I always lock up...bikes cost way too much to trust in the goodness of people.

Lowes, Home Depot, Target and a lot of the larger stores don't mind if I roll mine in. WalMart, on the other hand, seems to change their mind depending on the day.

When I am told NOT to bring it in I ask if THEY are willing to be held responsible for the possible replacement costs IF the bike somehow gets stolen from their premises. This works GREAT if they do not have a bicycle rack available. That's usually enough to get them to allow me to take it inside.

My U lock and cable add some significant weight I'd like to leave behind, and I'll be adding more weight when I buy a longer cable. Since they're on the bike, not locking it and having the bike stolen would be some expensive stupidity.

A solution that is not applicable to me is a quick release seat clamp that leaves the post. That could discourage impulse thieves.

Usually (almost always) DH and I ride together when we go shopping. If one of us stays with the bikes then we don't lock up. If we both go in, then the bikes are locked together. It's an easy enough precaution to hopefully deter any opportunistic would-be thief. I would rather spend an extra minute locking up than to come out and find our rides missing.

Always locked, (even at home in the garage) unless I have it within sight. Not that recumbents are easy to steal. But I spent a long, long time getting the money for this vehicle, and I'm not sure my insurance will cover something stolen that wasn't locked up. It's also a good idea to register your bike and its components at bikeregistry.com and for about $1, you can get the stickers to put on the frame and components.

I lock up anytime I am off my bicycle. Even if I am still close. The few seconds I loose locking up is not worth the $1000+ it would cost me to replace my bicycle and everything on it.

AXA ring lock, on the frame, closes around the back wheel,
so quick shopping, no roll away theft of convenience.

anymore time, the lock up plug in chain goes around the front wheel,
and rack or signpost.

I lock up even if I am going to be sitting on the sidewalk right next to my bike. My bike is like family to me. If I don't ride one day I even go in and say hello to him. I bought a new saddle for my second bike this morning but feel a bit guilty now - like they both should get something.

Easily? Thanks for your perspective. I currently own three bicycles. One of them was a cheap Giant Cypress ST... and I spent more on it than I did on my other two bikes, my wife's bike and my son's bike. I can't afford to replace it.

One of those other bikes, BTW is a 1983 Schwinn Sierra that I've converted into a hybrid. Bought it used at a thrift store a couple of years ago... after 4,000+ miles in the saddle of it, I HAVE become quite attached to it. Her name is Mabel.

So true. If you THINK that your bike is a pile of tubes and machined parts then, perhaps, you shouldn't be riding. My bike is a friend that allows me a temporary escape, allows me to think things through and work stuff out. It has also helped me to make many new friends that, otherwise, I probably would not have met.

I spend a lot of time taking care of my ride. Adding some things and doing preventative maintenance. I suppose that this "mulvyer" or whoever they are is probably someone that hasn't really had a chance to get the right idea. Perhaps they are simply put off by the fact that they MIGHT have something from a big-box store that isn't working out for them.

In any case, since they haven't posted here since this one begins to think that they are nothing mor than an internet troll looking to raise people's ire........

Found this.....
 

Thought that this was a bit amusing.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/OVERKILL.png

What about your helmet? I've seen a few people just leave it dangling from the handlebars, but even tho I don't live in what I consider a high crime area, I just can't bring myself to do that. I try to run the chain thru the straps, but not sure if that's good/bad. I'm still afraid of seeming like a dork by wearing/carrying it with me into a store.

Depending on how long I am going to be I'll either wear it or carry it. I thought the same "dork" thing for a long time myself, but then I figured why should I let it bother me. Surprisingly enough I have never received any nasty comments about it either way.

If I'm using a shopping cart, I dangle it from the handle. If not, I carry it by the strap. I don't personally care who thinks I'm a dork. I know what I think, I know what my wife thinks and that's good enough.

As far as the helmet is concerned, it depends on the length of stay. If I'm going to be off the bike for a long time, I run the U-lock through the helmet straps when locking the bike. If it's a quick run in to the grocery store I leave the helmet on my head. I don't see it as a "dork" thing, I see it as:

1) A "fit" thing. You don't see people wearing bike helmets pushing around carts full of frozen pizzas, boxes of super-sugary cereals, and case upon case of soft drinks.
2) As a means to explain why I am so sweaty.

If you have to explain then they probably aren't going to understand anyway.....

Yeah, I was sweating up a storm today in the midday heat - would've been a good signal to others to explain why I was so swampy.

I have a question about locks, and the U-Locks in particular. I've only looked at a few in the local Walmart. They seem heavy and kinda unwieldy. But I'm quickly getting fed up with my $10 combination cable lock. The damn thing is so twisty that it's always a pain to untangle it and try to thread it thru everything. But the U-Locks seem kinda short....do people just hook them thru the front tire and the bike rack? I'm always worried that if someone really wanted to, they could just flip the quick release on the tire and make off with the rest. And what do you do when there's no rack? Doesn't seem the U-Lock would be flexible enough to attach to a bench or whatever is handy to lock up to.

I use a length of chain with a small u-lock. It's enough to go around the frame and the rear tire. I also have an 8-foot coated cable with a keyed lock. I carry that one with me more often as it's much easier to use. It still needs to be "threaded" through the wheels and frame though.

It's really what you prefer to use. Larger u-locks are a bit unwieldy but a lot of the people that I have seen use some combination of both. A u-lock and some sort of a cable.

I gave up on combination locks a long time ago.

Also, I wouldn't suggest you by your security from Wally World. Go to your LBS and they will be able to help you pick out what you would need.

I'm surprised you have such success with that line of hot air to store personnel. I would have expected them to laugh at your bluster, if not tell you to get lost. What makes you think any store is responsible for providing bike racks, or responsible for your property outside?

Interesting concept. What added value would an LBS provenance add to security device purchase over a similar product purchased at a fraction of that price from Walmart or any hardware store?

What "help" could be needed from LBS personnel for this?

Why is that? This is the utility cycling list is it not?

I never said it worked all the time did I?....

I lock if I can't reach out and touch my BD or if my wife isn't standing beside it.

Some companies make extra long U-locks, one of my most-used U-locks is that type. I bought it because I sometime use front panniers which add a little extra distance between the bike rack and my front tire & frame. The trade off is that it makes it a little easier for a bike thief to use a leverage-type attack, but if the U-lock has a highly rated level of security it helps negate that problem, especially if other bikers are using Wally World and cable locks, which will be much easier for a bike thief to defeat.

Although I do have a good U-lock, I am still a firm believer in the old style cable and master lock way of locking things up. Run it through both wheels, through the frame, around whatever object is there and most thieves-of-convenience will avoid it. That, and when I do have to lock up, I am usually not going to be inside anyplace for very long......

That's exactly what I wound up going with. I went to the local Home Depot and got a 6' steel cable and a master lock. Overall cheaper than what's available at Walmart or the LBS and probably just as good.

This, along with the other two prickly comments leads me to believe that you plan to be ornery and combative, regardless.

Hence the reason that this particular user is on my "blocked" list. Evidently the old saying "if you don't have anything nice to say" doesn't apply....

Oh good lord, you're a piece of work. Do we all need secret handshakes to show we're all the same now?

Pssst.... I'll give you a hint - take a look at my profile, a moment with Google, and decide which Big Box stores you buy those bikes at...


Or on a multi-week bike tour! You know, actually using the bike for enjoyment and pleasure, instead of sitting around behind a keyboard justifying a sad, lonely, obviously meaningless life.

Actually, I was just wondering if there's a proper term for people with unnatural attachments to inanimate objects. ;-)