lockup overkill?
 

I am going to be biking to class at night and on the weekends. My saturdays will be about 6 hours on campus. I am getting some clarification tonight about what we can/cannot lock up to, but usually, I just use a mini-u. I am thinking about buying a buddies nyc chain and lock. It's a little campus, and in a building a few blocks down from the main campus. There is a medium-ly crappy bike rack, and some other things to lock to that would be preferable. would a nyc chain be total overkill? also, should I use a cable to lock my seat on?

I know that these probably sound like totally subjective and stupid questions, but I haven't locked up a bike out of view for hours on end in many years.

Nothing is overkill!! I use a NYC U-lock and a cable that runs through both wheels. It just depends on how bad you wanna keep your bike vs how bad someone wants it. Try to change up the lock up location once in a while. A guy sees the same sweet bike in the same spot every day he will figure out a way to make it his.

what's overkill? if your bike gets not-stolen too much? get the lock, it will make you feel better about your wheels.

me, i always lock my wheels.

All I know is that that would be a terrifyingly awesome band name.

x2

I rode to class for years on a larger campus with prevalent bike theft, and the number of bikes I saw stripped or abandoned as locked frames after the wheels were stolen was sickening.

More locks = good.

Why not just get a cable with loops on the end and run it through the wheels and the mini-u? That's a cheap solution, and you gotta be desperate to cut a cable just for a wheel. Not as good as the big chain obviously, but a good compromise.

You could always leave a lock or two at your destination, saves the lugging.

I used to keep an onguard chain and lock at my work because I didn't want to deal with lugging around the 17 lbs back and forth. There is no overkill in locking up. I usually figure to spend at least 10% of my bike's cost on locks. Walking home in SPD shoes sucks.

+1
also dig the idea of leaving a some locking materials there. I mean, whats anybody going to do, steal your locks? I see people leaving locks all over the campus where I live, and I will probably do so as well soon.

What kind of bike? No lock will save a super blingy big money bike. Buy the chain, use the mini U to secure the front wheel, chain on rear.

You can remove the front wheel, if you have QR, and use a slightly larger u-lock to lock both wheels and the frame together. Just lay the front wheel against the frame and put the lock around the seattube and through the rear and (now removed) front tire. I've done it that way since I got my wheel stolen (cut cable) and I've had no trouble.

yeah, when the term "fixed gear" becomes a music genre.

I don't know about you, but a bus costs me 1.50.

I'd be more worried about replacing the whip.

I've found bike racks that I could take apart with the wrench in my seat bag. If other bikes are around I lock to something secure near them. You do not always need NYC level of locking, you just need better locks then the other bikes.

A u-lock and a chain don't sound like overkill to me.
My Orbea is locked in my basement right now with an Onguard Brute, grade 70 chain with disc lock, and a big krypto cable lock. And I live in a town where crime is nearly extinct.

Even if you lock your bike like crazy, the rest of your bike is still liable to be stolen. Stem, bars, brakes, seat,seatpost, hell some guy walked in today and said someone stole his quill stem plastic plug.

wow! you mean like "surf"?

i use a krypto mini loop that gets the frame and a wheel into a pole or bike rack. i count on my bike being worth less and harder to steal than most of the bikes around it. there is always somebody who locks a bike worth waaaay more than mine with a cable or a single u-lock. if i was a thief, id take it instead.

mini u-lock and nyc chain FTW!

pitlock the rest and use a bike chain to keep the seat on and you're set

stay away from cables and crappy bike racks

i use this philosophy on my crappiest bike if i'm going to leave it for an hour or two in the city. who cares if its overkill -- i don't want my bike stolen!!!!

Yeah... I have a Bulldog Mini U and I usually just lock the rear wheel to whatever I'm locking to thru the rear triangle. Seeing as my wheels are worth much much more than my frame, if some ******* wants to **** up my rear wheel to get the rest of the bike, he isn't going to be making much money.

I don't like leaving my front wheel unprotected, but at least it isn't QR and like someone said earlier, it's going to be locked way better than 90% of the bikes around it. I see atrocious lockjobs on campus every day - cable thru QR front wheel, cable around the seatpost, cable locks in general...

this thread is making me worry a bit. i like that "leave a u-lock on campus" idea. ive left my bike locked for 10 days straight and i still own it. ive got new wheels now, i should consider myself lucky and learn from my stupidity.

its all about making the thief not want your bike. by any combination of:

-making the bike itself less desirable (debranding, using stuff less coveted in pawn-shop circles, ridding a beater)
-locking it up good
-locking it up in a place that doesnt facilitate theft, or will have other more tempting targets.

10 lbs of chain on a roadmaster in the 'burbs is overkill. But if you insist on riding a shinny bike in a rough area, bring everything you can.

Exactly. Just because my bike is kinda flashy I make sure to give it an intimidating lock job even though there are usually more valuable road bikes parked relatively nearby. It's all about deterrence and that starts with proper locking.

My old bike, I had no problem with locking it up outside my dorm, I could have left it unlocked and it'd be there in the morning, even if only because the poor ******* trying to steal it hurt himself (sorry setup)... But over this (accursedly long) winter break, I've been building a beaut, and while not nearly as great as many on campus, still far better than my beater...
I giggled at some guy for having a NYchain on his beater mountain bike, but he said his shmancy ride was on back order... But my new frame could be an issue, it's just a Giant Bowery, but it's the chromey one from years past, and.. shiny=desirable to some... I'll look to get it powder coated eventually, but maybe leaving the "giant" stickers on will make it look less KHS-y ;_:

that's really funny that you brought that up, because i never once questioned that as a classification of a genre of music until now.