On my way into work today, I am excited to see a Trek xo1 on the rack. Now our rack is horrible, and I would never lock my bike to it, but whatever. It's probably a few years old, but has a selle italia saddle, salsa stem, look pedals, and a bunch of other goodies (bento box, etc.) Locked up with a cable and combo lock. My akita cable is 2-3 times as thick. I don't know the new trek offerings that well, but the bike costs a grand or so, can't he please at least use a u-lock?

If this is you, please buy a better lock.
sorry no pics.

maybe the owner stepped inside for just a couple of minutes...maybe the owner is a spoiled rich kid...maybe owner is borderline ********...

nothing you can do but let Darwin prove his thing

shame eh?

As I keep saying; if I were a dishonest man I'd never want for a bike. If it were a better rack, this is exactly the kind of bike I'd lock up next to as it would be far more likely to get stolen than my well locked rig.

I was out delivering beach cruisers Monday and came across a new Specialized Allez Elite in a bike rack. The owner used just a small combination cable lock to "secure" the front wheel to the bike rack, and nothing else! If I were a lesser man, stealing this bike would have been so easy, as all I needed to do was to open the quick release on the wheel and front brake (not break) and I would have a completely new bike, my size even, without a front wheel. Considering a I have a vintage Roval front wheel at home, the temptation was great.

When I returned to the same rack today, there was the front wheel attached to the rack with the same cable lock. Looks like the lesser man showed up.

...they most often do.

I know people who wouldn't think twice and would feel no guilt...I can't relate.

Everytime I see a bike like that, a car with keys left in door, etc...the 'lesser man' argument comes to mind. But I never succumb to that temptation..I have been "that idiot" on more than one occasion: suitcase left curbside for hours, garage door open all day...luckily people haven't taken advatage of these 'opportunities' so far. Let the kharmic wheel keep on spinning!\

Ew. If Trek has one market they weren't meant for, it's Cyclo-X.

Okay, fine. I just don't like the One. The Two is nice. I personally don't see whats so bad about his lock. If someone want his bike bad enough, they'll get it even with a level 12 Kryptonite lock.

A lot of folks assume two things: Crooks are very rare. And, that a cable lock is actually a lock. If I ran a bike shop, I would not stock ANY cable lock. The fact that a bike shop even sells them creates the impression that they are useful. However, even a $50 cable lock provides less protection than a light mini-lock from Kryptonite or OnGuard.

I do use cable locks for my front wheels, which already have bolt-on skewers. But, as the ONLY lock on a bike? Why not just donate your bike to charity?

Or they'd move the whole rack full of bikes including your nicely locked up one instead.

Good thing you don't run a bike shop then. Cable locks ARE useful. Locking components, running inside a store for a couple minutes. Any more garbage you want to harp? Haven't seen the commie line on components yet.

No cable lock? Then what will I carry as my emergency lock?
What a silly comment.

The thing is, how you lock your bike depends on where you lock your bike. In NYC, if the lock isn't built of chromium steel and sheethed in 6 inches of depleted uranium armored plate, the bike is going to get stolen. If, on the other hand, you live in some remote area of eastern nowhere, you could leave the bike outside sans lock, and you could come back a decade later and the bike would still be there. Having a cable lock in a place where bikes aren't a popular mode of transport is probably more than adequate.

The problem is too many cyclists use cable locks where bikes are a popular mode of transport. The most common factor in bike theft is a bike that was left unlocked for "just a minute." The second most common factor is a bike that was locked with a cable lock. The third most common factor is improper locking technique.

Anybody here who thinks cable locks work is welcome to continue using them. Please let me know where you lock up, too, so I can lock up next to you with my NY Fahgettaboudit. It makes my lock that much more effective to lock up near you.

I believe you missed the "if it were a better rack" part of my earlier statement. Then again, I'm not surprised.
+1000 on the whole thing

Yeah I mean, how can you miss something written completely in blue. Who is this guy, think he's special or something?

Hmmm.....this is a perfect example of something I have been thinking about regarding the forums lately. The other day I got all huffy in a thread in the road biking forum and unleashed on a few of the members over there.

Then when I looked at who I was flaming, it was some of the same guys who have been helping me out and giving me advice over the years as well as at that very time in another forum. In fact, over the past couple of years, both you and Rain have offered helpful advice to me, I believe. Even though I have argued with Rain in the past as well.

