Bike Forums - Lightweight lock

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DropBarFan (Post 18447950)

How did you work that? Sure, tourists can usually go to small stores or restaurants where bike is still visible but I'd have thought that on cross-continent trip one would sometimes have to lock bike while going inside supermarkets etc. All about playing the odds? I'd guess bike theft rates vary 50 or 100x from the worst areas to the safest.

It will vary with the route, where you choose to stop, and other factors, but... There will be a few places on most tours where I wouldn't want to leave my bike outside even if it were locked. Since I try to mostly avoid bigger towns and cities that isn't too often. Sometimes the answer is to wheel the bike up and down the aisles of the store, sometimes asking to park inside near the registers. On occasion I have asked to leave my bike at a bike shop or other business while I walked around doing my errands.

Also if I stay in a big city I am more likely that usual to either be staying with a host or getting a room.

The other mitigating factor is that I tend to not use equipment or bikes that I couldn't afford to replace.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DropBarFan (Post 18447927)

In DC the pro sports teams seem to rely esp heavily on corporate-entertainment budgets (yet another form of subsidy). Went to a Redskins game in corporate sky-box--most of the others in the box were barely paying attention to the game but instead were chatting/networking & scarfing up the free food. One guy from my company was a big football fan but was into gambling so he kept watching the tv's inside the box vs watching the game outside.

I always like going to pro cycling races though. Watching the racers can be instructive on technique & quite inspiring to ride a bit harder & keep healthier habits. Haven't personally attended TDF--logistics & costs are quite difficult. Richmond2015 AFAIK had significant city subsidies, IIRC they paid about half of the ~$20 million cost. Sure, it worked as an image builder for RVA but one wonders about actual marketing payoff. Most attendees were die-hard bikers/fans--the only casual fans were some (not large #) of the locals. Most RVA citizens probably considered 2015 races as an expensive nuisance. It's like at the Redskins games--local residents are near trapped in their neighborhoods during home games.

That's my kind of sports...Sitting inside, eating and not watching the game : )

I wanted to go to Richmond but was busy and then forgot about it. Ah well. I saw parts of it on T.V. with a cycling friend. I generally prefer watching Eddy Merckx to the modern folks though.
Glad I didn't go knowing the cities cost and no real payout. I guess I should have figured that. I knew it would mostly be cycling nerds like us but I have to think there was a good portion of locals. I mean you do get to see somethings you probably won't see from the guy biking home from work (I know today going up a long long hill in some serious headwinds I was slow as molasses) and people come out for spectacles like that.

I know these Hiplock Z-Lok Security Ties have been mentioned before. They look interesting to me at least in the first instance, particularly for quick stops at shops etc. Hence I am curious as to what folks experiences are of them if any now they have been around for awhile.

http://road.cc/sites/default/files/s...?itok=7hgnvVtE

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aushiker (Post 19971264)

I have a number of these and use them fairly frequently. They work pretty well. Primarily I use them on my hitch bike rack for when I’m getting gas or running into a convenience store. I have carried them for quick stops on bike rides and they work pretty well for that but they are primarily going to be useful to disable the bike.

Problems I’ve had were with the very early version’s keys. They can be delicate and you have to be careful to finesse the key when unlocking. Don’t force it or you can bend the little prongs on the key. The metal is fairly brittle and won’t withstand repeated bending and the key will break.

J.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aushiker (Post 19971264)

For a quick run into the store I use a small lock like skiers often use. Not very secure, but for a quick run into a restaurant or something like that I prefer the convenience over a bigger lock. I still use the bigger lock for campsites, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnJ80 (Post 19971849)

Thanks. My planned usage was really as something to disable the bike whilst I go shopping etc when out touring.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aushiker (Post 19973130)

Thanks. My planned usage was really as something to disable the bike whilst I go shopping etc when out touring.

They’ll work for that. Buy two sets so you have an extra key. Stupidly, they only come with one key per set.