slipknot0129

Do you think a heavy u lock defeats the purpose of buying an expensive bike? I dont think it does. You buy a more expensive bike to race. You dont have a lock or anything with you when you race. You dont race when you commute or or riding to a place. The small difference wouldnt matter in those situations. Only in a race it matters.

I got a touring bike so I think it matters even less if a bike lock is heavy. Im also 268 in weight and an extra 5 pounds is nothing to me. The main reason I got a more expensive bike is because I like good bikes and how they look. I dont think theres touring races so speed doesnt matter.

I ordered a fahgettaboudit mini kryptonite lock. I heard those were the best. I probably will either bungee it to my bike rack or a backpack or if I dont have one just hold it on my bars when riding.

CNY James

defeats the purpose? No... if you're going to be leaving your bike anyplace, it protects your purchase.

wahoonc

Depends on where I ride, as well as what I ride. But I have a NY fahgettaboudit lock and chain that I will use if I think I need it. There is one part of town that I have to lock up in occasionally where that is my lock of choice, even on my rusty beat up old Raleigh Sports. I want a bike to ride when I come back...I hate walking.

Aaron

Bianchigirll 

I don't really get the point of the post? you have a bike and you sometimes need to lock. if your going out for 20 mile you don't bring your heavy lock along. if your commuting you bring it and the extra weight is a cost of commuting in a city.

I seldom carry a lock and when I do only a small cable. I am seldom away from my bike for longer than it takes to get a coffee at dunkers and I can see it the whole time.

Velo Dog

Me, too. When I'm out to ride, I leave the major lock home, because I'll be on the bike or where I can see it. I have a secure place to leave the bike at work, so commuting's not an issue. On the rare occasions when I do have to lock it seriously, then I carry a heavy lock. Like the OP, though, I'm a Clydesdale on a steel-frame, 64cm bike. Four or five pounds for a lock isn't that big a deal.

JanMM

Seldom carry a lock unless it's a quick trip into the grocery store and then it's a modest cable lock.
I keep a couple of moderate-duty locks on a bike rack at the hospital where I work.

tsl

Exactly.

If I'm not going to be toting anything--like going to pay bills--I like running errands on my Litespeed. My New York Lock (Std) makes sure it's still there when I come out of the cable or utility office. To carry it, in nice weather I just lock it around the head tube. In cooler weather, it rides just nice in the rear pocket of my cycling jacket.

Nightshade

If you buy a bike for light weight then yes a heavy lock is cause to question what you're doing.

Me?

I just insure the bike and let the insurance company worry about it since all I need is a light lock to show I did lock it up.

Noobtastic

I know security companies insure their locks to a certain limit based on their strength. Has anyone ever had a bike stolen and collected money from the lock manufacturer?

DX-MAN

Being covered by insurance is no comfort for those of us who have bikes whose models aren't built anymore -- my Dakar XLT is LONG gone from production! (Shame, too, it's a monster bike!)

I don't even notice the 3-1/2 pounds of lock & cable when I ride; I do when hoist the thing up to hang it at work, but that's all....

I guess it's less of a problem for me than others, since (as a Clyde) I can't be mentally comfortable on a light bike, always afraid I'll pretzel the thing.

cyclist2000

I agree with this with the exception of commuting, many commuters at my office leave the lock on the bike rack at work so they don't carry a lock.

If I grab a snack while riding I normally leave the bike in front of the window and keep an eye on it.

I think the OP is thinking that he spends the extra money to get a light bike then puts 15 lbs of chain on it when he could have gotten a huffy and not carry a lock at all. regardless of the weight there are other differences in buying a high end bike, the quality of the ride, quality and smoothness of the equipment

I never carry a lock except when I am touring or transporting a bike on my car

stapfam

It does not matter how good or expensive a bike is- If you are going to leave it unattended anywhere- It needs to be locked. I do have expensive bikes but the beater for short errands into towm is not- I still do not want to lose it though.

Cheap fragile locks do not work.

And on that "I only leave the bike for a short while and it is always in my sight". I had a group of mates park their bikes and left one person with the bikes. An opportunist just straddled a bike and he was off on one of them. He did not get far as he was not fit enough and he won't be stealing bikes again. But Bikes will go that fast and easily.