As for me personally, I really appreciate the help and expertise of some of these guys and am resolved to try to be more tolerant of opinions that differ from my own on these forums. The value here is based on a bunch of cyclists helping each other. It is not worth the bad blood for me to get all huffy about small differences of opinion.

It's not my fault you lack reading comprehension skills or don't pay any attention to what you quote. I've got 15,066 posts here, all in blue , plus I've been doing it for at least the last 10 years in other places. So yeah I'll change just because you have an issue. Go redish a wheel.

I'm glad you were able to learn something in your time here and if I had a part in that I'm gratified to hear it.
I'm not sure what his deal is lately, nor do I care that much. To me a "better rack" is one like this or similar

and I'm sure anyone else here would agree and have something like that in mind.

Therefore...all a bike thief has to do is follow you around and just steal the bike locked up next to your bike !

Everybody wants to get into the act. There's ( plenty of other colors ) The blue text is a sort of trademark thing I've been doing since day one on the 'net better than 10 years ago and I've no plans to stop. I wouldn't want anyone to be mistaken for me (for good or bad) since I've been using it for so long. I actually have to stop myself from typing the code on sites that don't support it

Back to the topic at hand:
In theory, a thief could do that, but what thief is going to bother following me around? For the record, most thieves are opportunists and tend to go for the easy mark. If some unfortunate soul locks a decent bike next to mine with a cable lock as opposed to a NY Lock and a cable used Sheldon Style chances are, if a bike is going to be swiped, it's not going to be mine. It'll suck if the poor schlub's bike does get stolen, but their lack of precaution isn't my problem.

Around here, I have left my bike completely unsecured several times (I don't plan on doing this again) for up to an hour. When I came back, every time it was exactly as I found it. I now use a cable lock, and will get a U-lock if I travel somewhere where bike theft is a bigger concern--then, I'd probably use both locks; maybe use the U to lock the bike to a rack, and the cable to go around the rack, through the frame, and through the front wheel. My girlfriend lives in New Jersey, and her bike was stolen right off her porch when she went in for a short while. It was a broken POS though, so it wasn't such a big loss.

How 'bout: The fact that a bike shop even sells $$$ helmets creates the impression that they are useful or worth the additional $$$?

Raiyan and operator going at it? I've been waiting for this.

I was going to reply to only your posts in blue just for comic relief. But after seeing it and what you said about it being confusing, I don't think I will. It does make it very easy to see it's you if you are scanning a page. Wish I thought of it first!

I watched a young woman "locking" her beautiful green vintage Schwinn up today. First, she pulled up next to a 4 foot tall sign post, and then opened her pack to fish out her lock. I was thinking "Please don't pull out a ..."

Cable lock.

Then she proceeded to wind her cable lock between her frame and the post, carefully making sure not to lock her rear wheel. Secure in the knowledge that her bike was now "theft proof," she went inside a shop.

Things she did wrong:

1. Cable lock.

2. Not locking rear wheel.

3. Locking to sign post; a thief could have either disassembled the sign and slid her bike over, or because she was using a cable lock, could probably just have lifted the bike over the top of the sign post.


Things she did right:

1. Locking up while I was there to keep an eye on her bike while she shopped.

For example, backwards locking.......

I use only a small light cable lock that fits in a jersey pocket on my Litespeed Ghisalo. That's because it never goes out of my sight, never.
I lock it when I am too far away to grab someone if they try and run or ride away. I lock it in places where there is no theft, or no people. Places where no one else locks their bike. I don't ever lock that bike in a high crime area, period. I have no reason to. In a group of nice road bikes, mine is typically the only one locked even when we can see them from inside. When they know I have a lock others want to get in on the lock up. I would be the first one to agree that I would not do that in any city and leave the bike alone.

I use a NY lock and a cable or a mini u lock on my beater bikes that are worth nothing. That's because I leave them places unguarded. I might put $100 worth of locks on the ladies 5 speed columbia I got for free. Like at the dock when I go in my friends boat at night or all day. It's absurd to break a NY lock and a Kryptonite mini for a worthless bike. The more absurd the better it is for me. We all laugh about it.
That way it will be there when I get back and I can relax and not even think about it.

Pay thousands for light weight bicycle then atach a five pound lock - there must be a better way.