Bobonli

Who here leaves their bike--unattended but locked--at a train station or other public transportation hub as part of their commute?

I commute by train once a week. I live about 2 miles from the train station and cannot take the bike aboard, so I'd have to lock it to either a rack or a fence at the station. Many people do this including locking their high-end Vespas etc but I'm a little hesitant about leaving it out in the weather all day. Theft, believe it or not, is not my primary concern as the station is regularly patrolled by PD and there are video cams...but it still is a possibility.

My "commuter", is a CoMotion touring bike which is in pristine condition and cost a pretty penny when I bought it about 9 years ago. So I'm interested to hear what other people do when faced with locking up outdoors most of the day, where there's no possibility of checking on it til the end of the day.

I'd prefer not to buy another bike just for a 1 day train commutebut I also don't want my CoMo to become trashed by weather or vandalism.

Thank you

JR97

That's cool your train station has cameras. The light rail pickups/drop offs here in town are hot spots for bike theft. but there are no cameras. I would just get a beater for those days. Or a folder. Cheaper solution to replacing your nice one.

infecto

If you are that worried about leaving the bike out I would just walk it. Only 2 miles.

uke

If you lived in Japan, robots would look after your bike while you were gone.

Timmy Mac

I leave my bike at a train station on some days (Oak Grove or Malden, for you Boston folks). I just pick a spot that's pretty high traffic (figuring people are less likely to steal a bike with lots of witnesses around), and if I think it might rain, I rubber band a plastic grocery sack over the seat.

shubonker

Thats really not true, friend of mine had his bike stolen from a bike rack in Union Square where there are about 80 people at all times that have a visibility over the rack.

da07079

I lock my bike at Newark Penn Station. (But I probably wouldn't if I had a pristine CoMotion touring bike -- heck, I wouldn't sleep comfortably with a $3000 bike locked up in my garage.)

The question is whether any discomfort you will have from leaving the bike at the station (and worrying about it and possibly loosing it) would be less than the discomfort you would suffer from commuting on a nice beater instead. (Since the "beater" can be something like the Miyata 1000 currently posted on NY Craigslist for $200, I'd go with the beater.)

FreddyV

I leave my regular bike (not the commuter) unattended at the train station. I put on a double lock and hop into the train. Nobody's gonna steal it where I live. The junkies are just looking for unlocked bikes anyway.

Big_e

The rail station close to my house has cameras and police but I wouldn't leave my bike there. Maybe buy a beater bike and ride that to the station? I bought a beater bike and now, as I use it, it has become one of my favorite bikes.
Ernest

maximan1

He's right you know.

jimisnowhere

For a 2 mile bike ride you could use a fun-but-low-performance beater: beach cruiser, Raleigh 3 spd, etc.
I like up my 9 yr old repurposed, ugly, beat, frankenbike-hybrid at a train station u-locking the rear and cabling the front wheel. Its the blingiest thing there as well. Its a low crime area, (knock on Cathode-Ray Tubes) Also 2 miles can be a nice walk. +1 robots. Edit: Why leave pristine bikes outside all day?

buzzman

I second the notion of getting a cheap beater bike for the 2 mile commute. Keep the nice bike for longer commutes and rides.

BCRider

Even if it was 5 miles or more I'd go shopping for something really crusty looking that maybe had dog chew marks on it. Then I'd fix up the mechanical parts to make it a good rider but leave it as delapidated looking from the outside as I could manage. The saddle would be the big issue. To find something really cheezy looking that is actually comfy to ride.

It should look bad enough that it squeaks in a rusty contralto if anyone so much as glances at it......

stevage

Crazy. A few years ago that would have been a throwaway line.

Steve

Cave

Have they got bike lockers you can hire?

azukisingle

Buy a Robot or use a quality U-lock to lock it to the rack in a way they cant use your bike as a lever to bust out and small U-locks (or that rope stuff,which I dont trust)to bolt both rims to the frame at their closest point.Use a old chain in a way that your seat doesn't end up lifted.Some even cover the chain with old tube to protect the components .I use old tube on my U-locks.Maybe even use a quick disconnect for mounting of your seat post and remove the seat and throw it in your bag your taking with you.

If they get your bike off the rack they cant ride it so they better have something to haul with or tote it somewhere.Wheres the fun in that?

bugly64

I live in Japan; where's my robot? I could have used him today to fix a flat on the way to work.

JHarris

I used to leave my bike locked up at the station when I lived in England. Granted it was a pretty quiet town in the Thames Valley. The only real issue was rust and I wasn't overly worried about that as it was a cheap beater bike.

mconlonx

I had a commuter bike stolen from the Malden stop on the T in Boston. About a $600 Van Dessel SuperFly, looked newish even though I'd been using it for a few months. Locked with a single cable lock. I'd seen other bikes being dismantled piece by piece there as well. Come to find out if you want to score opiates in the region, that was the place to go... Reported the theft to the MBTA police, never saw it again.

There is no way I'd leave a nice bike at a train station. In Boston, anyway. Get a beater you can lock up outside and keep the CoMotion at home.