Locking It Up
 

I am wondering what most of you do to lock up your bikes when briefly unattended. I have a Seven Axiom SL and Evergreen SL, both Ti frames. Have about $7k invested in each bike. My gf has a custom Trek Silque SSL, cost over 6k. We have been going on a lot of rides that involve stopping at local brew pubs and such. Some in city of Chi. We have been using Master cable combination locks, about diamater of a Bic pen. Seems like an ok and lightweight option for these brief stops. Some of those we ride with dont even secure their rides, just try to keep an eye on them. What other options are there?

You're the wet dream of every bike thief on the planet. Wire cutters small enough to fit in a pocket will cut through that cable in a couple of seconds. Get good U locks ($50-150) that lock both sides of the shackle and have 12-13mm thick shackles, and secure each bike with more than one lock, every time. My most expensive bike cost half of yours, and I have Pit Lock skewers, security bolts in my saddle clamp and seatpost clamp (nice seatpost and Brooks saddle), and an Abus Granit Plus 640 U lock (the lightest with the thickest shackle). I don't have security bolts in my stem (the ones with the little pin in the middle of the hex heads—take a special hex key to turn) because I have a quill stem and they don't make them that long. Most thieves wouldn't go to the trouble to take a quill that would then have to have the bars unwrapped to sell to someone with a threadless stem. Also make sure your bikes are covered under your homeowners insurance. It will probably require getting a rider to your policy, but worth it for expensive bikes.

I could probably karate chop a cable lock off. For you, at a minimum: 1) Install hex or security skewer on rear wheel. U-lock rear wheel and frame to rack. 2) Either install a non-QR skewer on your front wheel and U-lock it to your frame, or save a lock by removing the front wheel and locking it up with your rear wheel. 3) Remove seatpost and take it with you. If you're lazy, just install a security bolt for your seatpost, at your own risk. 4) Remove all easily-removable accessories. 5) Get some real good insurance.

That's just what I think though, maybe I'm paranoid.

You have a bullseye on your back, and NOTHING you can buy will stop a bike thief that is prepared and knows what he's doing that wants your bike. Bike locks only encourage thieves to take easier quarry. You have a bullseye on you though, and a lucrative bag like yours makes it worth the trouble of stealing

This is why I love the Great Plains and not the big cities...sure there's a lot of nothing, but you can lean your Seven against a bar wall in broad daylight and it will be there when you walk out.

///one Seven Axiom owner to another.

The first lock that you put on your bike, regardless how cheesy, is about 90% effective because it forces the thief to have a tool with him. As you progress from 90% effective to 99% effective you engage in a game of one-up-man-ship with the thief which you will always eventually lose. There is no 100% effective lock.

Since you asked, I'm thinking that you aren't comfortable with your current security practice at brew pub stops. That being the case, I'd suggest carrying a heavier, more bulky locking system. The folks that you ride with - get a lock that's one step stouter than theirs.

Better yet, ride a sub $800 put together bike to the brew pub. Used frame and parts (nice or otherwise) that you can pick up for not too much money. Get a $40 U-lock. For the work vs return of your lock and bike, they will probably steal someone else's and you get to ride home, not walk.

Ben

Seems to me your best solution is to use your cable lock to secure your bikes to a fixed object... right next to your friends' unlocked bikes.

It's equivalent to not having to outrun the bear (which you can never do); you just have to outrun the guy next to you.

After having one of my bike stolen out of the back of my garage, I even lock them up there also.

And yes, even if it is a small cable lock, if your bike is cabled up next to others that are not, you will probably still have your bike. Peope that steal bikes are stupid and lazy.

I would invest a couple of hundred dollars in a beater bike and leave the $7,000 bike at home in the vault.

Assuming the OP is not trolling, this is just madness. People often recommend a locking system worth 10-20% of your bike's value. You may decide not to go that far, but at the very least, you need two good locks. Make sure they are different, so that the thief will require different tools to crack both open. Look into security bolts for your wheels, stem, saddle, etc.

