I have these neat covered racks available to me and I'm thinking about riding to campus again starting next week. I'd like to use these but I'm not sure about the lock I should use. I have a nice thick cable lock but 1) I'm not sure it will fit through the hole on the rack and 2) I've read they can be cut like a hot knife through butter. So what would you guys suggest I do in this particular situation?

Check and see if a large U lock would fit (can't really tell the size from the photos).

Anything else with a chain or cable is pretty easy to cut, although keep in mind that if someone REALLY want's your ride, locks won't really deter them.

Edit: You could use a U-lock to lock the bike to the inner frame AND your/a cable lock on the outside.

That's not a bad idea. I think a U-lock will fit through the hole. U-locks come apart at both ends of the "U" correct? So the diameter is the same all the way through the "U" part?

Yes, that is correct but as Telly suggested, you should use a cable lock in addition to your U-Lock, esp. to lock your wheels and saddle on (plus a bit of added help for the U-Lock).

Rick / OCRR

A decent U-lock will secure the frame and rear wheel to the metal stand. Then a cable lock will secure your front wheel to the U-lock, and a padlock will secure your saddle to the cable lock. The cable lock can still be cut but it's less worthwhile for a front wheel than it is for a whole bike, and likewise breaking a padlock for the sake of a saddle is pointless.

If those white covers lower over the bike and lock into place you could then use an additional padlock to secure it. How much to spend on securing the bike really depends on what it's worth - if you're riding a $50 bike there's no point spending $200 on locks for it, and if you're riding a $2000 bike it might be worth getting something cheaper to ride to campus.

I haven't seen one of those pods before. Where is it?

Something like the Abus type locks (link and pic below) would be best for locking the latch on the pod. If sized correctly they greatly reduce the space available to get a set of bolt cutters in, relative to a normal padlock, and are very hard to cut. I would agree that a u-lock might fit and would be preferable to your cable or a typical pad lock.

The idea of using your u-lock and/or cable underneath the pod as a second line of defense seems to be very reasonable and probably fairly quick & easy on a day-to-day basis.

Personally, I think a U-lock on wheel/frame to the inner post along with a u-lock cable to the front wheel, and a good lock on the outside, such as the lock slcbob has linked to should do a great job.

If your bike doesn't have quick release axles you could skip on the u-lock cable.

Those racks with cover look really nice! What are the covers made of?

I thought the idea of these enclosures was that the only lock needed was a simple and light padlock (or a better version such as that posted by slcbob). Unless someone destroys the enclosure it should protect the wheels and any other bike components - and I'd hope the enclosures would be protected with some video surveillance given how inexpensive that is now.

I have seen those before. Not many people use them. I use a quality cable lock and choose a high visibility location for security.

I thought the covers for to protect the bike from rain??

They're located at the University of South Florida and they are made of fiberglass I believe. The one thing that worries me is that the whole contraption is just bolted into the concrete and it doesn't seem very secure. The pod on the left in the pic has no bolts left for some reason, they may have rusted away. But anyway thanks for the suggestions guys, I'll think this over.

I've used those before...well tried. My bikes don't fit well in there, I'm not sure how two bikes are supposed to fit. If you just shut it and locked the whole thing down I can see that as helpful.

post the company website SVP.