Bike security - what precautions do you take for your saddle?
 

What precautionary measures do you all take to ensure that your saddle isn't stolen when you have to park your bike in a public place?

Do you use an accessory cable lock for it? Locking skewers? Take it with you or just leave it on the bike and hope no thieves are in the area?

I've got a pretty crappy saddle and the seat post isn't a quick release so I've just been taking my chances. Taking the saddle and seat post with me is the obvious option, but the grease used on the seat post seems to get on everything.

Let's hear what you guys do!

Nothing... if you have an expensive saddle, I'm guessing the kind of person that is likely to know it's an expensive saddle isn't likely the type to steal it. I figure they'll either take the whole bike or something worthless that they think is expensive, like my $10 Wal-mart computer.

Mostly nothing, my security situations are comparatively benign. When I get more concerned, I put a waterproof saddle cover over the Brooks, which I would do anyway when leaving for more than few minutes because weather is so unpredictable round here.

Pitlock bolt on the seatpost clamp. I superglued something in the allen bolt hole where the saddle attaches to the post. It's not foolproof, but it's a pain to get it off.. I know because when I needed to take it off once, it wasn't fun.

I just got a new brooks for my fixie though, no pitlock for it.. so i'll probably run a cable through it to the u-lock, but I generally don't lock it up for long compared to my aurora.

After I had my first saddle stolen I no longer used the quick release clamp. Haven't had one stolen since.

If one is not too concerned about looks, a hose clamp over the top of an allen bolt clamp is definitely a cheap option in reducing the odds of having one's saddle being stolen.

On my steel road bike, nothing (no quick release). On my mountain bike (with quick release) I do the old bike chain inside a tube thing.

I figure only minor inconvenience will be needed for saddle security. Neither has a notable saddle anyway, so the only thieves likely are idiots who see a quick release and decide to grab.

when locking up in urban areas i worry about locking up my wheels and frame, i just take the seatpost with me.

Pinhead. I like it.
http://www.pinheadcomponents.com/com...581ae85785.jpg

I need to keep the quick release functionality of my seat post. My seat post is also my air pump. I like the hose clamp idea.

i have a saddle bag on my seat with a quick release post. I just take the whole thing with me. It's either take the bag off, and risk leaving the seat, or just take the whole thing.

However, if i had an expensive saddle and no quick release, i would probably cover it with a cheap plastic shopping bag. Not only would it conceal the seat, but it would also make the whole bike look cheaper to an ameature, as opposed to a fitted cover designed for saddles.

Put a bolt in in stead of a QR. Why wouldn't you?

I've never understood why they put a QR on the seat post. I'm the only one that rides the bike, I have the seat height set properly. I don't want to move it or worry about it.

I have had trouble with the seat post slowly creeping downward on quick release seat post clamps, I can never seem to be able to get the clamp tight enough, and that has stopped ever since I switched allen/socket style clamps

I do nothing. If I knew I had to leave my bike unattended for a while then I might take it with me or invest in pitlocks or something of that nature.

The seatpost QR's came into vogue in the early mountain biking days so one could quickly drop the seat out of the way before going down an extremely steep descent (where one would hang one's butt over the rear wheel).

I see no purpose for the QR on road bikes, even in the case of having a multi-use post (such as a pump). Even with a pinhead seat collar I can remove my seatpost in 30 seconds or less - about the same as with an allen key - with the security of a unique-patterned wrench.

Take a chain break it make it smaller so that it fits through the rail of your saddle and then down through the seat stays. Now thread it through a 700x23 tube and then put the chain back together around your saddle and through the seat stays. Use electrical tape to close the tube.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...t/IMG_0397.jpg

I simply don't have to leave my bike locked up anywhere when I bike commute that's so sketchy I have to worry about someone stealing my seat, fortunately.

I can see the advantage of not using a quick release seat, but I find using a specially keyed seat bolt amusing as there's another bolt or two that attaches your seat post to the actual seat, so securing the seatpost bolt still leaves your seat attached with allen bolts.

shhhhh! Don't tell EVERYONE!

While this is true, there is definitely more fidgeting and twisting (or much more unthreading if you want to completely remove the top clamp) involved in removing a saddle than a quick 2-3 turns of an easily accessible seatpost bolt.

Anything to make theft that much more of an inconvenience is a good thing, IMO.

Good enough-

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/o...500_AA300_.jpg

Zefal - Lock 'N' Roll Keyless Antitheft Seatpost

I do nothing. Usually they steal my bike and my saddle. :-(

Hopefully, I don't have to worry about Jietai officers stealing my seat...or my locked bike.

I've been using a thin cable lock that I permanently leave on the bike, connecting the saddle rails to under the seat stays. It's essentially the same thing as the old bike-chain-in-innertube trick. I have a mundane saddle and am currently in a low-crime area, and I've yet to see another bike with any sort of extra precautions about the seat.

None, I have a standard saddle and no quick release on my utility bike and thieves don't seem to be interested. OTOH, I never leave my road bikes out of sight. My other commuter has a Rolls and I try to not let it unattended for more than a few minutes.

My partner had a Brooks Pro that they kept locked up with a separate cable lock. It worked great for a few years, until they had to leave their bike unattended for longer than usual (not too long, maybe 8 hours) and came back to a bike without a seatpost or saddle.

Somehow, I've avoided the same fate, I leave my Ideale out in public a good bit, and haven't taken any special precautions about it. Maybe it is all about branding.