i am moving to philadelphia (well, Bryn Mawr to be exact) next week and am trying to figure out what to get in terms of locks/etc. i have a fixed gear vintage trek that is worth about $300, the most expensive component being the velocity wheelset followed by the SLR saddle (which I have chained to a stay). i rode in London for several years, but always parked my bike in a private garage so i am relatively new to the urban locking scene. while i will probably spend a lot of time around bryn mawr, i intend to get around on my bike (ie downtown)

how safe is downtown philly (or bryn mawr for that matter)? is a mini u lock going to be enough for roaming about town? what do you philly riders use?

in bryn mawr a ****ty cable lock will certainly do the trick. i live in a similiar neighborhood and a cable lock does the trick, i also use it in the city and have had no problems but my bike is old and rusty and not worth the effort.
with your bike i would be very serious about locking it up, bike theft is rampant so i would suggest a krypto u lock and a solid cable lock for stops any longer than an hour

Doesn't matter how good your components are (or how ****ty) if they are not locked, they will be gone overnight. Use your mini, and make sure your wheels are locked down. A few of my friends use locking skewers and have not had issues. If I leave mine out at night, I pull off the front wheel and lock it up with the rear and frame with a regular U-Lock.

get a short krypto chain lock for the back wheel and the frame, then a mini u for the front wheel to the frame...that is what i do on stops of any significant length...just if you're just running in, I free lock at (most) every stop...so far so good (knock on wood).good luck, and enjoy your stay...come out and ride!!

-jason

In Bryn Mawr you just need a polite note on your bike asking people to please not steal it. In philly you need a bunch of locks. I use 2.

hahaha, oh man, good stuff.

Yeah from what I gathered Bryn Mawr is a pretty "quaint" little hamlet...Is it really that nice? I have never been and have no idea what to expect really..

Bryn Mawr is a pretty nice, modestly upscale area. You wont really have any problems in that town. Going downtown is a different story indefinatley.

once you cross city line ave on lancaster ave, you will see how different it is

quoted for truth =]