One of these links caused me to read about a jostle sensitivity alarm, I actually have one, forgot all about it. Funny enough I bought it back when I used to backpack, I set it to scare of any animals wanting to get into my pack. I'll have to look for it. Couldn't hurt to add to the current system, being that I already own it.

Anybody got any non-childhood experience with one? Is it a good idea, or will it just annoy the smokers? My workplace bike rack is right next to a smoke pit, which I like for the high traffic area part, I might lose a seat to a hot ash fire though, lol. I mean I don't want people damaging my bike because its annoying. Thoughts?

Either A) put your nasty, crappy POS bike next to all the other nice bikes and lock it up making yours look much less desirable or B) HIDE YOUR ****, MAN!

But...someone on here put it best...if someone wants anything, they are going to take it...just like a car. With modern technology this holds even more true. There are small, powerful, cordless tools that someone can walk around with, saw off a lock so fast no one would ever even notice and be gone looking like it was their bike the whole time. I've always kept high end stereo components in my cars with this knowledge always in the back of my mind. It held true for me once. I had about 400 bucks worth of stereo equipment stolen out of my car with another ~500 bucks worth of damage done to my car in the process a few years ago and I STILL am paranoid about my car. It gets better but it won't go away, man. It is a horrible feeling and, more or less the sole reason I would never do something like this to someone. You just have to do what you can and you have gotten every good bit of advice on how to do just that that anyone could ever want in this thread.

Oh...and screw the smokers...just my $.02

I agree with getting a beater bike at Goodwill or a garage sale for under $100. And don't get the bike that looks nice, get a crappy looking one, or make it crappy looking; and don't clean it.

As far as locking goes, I understand the idea behind a small U Bolt being harder to pry but with those you can only lock the rear wheel and the stay to a post. In reality the better way to do it is to get a U lock that is long enough so you can take the front wheel off move it to the rear alongside the rear wheel and lock the front, rear wheel and stay to a post with very little space on the lock left over. If the U lock as very little space left after the bike is locked in this manner prying is still difficult.

Then get a second lock, either a large diameter cable or better yet a heavy chain, and lock the entire bike wheels and frame using a Discus lock because those leaver no room for a bolt cutter to get at the shackle.

Use cheap components so they won't hopefully steal those.

I agree with Stevage. True a bike in daylight MIGHT not get stolen if in a high traffic area. Dallas is trying to be a big city but it's not that big and crazy yet. But I would never leave a bike at any station overnight. I live close to, and used to take the Tyler/Vermont station. In the daytime it is pretty safe and secure but at night there is not hide nor hair of police to be seen there. A bike thief has all night to mess with a bike lock.
Ernest

Can't they cut through the cable, though, just like you can cut through a chain lock?

My bike was at Mockingbird. Its a little hard because the train goes underground and at night, the elevator does not work, I don't think.

Also, I understand that if someone really wants something they will take it. I am really tired of getting locking advice that consists of "Get a lock. It doesn't matter because if they want it they will take it." I lock my dorm room, but if someone really wanted to get into my dorm, they will get into it. This is a fact of life about everything. Stop using it as a replacement of actual advice. That is my opinion.But also thanks for the advice that you did put there.

Also, I did not leave my bike over night. I put it there at 6 pm and came back at 12 am.

Also, I don't understand skewers still (to whoever was trying to explain them. I don't understand what skewers do, so telling me about the different kinds confused me a bit).

Thanks for telling me HOW a Ulock is broken into. I was wondering wtf everyone meant by "leverage".

If you use the same DART station consider renting a bike locker from DART.

http://www.dart.org/riding/bike.asp


Also you can take your bike on DART anytime as long as their is room, and by year end they will have racks on all the busses.

Skewers, a.k.a. spindles, are long, thin-diameter rods that pass through a hollow quick-release axle. This QR mechanism has a spring on either side of the hub; you mount the QR wheel into the front or rear drop-outs (at the ends of the forks or seat/chainstays, respectively) and secure the wheel by flipping the large lever which squeezes the hub against the drop-outs. The end of the skewer opposite the lever is threaded; the knob that threads onto it adjusts the tension against the drop-out. No need for tools. Great if you flat during a race and can change the entire wheel in seconds, bad if you don't lock the wheel when leaving the bike.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Quick_release_ad.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_release_skewer

If this is still unclear visit your local bike shop and ask someone to show you how it works.

Our cities are literally infested with drug addicts, these people need money even if it is just a couple of bucks. Myself I wouldn't bother leaving something I care about at a train station but... if I had to I would get a beater specifically for it. Ideally it would be a dumpster bike with only enough maintenence to make it rideable. A couple of heafty locks, but I wouldn't worry to much about them: they are only to keep the honest people honest. When parking your bike be sure to take all attatchments with you.

I park mine on a college campus and my criteria for location are in order of most important to least: secure lockage, cover from rain, bikes worth more than mine, bikes not as well locked as mine, observable from my destination, no car traffic, lots of foot traffic

I would never leave a valuable or semi-valuable bike out in the open at night. Never underestimate the tornado of destruction that is a bored teenager. They won't try to steal your bike, they will just destroy what they can (tacoing the rear wheel seems popular).

I would avoid using your renters insurance to cover a small claim like a bike, you'll regret it when you go to get homeowners insurance and they give you a higher rate because of a claim history.

Whoa boy; cables are easier to cut then chains especially those heavy chains from Krypto. The problem here is that if you’re already locking the bike with a U-Bolt do you really need to be lugging around a heavy chain as well? Not necessarily, a thick cable would also work because it requires a second tool to cut the cable that most thieves are not going to bother carrying, but you need a lock that would hinder cutting the shackle like the Discus.

The cable that comes with the U lock... can't it be cut easier than if you just used a chain lock rather than a Ulock and an ext. cable. That is what I meant.

dude, about your sig, have you ever taken a math or science course? or, have you at least read the definitions of a scientific law or theory in the dictionary?