like-To-Bike

Not "a little".

nycphotography

Port authority is also crackhead and transient central. It _IS_ the bus terminal, and that means pretty much the same thing in every city in the US.

If they can't steal it, they'll rage on it and destroy it where it sits.