ranukic

Hello,

I am wondering what people do to secure their bikes when traveling on vacations. We just recently purchased 3 Trek bikes to enjoy some family time on the trails this summer. We purchased the Saris Freedom Superclamp 4 bike carrier and I plan to purchase the optional locks to secure the bikes but is that secure enough? We plan to take our bikes in to the hotel during the evening so I am not concerned with overnight theft. It is more the stopping to hike or visit some landmark or community that would require us to be out of site of the bikes and vehicle.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,

coffeesnob

We bought two trek bikes a year ago along with a three bike carrier. Since I am new to biking the car carrier was new to me as well. I don't like rigging the bikes on it. My biggest concern other than them coming off while moving is that we can't go anywhere and leave our bikes unattended. For that reason we are looking to buy a Honda Odyessey so we can fit both bikes in and have peace of mind while traveling and stop and get out without having someone guard the bikes.

FBinNY 

I've never heard of racked bikes being stolen at highway rest stops, and it's comparably rare at tourist destinations, though I'm sure it does happen occasionally.

Shopping centers are a different story, and you might want to buy a better cable, or chain and lock, or leave one person with the car while others shop.

There's no absolute security, so use common sense and judgement. Adequate security depends on where and how long, but effective security is also a question of luck.

thumpism 

When I've carried bikes on roof or hatch racks I always run a long cable through wheels and frames and rack and then I lock to the vehicle. My van has tow loops under the rear bumper and this is where I anchor. If I plan to be out of sight of the vehicle I remove the seatposts/saddles on a bike with seat QRs. You can find 10', 15' and even longer woven cables with end loops, and get yourself a massive padlock. I'll carry the bikes inside the van when possible, but luggage and passengers prevent that sometimes.

Just be as secure as you can and try not to worry too much. If someone wants your stuff badly enough there's little you can do to prevent it.

This is not a great photo but you can see the lock on the tow loop at the bottom right, and the cable snakes through frame, both wheels and rack.
Camper loaded.jpg

king_boru

Get a chain long enough to wrap around the axle of the truck and through the frames and tires and saddle and crank of the bikes. Lock the chain.

Guard dog?

coffeesnob

but stopping at a hotel with the bikes on the back is screaming steal me..

reppans

Folding bikes stored out of sight solved most of the security (and weather) issues for me... also using older/junky full-sized bikes.

pdlamb

I'll usually use an old U-lock to lock the front wheel to the frame. Another old lock, this one a rubber-covered cable lock, locks the rear wheel and frame to the mast of my hitch rack. I'll pull out another cable for a second or third bike, but mine's the heaviest and has the expensive dyno hub so it goes in first. That's on top of the rubber straps and bungees that hold everything on. My objective is to make it so difficult to cut everything that a prospective thief will have to lift 40-50 pounds of bikes to make off with them, and that's a lot of trouble. So far this has been adequate.


Oh, I have left everything on the rack at motels. My favorite tactic there is to back the car (with the hitch rack) right up to a light pole, fence, or a holly bush.

ranukic

Thank you all for the feedback

Nachoman

Done it many times. For years. I use every lock I own, locking all the bikes to each other and to the bike rack itself. I also slide the cable locks through each frame, every wheel and even the rails of the saddle. Then I use my one U-lock to secure the most expensive bike directly to the bike rack.

prathmann

Generally not a problem since most of the places where we're likely to stop are not high theft areas - trailheads, scenic spots, rural cafes, etc. But we did once have a theft attempt on a cross-country moving trip. Wanted to see the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago so we stopped there and had our two bikes on a rear trunk rack. Came back to find the bikes pulled off the rack and the bungee cords slashed with a knife. The thief apparently hadn't noticed that there was also a cable lock securing the bikes to the car bumper and had abandoned the attempt.

Machka 

One of the things we've done is to spend 2 nights in a place. Keep the bicycles in the hotel and use public transportation or walking to go and see the sights on the second day.


If we're travelling with a vehicle, the bicycles go inside the vehicle ... or again, left at the hotel.

sdmc530

this has been a concern of mine as well the last few trips. The lock on the rack just makes me nervous. I put it in the hotel at night of course.

Decided that our next vehicle will be a SUV type big enough to put bikes inside for stopping and sight seeing along the way.

FBinNY 

This is fine for most highway and tourist destinations, where bikes aren't that likely to get stolen anyway.

OTOH - all you'll achieve in any major city is adding broken windows to the loss to theft.

sdmc530

Agree, but I would hope that while traveling to/from destination with bike in back of SUV if somebody was smashing out windows that a police officer would be called. I don't think storage in the back is a good idea at all, your correct.

Still think its better than on a rack on the back.

Maybe an armored truck is what I need?

FBinNY 

As I said, bike theft at highway rest stops isn't that common. The fact is that bike theft is largely an urban thing, or a crime of opportunity. So reasonable security, cable, chain, u-lock is plenty, since people aren't cruising the highway with tools looking for bikes to steal. I'd be a bit more worried at tourist destinations, but most of these have secure parking, so they're OK too. The greatest risk is when shopping at large malls, and some exposed hotel parking lots, where they don't have private patrols.

When traveling, you want to be smart and use reasonable care to protect your stuff, but don't want to make yourself crazy worrying.

sdmc530

Very sound logic