There is only one lock I trust and that is my Butt or hand on the saddle- I Don't the leave bikes unattended. The few occasions I do have to leave it- It has a Kryptonite Hawser and D Lock and I take the Front wheel with me.

johnr783

With my OnGuard mini, I stuff it between my belt and pants. I dont really notice it at all when riding. You might give that a try.

Even if I was going door to door I would at least take a cable lock. No telling if you pass some restaurant and want to stop for a bite, or something. Best to be prepared and enjoy the entire ride than think, "If only I had a lock, I could have stopped there."

Retro Grouch 

I think that it depends. What is your purpose in owning an expensive bike?

Nightshade

That is NOT the kind of insurance I'm talking about! I add the bike (s) to my homeowners policy and let them take the hit.

slipknot0129

A got a touring bike to go tour. I think anybody that tours would have a lock with them. If I bought a racing bike I would ride take a lock with me everywhere except when im riding with no stops or racing.

wahoonc

Good luck with that.

I have had bicycles stolen and they didn't meet the deductible, better IMHO to have spent some money on a decent lock and still have my bike, than to have to shell out for yet another bike. Other problem is most if not all of my bikes (even the newer ones) are not made anymore.

Aaron

Retro Grouch 

Which proves my point - the use of the bike defines the answer.

If you're raceing, carrying a heavy lock is obviously not warranted. In some other enviornments, like college campuses, there may not be locks that are secure enough to adequately protect a high end bike. In between it's a balance between weight/convenience and security and everybody draws that line differently.

rekmeyata

Personally if you can afford an expensive bike but are a bit leery of it being stolen, then you should buy a cheap beater to take places where you think the more expensive one might be gone when you return. Any lock can be defeated, it's just a matter of the level of expertise the crook has will depend on how fast he can get your bike. So if you concerned then buy a beater and lock it up in high risk areas.

Nightshade

The simple truth here you didn't insure your bike right. I insure the my bikes "all hazard" with no deductible since the cost per year per bike is only $50! So if anything happens to my bike I get paid for repairs or a new bike.

wahoonc

$50 a bike times 28 bikes... I would rather spend the money on a good heavy duty lock. I also suspect after you make a claim or two your insurance will go up sharply. And FWIW I asked my insurance agent and they don't offer anything like that in NC. I can get replacement cost, but the deductible still applies.

Aaron

StephenH

The lighter (but not light) bike doesn't get left unattended, so locking needs are minimal. I do carry a light cable lock if I think I'll be alone at a control stop on a brevet.

The heavy clunky cargo bikes get heavy clunky bike locks when I go to the grocery store, so no problem.

(There's an old joke that the weight of a bike plus the weight of the chain used to lock it equals a constant, but in real life, you won't see many carbon fiber bikes locked outside of a walmart.)

BlazingPedals

I've heard it said, all bikes weigh 50 pounds. A 20-lb bike requires a 30-lb lock, a 30-lb bike requires a 20-lb lock, and a 40-lb bike requires a 10-lb lock. A 50-lb bike doesn't need a lock.

I rarely stop where I need a lock, so I rarely carry one.

rekmeyata

I too rarely stop where I need a lock, but if I do all I use is a 15mm cable with a Abus Disc lock that I've used for about 30 years and never had anyone steal my bikes.

You should not buy a lock based on the weight of the bike, who came up with that one? You should instead buy a lock worth about 10% of the value of the bike. Thus a $300 bike is fine with a $30 lock, but a $2,500 bike needs (a) $250 dollars in lock(s). I do the same thing with surge protectors if that matters. But again if theft is a potential deal killer then you need to spend about $300 or so for a beater bike and lock that up in suspected areas.

dynne

I live in a city and always carry a kryptonite u-lock and cable for my front wheel. It's just not worth the risk. I love my "beater" bike and wouldn't want to get it stolen because it's irreplaceable for me in a non-monetary way. Although I commute, and the city I live in is rather bike-unfriendly in terms of bringing bikes into stores where there is no safe place to lock, or onto public transportation etc.