col

I guess one of those metal locks like this one is unbreakable https://alt.coxnewsweb.com/shared-blo...ike%20lock.jpg but I guess it would be too short, and so places where you could attach it to might be limited.

If you like always having your trailer attached to your bike, could someone easily steal the trailer? Is there some special lock that could prevent people from stealing it? Should you detach the trailer and keep it at home?

Also what is the type of lock that locks in your wheels so that your wheels are safe? Does it take too long a time to lock the wheels in, by chance?

Ozonation

Bike theft has been discussed pretty extensively in these forums.

There is no one way to deter all theft. The U-lock photo you linked is NOT unbreakable, and U-locks vary considerably in terms of quality. If you lock your bike, and if it's a bike you really rather not lose, you should use multiple locks (one U-lock, one cable). Make sure parts of your bike that are easily removed (quick releases) are locked down. Make sure what you attach your bike to is a secure anchor point: something like a sign post can be surprisingly unsecure. If you can, bring your bike in with you if you have to leave it for an extended period of time. I would personally detach your trailer and bring it in with you: leaving it attached is a sure invitation for somebody to take a long, long look at your bike and rig.

Bottom line: take nothing for granted. Sounds paranoid, but you'll have peace of mind.

Loose Chain

Imagine if every time you got out of your car somebody stole it and they never got anything more than a slap on their wrists. We would still be riding horses for which lynching was once in fact a common punishment for stealing a man's (woman's) sole form of transportation and often livelihood. There are a number of roadblocks to wholesale adoption of bicycles as viable transportation and one of the biggest is theft. When theft of a bicycle is taken serious, then it will stop. Lynching, maybe a bit extreme, maybe, but cutting some fingers off, that would work, then at least they could not ride the bike they just stole.

I feel your pain, good luck.

LC

Ozonation

Quite true... I even lock our bikes in the garage (although I don't go to the extreme of lock every part up as if they were in the open).

the sci guy 

the only sure fire way to protect your bike 100% from theft is to hire a ninja to stand next to it all day.

calyth

That Bell u-lock is unlikely going to deter anyone with the know-how.

In fact, there are enough videos on youtube on breaking various kinds of locks and chains. Watch some, and you'll realize that there's no such thing as a theft-proof lock.

It's like safes, they're rated for deterrence, i.e. how many minutes it would withstand a determined attacker using all the tools available. Nothing is uncrackable.

fietsbob

If you had a folding bike , you could take it inside with you, folded,

so as to not leave it on the street at all, but for when you are riding it..

spivonious

It really depends on where your bike will be. My boss leaves his road bike leaning against a fence outside work all day and has never had any problems. I lock mine with a u-lock similar to the one posted, but nothing is stopping someone from using the quick release and taking my front wheel.

We're lucky to live in an area where people mostly respect other people's property. There are even a few people around that still don't lock the doors on their houses.

For locking tips, check out YouTube. Depending on where you live, you can go anywhere from no locks up to locking down every piece of the bike. Of course, someone with an angle grinder can cut through pretty much any lock in under a minute, just like if a thief really wants to get into your car, he'll break the window.

lostarchitect 

Speaking generally, a very good (the best?) defense is two high quality U-locks, both going through the frame, and each one going through one of the wheels. A heavy chain with a good mini U-lock would also serve well. If your wheels have quick release, make sure your locks go through them. If you only have one lock, take the front wheel off and lock both wheels and the frame with that one lock. You can compromise with one good lock and a cable that goes through the front wheel. This is less secure, but will probably be OK if you don't leave it locked up outside overnight.

The lock you posted is junk. You want a Kryptonite or On-Guard lock, from one of their top couple tiers of quality.

Astrozombie

They say to leave it in an open area where there are plenty of witnesses (but then again you hear stories of people being attacked in public and nobody does anything)
A lock for each wheel and a lock for your seat post (You can do the spare chain wrapped with an old tire tube trick)
From what i've seen most people don't bother to look up how to properly lock it even using 1 lock so you should be fine.

duckbill

Even a Ninja has to answer the call of nature some time.

Fizzaly

So I'm going through the phone book, and I'm unable to find any ninjas for hire, any suggestions?

Papa Tom

Mine is covered with decals of all the places I've ridden. It's a work of art to me, but to a thief, it looks like a piece of crap. Mostly, it'd be hard not to spot on the street if somebody stole it.

fietsbob

So true.. CPH, DK , In the time I took to take a whizz in the public Loo, someone was starting to strip my bike.

alhedges

I took my Brompton inside a public restroom in Germany earlier this summer.

spare_wheel

trailers are one of the quickest things stolen in pdx. poof...it's gone.

i locked my bike up downtown for an hour and half the other day. i brought 2 u-locks and locked up the frame (twice) and both wheels. i was still very nervous.

Loose Chain

I may invent something like a TAZER and build it into the seat or bars. Then place a movement sensor on it. Unless a proximity chip is within a few feet of the sensor then once movement begins a countdown begins and then a a voltage is applied. Light'em up. The battery could mount in the bars and/or seat tube, along with a GPS alert.

Maybe a paid service, like the emergency locator beacons, PLBs, a bike in motion without the coded chip in proximity would broadcast an alert to a satellite. I would pay a hundred a year for such a service. The beacon would be installed deep in the top tube when the bike is manufactured and have a ten year battery or an inductive charger.

Red dye markers like in bank robberies loaded into the bars and aimed at the seat.

Bottom bracket lock, a pin/bolt that mounts through the bottom bracket and would require ruining the bicycle to remove thus making it worthless. When locked pins would engage receivers inside the bottom bracket. The key would insert through the typically now hollow shaft. A similar device could be built into the head/steering tube that would require destruction of the frame to remove, key lock.

There are other things I can think off but they are probably illegal and I am not sure I could contain the carnage to only the guilty party, well, maybe an M80 in the seat tube directed upward or a shot shell with rock salt and primer load only.

LC

dvsjes28

Maybe a spike mounted into the seat post with some compressed air set up to shot up through the seat when the bike leaves a certain area?

DX-MAN

I like the electric discharge idea, but the chances of a child brushing it and setting it off are too great. Maybe a trigger that's enabled if weight hits the saddle or pedals, and no "magnetic key" like on a treadmill is applied....

deeth82

"I'm Detective John Kimble...and I love my bike."

col

What is the type of lock that locks your wheels in so that they can't run off with just your wheels?

cycle_maven

Two words: Honey Bike!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6fgKOPynpI

Put a stun gun that's triggered by a cheapo cell phone's ringer in the bottle cage. Wire the electrodes to the handlebars. Maybe add a motion sensor that texts your main phone when the bike is moved, so you know when to place the (possibly) fatal call.

rumrunn6

ride a POS