Watch this to get more ideas.

my humble opinion
 

Going outside and seeing an empty bike rack that only a couple hours before seemed safe and secure to lock your bike up. sucks really really bad :cry: If somebody wants your bike bad enough they will probably figure out a way to go through the lock. I hate thieves and bike thieves especially. My latest bike isn't the most expensive 1200.00 but it is blingy All Carbon Fiber and i worked really hard to buy it . ive got a good lock. but i'm also investing in a satellite tracking device. so if the worst case scenario does happen and if somebody does take my bike. ill probably be able to recover it and hopefully the thief will reap some of the bad Karma he's sown.

Just curious with all the U Locks and cable locks recommended here - how in the world do you carry all that stuff when you're riding?

Not at all.

One of my roadie mates, who had quality U and cable locks and knew how to use them, had her steed stolen in downtown Lincoln, NE a few years back while she was in a coffee shop.

Thieves are lazy. But almost all of them know a honeypot that is worth it when they see it. All they need is tools and opportunity.

Most of what is being discussed comes with a bracket that mounts to the bike frame for u-locks and the cable coils up in your seat bag or around the seat post.
If we're talking about things like the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit chain then that's really more of a lock that gets left where you're using it.

build a cheap bike for pub rides or buy a used beater bike...... buddy of mine lost his bike along with a few other people when the thieves unbolted the rack from the concrete and most likely threw it in the back of a truck and drove off

My main bike and road bike that I ride 120 miles a week on is never locked up as it is never left unattended outside. It is either always inside when at home or on the road I'm riding it or if stopped somewhere it is by my side at all times. I live in a very friendly bike friendly area so I even take the bike with me inside the store if needing to stop to buy something.

For just running errands and the such I have a very old steel mountain bike that I lock up with a simple lock and cable.

I don't carry a lock for my full carbon fibre road bike,, the reason,, I never leave it alone, if I know I'll be going away from it, I bring another bike that I can stand losing,and I just put a cable lock around it,,

My U-lock came with a bracket that mounts on the frame.

I don't always bring my cable but when I do I wrap it around the seatpost and use the Velcro that came with it to tie it up. I'm just copying what I've seen other riders do with their cables. When I first used my cable, I brought a separate lock for it, but then I learned the technique that includes putting one loop at one end of the cable through the U-lock.

For the OP, a lot of bike theft prevention articles/videos also advise, beyond locking methods, to personalize your bike with stickers, paint, etc. to make it less desirable.

These threads are always the same, with people talking like they know sh*t like odds, what thieves, want, what works, and what's best, none of which they do, of course.

The main issue, as I see it, is that you've got a nice bike, that you enjoy using, and you want to keep it safe without bolting on an ugly, clunky to use, bulky lock that's wholly inappropriate to the approach you take to every other aspect of the bike.

The answer is the TiGr lock, a lightweight Ti bow that discreetly and securely straps to the bike, and depending on the model and size, can do full capture (wheels & frame) and provide very good security.

I have three, and the icing on the cake is that it's a lock that starts conversations; bike geeks ask what it is, and everyone thinks it's cool and neat. On the toptube of a naked Ti frame, a TiGr would virtually disappear.

Elegant Bike Security - TiGr Lock

I bring My Brompton Folding bike inside the Pub.

IF there is outside table service, and you can jump up and grab anyone touching your bike ,
then just the weak cable lock will keep them from rolling it away and getting a head start .

other than that, the proportion is: the lighter the bike, the heavier the lock security you need to keep it.

I don't leave my bikes unattended. Not even briefly.

You just can't do that around here. Not if you want to keep them anyway.

When I was in college we used to say that all bikes weighed 40 lbs. If you had a 20 lb. bike you also needed a 20 lb. lock. If you rode a 40 lb bike you didn't need a lock.

Get a beater or a great lock. No one should have to go through the misery of losing a favorite bike.

Don't leave that lock unattended! Haha

That's a bit arrogant and rude. It's a discussion forum. The killer is you go on to post your opinion like you know sh*t too. LOL.
The TiGr lock can be defeated just like any other lock so it is hardly "the answer". The thinner version can be cut with bolt cutters in seconds. The wider version with 67% more material to go through just takes longer.