locks -- when and how sturdy of one to carry on a brevet?
 

Maybe it's just years of city living and riding for transportation, but I've never left any of my bikes unlocked. However, I've seen lots of people doing this on rando rides -- how do you know when it's OK? Only in a group? And if you carry a lock, how much of one? Enough cable length to handle both QR wheels without taking a wheel off? Smaller? Right now I'm carrying a cable that is (if what I'm locking to is in the right place), just long enough to do so, plus a small padlock. But I was also the only one I saw lock up on a recent populaire, and I see lots of people's photos from brevets with bikes just strewn everywhere. Do you just watch it from the window?

(almost) no one carries a lock

How about one of the titanium TiGr locks? http://tigrlock.com/

I carry one on my bike all the time. Doesn't weigh much and gives you a little piece of mind.

Well, the nice thing about the lightweight cable/padlock is that I already have one, and I can put it in my seat bag, and I won't hit my knees on it.

I realize most people don't, but how do you know when it's safe to leave a bike when you won't be able to watch it? I mean, most places I go on non-brevet rides, an unlocked bike is a goner, and a locked bike better not be one of the nicer ones on the rack.

Basically, I don't want people to laugh at me for carrying one, but I'd like to be able to stop for a restroom break...

That may depend on your area. Here locally, our rides are generally out in smaller more rural towns, and leaving an unattended bike for a minute isn't a problem. Then too, I'm usually not riding by myself, so if the area did look a bit sketchy, we'd just take turns staying with the bikes while others ran inside.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=321895

2.5' Kryptoflex cable: $5
3-combination suitcase lock: $3
total weight: 90g
peace of mind while bike is unattended: priceless

Even when doing my randonnees through rural Manitoba, I carried and used a very small, lightweight little cable lock. And several other fellow randonneurs carried small wire locks.

Chances are no one would have tried to steal our bicycles, and these locks would not have protected our bicycles from a serious thief, but kids play pranks sometimes, and these locks would have slowed them down a little.

Never carried one. I take one to PBP, but that's only for locking up in SQY outside that huge shopping mall there.....
On randonnees, ain't no one gonna steel any of my crappy bikes. Couple of times I've been in dodgy areas I've pulled the skewer out of the front wheel as a security measure, but I was in some really, REALLY bad parts of town..........

A good half measure is to just click your helmet strap through a wheel plus the frame. This means that someone who wants to take your bike for a joy ride must spend some time looking at it and figuring out what is going on, then trying to unclick the helmet. It complicates casual theft and is therefore a good deterrent.

Otherwise, the lightest flimsiest wire lock you can find is the next step up. IMO these kryptoflex cables are too heavy for the job, you can find skinnier cables.

almost all my long distance rides are solitary, and a "latte lock" offers considerable peace of mind when stopped and away from the bike. Really worth the extra weight for the peace of mind they provide.

On my rides thru San Francisco and the like, an aluminum alloy U-Lock is fabulous deterrent, and very light.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=321966 The U-lock is hanging off the Brooks rails, between the seatpost and the Carradice. out of the way, ready to provide moderate security for heavily travelled stops or big cities. On a 300k permanent in coastal California or the east coast, i might even carry the alloy lock.

Well, I carried one and didn't need it, but was glad I had it. (It's a lighter cable than that Kryptoflex one, but a heavier lock -- I should get a smaller lock for it at some point.) I was mostly just worried about people mocking me for carrying it, but a) it is evidently not that odd and b) randos seem to be much less fond of mocking people than other cycling groups. Which is awesome.

In the randonneuring world, cyclists have all sorts of different setups. If you get a chance to go to the PBP and look over the sea of bicycles there, there won't be any two setups that are identical. So ... some bring locks, some don't.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...&MODE=SPECIALS

Cutter U-lock Sale $8.09

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/im.../45170_i_1.jpg

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...&MODE=SPECIALS

Cutter Noose N' Shackle 2.0 Sale $14.99

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/im.../38815_i_1.jpg

Ring Lock on the front side of the seatstays perhaps? stops the rear wheel from Rolling..

then all you need is the cable to attach the bike to stuff .

Even when I'm alone, it's fairly simple to flash a smile and ask the store's clerk if I can bring the bike inside when I need to use the restroom. Otherwise, it stays outside where I can keep an eye on it. Of course, it's a recumbent so most people don't really know what they'd do with it if they did steal it. :lol:

In low risk situations, I often carry a "walk-off" lock. Just a 3' long, 3/16ths cable with a medium sized combination lock. Fits in a seat bag or jersey pocket. As mentioned above, it won't stop a serious thief as even a decent set of side cutting pliers would get through it, but it thwarts the opportunists who will spot an unattended bike and just ride off like it is theirs, or throw it into the back of a pickup. On organized rides, there are usually enough honest riders around that I don't worry too much about locking up when at the food stops or using the john.

Rode a perm today with the club. A couple hours out, I stopped by myself at a busy gas station/truckstop to use the facilities, and didn't spend the extra minute to lock up.

Maybe I'm just a city boy, but the whole two or three minutes in there I was visualizing my bike getting tossed into a pickup and disappearing over the horizon.

Every once in awhile on a longer brevet, I'll step out of the restaurant where I've just had lunch, look at my bike and say,"Damn, it's still here."Oh well...it's not going to ride itself.
:)

I don't think I've seen anyone else lock up a bike at a club ride or brevet. I still can't get used to leaving the bike unlocked for 10 minutes outside a convenience store even next to 10 other unlocked road bikes, so I bring along the same cable lock (240g, steel cable) I use when going out shopping.

I can't speak about brevets but as for club rides yes I have seen it. (And in the very same Tokyo!)

For long rides I bring along a lock that I never otherwise use. It has an unnecessarily and wastefully long cable, thin enough to be easily cut but of course more of a deterrent than nothing at all. It was sold wound up in its own little wallet, and when stuck back within this it's rattle-free. I can't contribute anything else to group rides, but ask "Anyone want their bike locked up to mine?", which often gets grateful responses.

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

When I first started riding brevets I carried a tiny cable lock. But then I didn't use it because I didn't want to be fumbling with the lock while all my friends rode away from the controls. So then if I wasn't going to use the lock, leaving it behind saves a little weight. I make sure when I leave the bike alone to take wallet and cellphone with me. Also, my bike is seldom the nicest-looking bike in the line. Though I don't know how much risk that really removes.

Nick

I'm glad to say I've never felt so bad on a ride that I wish someone took my bike :) But I'm definitely going to use that line as a joke.

I usually try to make my bike inconvenient to take. Plus, having Speedplay pedals seems to be a deterrent.