Greyryder

Sounds perfectly rational to me. Put them someplace where whatever creatures inhabit he underworld can do unspeakable things to them with rusty broken seat posts.

Unspeakable, unlubricated things.

*had two bikes stolen in less than a year, once*

clarinetcola

what bike was it that you had? anything sora and above would be super fancy there.

DVC45

Invest on a Flying Pigeon brand and blend-in. Use the nicer bike sparringly. If possible.

GamblerGORD53

He can rent mine. haha It's sitting only 2 or 3 km away, 100m south of Zijing Beiliu Theatres, RingRoad 2
It was 450Y, $66 brand new in 2009, nice green color. Comes with crooked wheels, poor brakes, cotter cranks, stand, frame-lock, carrier. Likely needs a rust bath now, haha. I rode it all over Chengdu for 20 days, including the top level of the triple deck overpass.

clarinetcola

chinese highway infrastructure is crazy!

vennstrom

Hi..I'm up north in Beijing...


from my experience, none of the locks will give you perfect protection...specifically in CHINA.


No matter where you lock it on, it is very easy to cut the lock or the chain with a wire cutter. If you use low to medium grade U-Lock they'll use hydraulic jack to break it.


Also if you lock your bike itself to nothing it is no problem too..they just take your bike away and work on it later on


They can even do these for motorbikes so easily, normal bikes are like a joke.


The fact more important than the lock is how YOU protect your bike. Where you put it when you don't use it. How often you clean it till it shines(VERY dangerous specially in Beijing, trust me)


Perhaps being cautious of where you place your bike and how well you secure it will helps in the future....it is not "theft proof" but at least save you the time for running and spending a good one with the thief, the choice of how you spend the extra time is yours..


I currently use TWO of those multi-segmented locks that fold up and attach to a clip on the bike, A top dog U Lock, plus a cable lock to secure the saddle...pretty secure I thought.


My new worry is not theft now....it is additional lock that the thief will put if they are pissed of having hard time stealing the bike...and that is common gesture as well.


Well...everything has its own risks...just be cautious.



Get well soon.

pallen

I've thought about shifting to the highest gear before locking up my bike for this very kind of scenario - I think I'll start doing that. Glad you have your bike back. That took some conjones to steal a bike while the owner is likely nearby watching. I wouldnt have used a U-Lock in that situation either. You don't normally expect thieves to be that bold.

HappyStuffing

I've been debating about carrying 2 U-Locks but the weight penalty just seems too much

A normal sized one and a "mini" U-Lock. I know i would pass that up if i were a thief.

azesty

I have ridden 9000 km in Chengdu, and not lost a bike. This is my cheap bike, my other one is a Surly Long Haul Trucker, and that doesnt go anywhere it needs a lock!

I was told by everybody that my bike would be stolen quickly, but I have managed to take good care of it so far.

Gordon, you live very very close to me I am just north of 2nd ring road near Fang Cao Jie

z

twobadfish

Grrr... I can relate to this too well. I've had two bikes stolen. One was a 100% custom build from old/junky parts and my first real bike. More sentimental value than monetary. The second was a new Specialized loaded with the works.

I swear to never have another bike stolen again. Ever.

Regarding the boldness of criminals... it's scary.

Juha

He probably stole the jacket too.

nahh

Man, that guy would've gotten messed up if that was me. If you aren't locking using the U-lock, throw it by your water bottle or something to keep for a weapon. They work great when thrown...

But I'd probably regret beating the idiot up. Good job restraining yourself from doing that, sounds like this worked out for you.