lowlux

so... now i am buying a $$$ bike... what are ways i can prevent thieves from taking my bike cycle? what are some good locks? chains? alarms? and whatever else....

i had 2 or 3 CHEAP junk bikes stolen from me over the years... the 20 years i been here (started about 8 years)... and i live in the boonies...

motorcycle thieves will do some of the craziest crap to steal your motorcycle... i can't imagine what they will do to steal a $$$ bike cycle...... even kids will try to steal it... !

barba

Keep it inside when not in use (no overnight parking outdoors). Never free lock you bike, and always lock up to something that can't be cut through easier than your lock. Your best bet is to use a combination of two kinds of locks. I use a U lock and a cable. This way a thief needs two kinds of tools.

lowlux

put PVC on the cable if you can... make it a little harder to cut...

what are some good near cut proof chains or cables? and some good locks?

Allen

Sheldon Brown is the guru on the mountain when it comes to bicycles.
His locking strategy may be found HERE, and is as comprehensive as one could hope.

Allen

On Guard and Kryptonite make good locks and chains.

lowlux

think i am gonna put a U-lock and a chain lock on it at all times when i am not using it.

Allen

The best thing you can do is keep it inside whenever you can. There are some good U-Locks that come with a cable. These things are heavy. My chain lock is close to 10 pounds, a U-lock combo can weigh as much. My current favorite is a compact On-Guard with a cable. The compact U-locks are supposedly harder to pry open than the larger verity.
Read Sheldon's article it is very informative.

jjvw

Keep it inside overnight. For the last three years, I've had good luck locking up with just a Kryptonite Evolution Mini on the rear wheel through the rear triangle. Also, get rid of your quick releases.

Allen

+1 to that. Pitlcoks are your friend.

biffstephens

I keep mine in my room....it is worth more than my car..never leave its side...

donnamb 

I also like BF member mechBgon's bike locking strategies.

jjvw

These are my cheaper friends. They haven't let me down yet.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile_morei...ku=8197&brand=

KnhoJ

I'll second that! I've been using a large ulock just like that for the last couple years. And that way it's even adjustable depending on how large whatever I'm locking to is. If it's a large diameter post, there's no room for a crankarm, but that's okay because the lock's crammed full of bike anyway. If it's a smaller post, then the crankarm gets crammed in there as well to take up the extra space.

I'd suggest locking up even when they're inside. A couple months ago, someone had figured out that bikes live in my garage and went bike shopping in there. Unfortunately, this was three days after I'd added a new bike to the herd! I hadn't picked up a lock for this bike yet or made room to get all of them locked up at once... So a couple of bikes were unlocked (behind locked doors) for a few days, and one of them was abducted. On the bright side, whoever it was closed and locked the door on the way out, took one of the cheap bikes, left my good tools alone, and didn't touch my kites (don't mess with the kites, man... ). I got off pretty easy.
I don't think I'd ever keep a daily rider in my living space after that. Tweakers do crazy things sometimes, and I'd rather keep the crazyness out in the garage.

lowlux

i like to keep them in the sights of my AK-47.......

mlts22 

I personally use Pitlock locking skewers, although Nashbar's Allen head skewers provide a good amount of protection against people just flipping QRs for a five-fingered wheelset discount. I also use a Sold Secure Gold (Abus, Kryptonite, Onguard all sell them) U-lock to ensure the bike remains in place.

If you are concerned about bike theft, bring the sucker inside. A bike in the bedroom is not a bad thing. If theft is really a problem, and you are out in the boonies, you might need to advance your security measures (a friend of mine jackhammered a hole in his garage floor, and cemented a post with thick steel loops on it in place to ensure his high-end road bike goes nowhere. Another commercial product actually installs three locks on the floor specific for the bike. Two of them bolt down each wheel, and the third holds the frame.)

Zero_Enigma

Where the heck do you live? Always lock up your bike even when it is inside. While being inside is safe if you live with other people it's a good idea to lock it up still. Like not Fort Knox lockup but like use a cheap cable and lock to like the stairs or something so it won't walk away casually. If you store in a garage then lock it up like you would outside in the public. I've had my bikes stolen from inside the garage before. Now I lock then up to bunch of things so if the thiives want to walk off with it it'll be interesting seeing some guy walking with 3 bikes chained to each other and chained to a desk and lawn mower. Yahhhh... that's a clue to call the cops then. Like the guy can make much speed then.

Invest in a GOOD lock. I forgot what the golden rule was but I think it was you should spend up to 10% of the bikes value on a lock. If it's your only transportation then you may want to put that money into a good lock as well even if the bike costs less.

If you have a computer (hmm.. how are you posting? ) then go and get a cheap USB camera. They can be had for a cheap as ~$10.00 CDN (or approx. $8.00 USD) or you can pay like $50+ USD for one and point that camera at your bike so anyone showing up will be on video.

You may want to look into a Ulock (primary lock) and a noose type lock or cable lock as a secondary lock. I like the K-brand noose as some places do not always have bike racks and you may need to lock up to something large like a lamp post or off shaped item.

https://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetis...s_item&pgrp=20

The bollocks part of locks is the better the lock the heavier it is. This noose is shy of 5lbs. One advantage of a chain/Ulock combo is that that you can lock up anywhere and also the chain is a defense tool for beating up bad guys. (I pity the foo! )


Zero_Enigma

Zero_Enigma

Also check out https://www.soldsecure.com/Leisure.htm for the Ulock/chain/cable ratings.

kevmetric

The Kryptonite NYC u-lock isn't too shabby, when coupled with a ABUS
padlock and grinder-resistent chain, such as here:

https://tinyurl.com/2yood4

lowlux

how much is that lock?

ekitel

yeah definitely lock up inside your own residence also, I've had 3 different bikes stolen from me over the years and all happened when the bike was inside where I lived! all 3 times the theft was completely opportunistic, I doubt they had any special cutters or anything with them, if the bikes had been locked they would not have been stolen

lowlux

bike is gonna stay in my room. i am talking about outside!

operator

Completely worthless as anyone with an allen key can walk off with your wheels. I hope you're still locking them.

becnal

Bike Thieves: How To Deal With Them???

I'm thinking, a pair of pliers and a blowtorch! To use on the thieves!!

CaptainCool

I just got a set of those. It's still about assessing the risk. I don't exactly park in downtown Chicago every day. At my school, I've only seen wheels missing from bikes that were abandoned for months. I've only seen seats missing from quick release collars. I've been locking my wheels but I'll stop taking the cable after I put these on. I locked my seat post until I swapped out the quick release for a stop nut. My wheels and seat aren't fancy either.

And there's more you can do. On a road bike, those skewers are a bit long, so you can put a stop nut on it. Needs two tools then. You can fix a ball bearing to the hex head with glue or wax, and use acetone or a lighter to remove it when you need to.

KnhoJ

I think there might be room under a Brooks saddle to hide a tazer and a pressure switch. Zorch!