kosmo886

How does everyone protect their road bikes? Say you're on a solo ride and pop into a store, or use a bathroom or something. Obviously we aren't carrying locks around. My garmin has the bike alarm feature, but not sure how that works. Also thinking about an Apple Airtag installed under the seat or something...even though that's not what they are designed for. I am not looking for perfection here, but if some type of piece of mind/protection can be had for short money then I figure it's worth it. Interested what others might have come up with.

ridelikeaturtle

Good question!

If I were on a long cycle and needed to use the toilet, I'd pop into a shop (like a petrol station), and ASK THE PERSON behind the counter if I could park it there inside the shop, and if they'd please keep an eye on it. Apparently this also works on a beach, experiments have been done in psychology, asking a total stranger to keep an eye on your stuff works! If you do this, they feel a responsibility and will step in to stop someone stealing your stuff; if you don't, they'll sit there watching a thief take your stuff!

It establishes a sense of social responsibility and comraderie. A similar, but related, instance is if you were to see someone being verbally abused on a bus. Instead of confronting the jerk doing the abuse - which, if you feel comfortable doing, is great too - you could alternatively go up to the person getting abuse and ask them their name. Now, you're instantly "friends" with that person, and the two of you can defend against the abuser. A social response, a comrade.

terrymorse 

I've been using the Sherlock GPS Tracker for about two years.

Roll up somewhere, pull out my phone, activate it, walk away.

I get an alert if the bike is moved, and a tracking location every 5 minutes after that.

eduskator

Regardless of the device used to track your bike, the best way to not get it stolen aside from physically locking it somewhere is to never leave it off your eyesight.

GPS trackers are great, but you'd still have to find the bike (call a cab or run to its location with your SPD-SL shoes?), hope it's not damaged and hope you don't get attacked by a f*cktard when trying to claim it back.

If I ride solo and need to use a bathroom, I'll ask someone that looks trustworthy to hold it for a few minutes.

blacknbluebikes 

Never walk away from an unlocked bike you can't afford to lose. Any tech solution for this is just giving you a false sense of security.
And I'm sure you can find the youtube vids showing how easy it is to turn almost any lock into shavings with a nice 18v portable grinder.
I think TiGR has done an interesting solution, but still wouldn't depend on it to save something special.

Iride01 

Check with your insurance agents and see what may already be covering your bike. Or ask about adding something to cover it.

Locks only stop the spur of the moment type of thief. And some get P.O'd that you locked it and trash it just to let you know they care or lack thereof.

Anyone actually out to steal an expensive bike will have the tools to get that lock off before you can straighten up after getting off from a long tiring ride.

My bikes aren't so expensive that I can't just replace them with new.

WhyFi

If I'm just stopping for snacks/refreshments, I don't worry about it. I'll put it someplace visible from the inside and/or behind stuff that would add another second or two of fuss, if someone was trying to take it. On longer rides (70+ miles, generally) I'll bring a lightweight "gentlemen's lock" (mine is an Ottolock) in the event that I need to stop and pee.

msu2001la

I don't really see much value in a tracking device. They don't really deter theft, and I feel like tracking down a stolen bike sounds like something I'd prefer to leave to the authorities. On that end, I have serious doubts that my local PD would do anything with this info other than "note it in the report".

On the matter of gas station/coffee shop stops I usually just lean my bike up against the window and go into the store where it's visible. If I'm going into a bathroom I might say something to an employee like "hey my bike is right out front - I'm going to use the bathroom, can you keep an eye on it for me?". Beyond that I guess I don't really worry about it. There is also some common sense at play here and I feel pretty confident that I can generally assess the situation and decide if it's risky or not.

Interestingly the high-end bike thefts I have heard about in my area (that aren't smash-and-grab robberies) have all happened at races/events where there are dozens of expensive bikes laying around unlocked, and lots of people milling around watching the event.

msu2001la

This is a good point. Bikes are typically covered under standard homeowners or renters policies, and you can usually add specific items for minimal cost.

You can also buy stand-alone bike insurance, so if you have some fancy wiz-bang $15k machine and often need to stop and pee at sketchy gas stations, it is probably worth looking into.

terrymorse 

Some tech solutions may result in getting your bike back, sometimes.

LarrySellerz

if I forgot my lock and I’m hopping into a store for 15 minutes or less. I usually take the front wheel off. It’s mainly junkies that you have to worry about, and most of them don’t know how to put a bike wheel on.

also as others have said most people aren’t paid enough to stop you when taking the bike inside the building