bikiola

hey all,
i'm planning to do a portland-vancouver trip this summer, as i've written before... my question this time is, what lock should i bring? in new york i use the new york chain around my waist with an american lock, and i've been biking so much that the 6+ pounds of the thing pretty much blends in and i feel naked biking without it... that said, should i shlep it out west and ride 40+ miles a day with it? i'll be going to major cities like portland, seattle and vancouver, and will presumably have to lock up the bike outside, though i don't know if all nite or not... so, what have you all done with this kind of trip?

Alekhine

I always bring two. I don't care much about weight though; more about space.

EDIT: I wouldn't lock my bike overnight out of view in a city though - ever.

gregw

I carry the smallest combination lock that I could find (No key to lose) and a 8'-0" length of thin plastic coated cable (actually it is a dog cable with the ends already looped). My reasoning and lenghty experience is that you are only trying to keep honest people honest and when you do need to lock your bike you need to include your baggage and trailer for me, wrap around odd sized things (picnic tables, large trees, etc) .
If someone really wants to steal your bike, they will. The other thing to keep in mind is that your bike might be your Baby, but touring bikes are not at all in demand and few people want them. I tour locally all the time and never lock up my bike and I did a 5100 mile cross country plus last summer and rarely locked my bike. The only place I locked it was outside very busy places, like walmart or grocery stores.
Hope this helps. Greg

www.loa2004.crazyguyonabike.com

supcom

Unless you are in a large city, there's not a lot of theft risk. Leave the Krypto chain at home! A simple cable lock is more than enough. It may sound like silly talk to a New Yorker, but most of the time, you don't even need to lock up the bike.

brokenrobot

I carry a 6-foot kryptocable and an Onguard U-lock on tour - in cities, I try to find hostels that will let me bring the bike indoors into a storage area or the like; msot have some kind of "luggage room" that you can lock up in. In smaller towns or busy campgrounds, or if I'm camped in a park or whatever, the 6-foot is long enough to anchor the bike to a tree if necessary. But then, I'm a paranoid

stokell

I'm as parnoid as the next guy. When I had my bike custom assembled I had them paint it black and leave the logos off. It looks as plain as weed. When I lock up I size up the risk.

In rural areas, popping into a shop for water. I leave it unlocked as long as I can keep it in plain view.

If the bike is out of my sight when I'm shopping for food, I lock it using a U-bolt to an immoveable object.

If locking up for a day (but not night) on the town I lock the same as above and use a cable on the front. I lock my helmet to that too.

Unless I'm stealth camping, my bike always sleeps inside at night.

acantor

On my last trip overseas I hauled around a massive 2 lb. (1 kg) U-lock velcroed to the top of my rear rack. The lock began to seem like overkill after I noticed that many bicycle shops kept expensive bicycles outside -- unlocked -- even when the stores were closed for lunch. Next time I will bring a U-lock that weighs half as much and has a fraction of the bulk: just enough to deter an "honest thief."

MichaelW

I find cable locks more useful than U locks, they can fit lamp-posts and small trees. On a tour I tend to avoid big city centres so use a fairly light cable to prevent oppertunistic thieves, not professionals.

Rowan

Agreed. I am contemplating a simple length of stainless dinghy rigging, looped at either end with a light combination lock. The bike has drop bars, which doesn't exactly appeal to most thieves (I think). I use inner tube bands as hand brakes on both levers. Anyone wanting to make off with it would have to cut a tough stainless cable, and most likely drag it off (and *that* has happened in one travelogue I read).

In the land of bike, Holland, the most common lock is a key-operated unit across the rear stay bridge that stops the rear wheel from turning. That's it. I always felt like I was indulging in overkill with my cable lock when parking right outside the front door of a Dutch (and Belgian) supermarket (yes, you read that correctly).

alanbikehouston

The tests published in the April issue of "Cycling Plus" show that the compact, two pound OnGuard Bulldog Mini ($24 at REI) is as tough against manual attacks as any lock at any price or of any weight. In the city, just put the Bulldog Mini around the rear wheel (just behind the seat tube) and around a parking meter post.

Out in the country, put a cable lock through both wheels, the frame, and around a tree. Then lock the OnGuard Bulldog Mini around the rear wheel and frame. If a crook cuts the cable lock, he would still be unable to ride away on the bike.

Given that many folks who do heavy touring are combining a thirty pound bike with forty pounds of racks, saddlebags and gear (a seventy pound load), just two pounds more for an unbreakable lock does not seem to be "too much" extra weight.


HOW TO LOCK YOUR BIKE by Sheldon Brown

www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html