Securing bike tips.

[Pouya]

Hi all,

I have just bought a new trek road bike for around $700. I want to start commuting to downtown TO with it now.
I have heard so many horror stories about bikes being stolen. I wanted to know if you had any suggestions with how I could minimize that risk.
So far I have a Fahgettaboudit U-lock and have registered my bike's serial number.
Any other tips that are helpful?
Are tube covers helpful too? where can I get them?

Thanks a lot,
Pouya.

[dawn]

Use three locks (or more). It takes a longer time to lock-up but bike thieves have more to work through - need to carry more tools with them to get through a cable lock, a bolt lock....
they used a hammer to open my bolt lock @ 11am ...

[Tory]

I'd say your already taking good steps and have covered the major one by buying a quality lock.

I have no evidence... but I would suspect when entire bikes are stolen it is generally when the owner left it un locked, or used a poor cable lock.

Remember to secure you're components too.

I think location is pretty important, lock it in a place you feel theif would not want to steal a bike.

[Pouya]

thanks for both of your replies! I think location is very important.

[chris]

Press your management to allow you to bring your bike into the office. Or create a bike lock-up area that is monitored by building security, etc.

Business owners and managers need to get on side with cyclists and reward them for truly taking The Better Way...

[Tory]

true, you'd might be surprised.

I worked retail in a clothing store in the eaton centre and they let me keep my bike in the back. Walked it through the store on weekends when it was packed and everything.

[John Macintyre]

Have you thought of using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) tags that are fitted inside the bike. I am working with 15 UK Police forces who are fitting the tags to bikes in an effort to prevent cycle theft. So far we have suppliued 50,000+ and we have found that tagged cycles are 10 times less likely to be stolen with a 100% identification if they are stolen and recovered because of the tag. The unique tag and warning label number are registered on a national database www.immobilise.com (for the USA www.immobilize.net and could be utilised to take in Canada) free of charge. In the UK there are over 1 million cycles registered with another 25 million items of other property. The police can check the cycle details against their database and if it doen not come up as reported stolen then the details of the registered owner come up and they can be contacted. It is a brilliant system and the tagging is helping to reduce the thefts. If you want any more information please e mail me on [e-mail] and I will send you a newsletter.

[Dennis]

You've got a good setup for a bike in that range and usage, pick a good long term parking spot (open & visible from the street), make sure you haven't got a quick release on your seat, if you have one on your front wheel then remove your front wheel and lock it with the frame and rear wheel, but only for long term parking. Between your reasonably priced bike and your good lock you should have no troubles.

[Chris Ceporius]

Thieves will steal any bike, in nearly any condition! The only guarantee is to take it into your office/workplace and park it beside your desk or a store room! All other methods run a risk...but other things you can do, 2 or 3 different types of locks and lock all removable parts of the bike. Don't think that a public area is going to help, most people will just walk by if someone is fiddling around the bike, they won't even take notice of what the person is doing, and these thieves work fast!

[Chris Ceporius]

Chris C said:

Thieves will steal any bike, in nearly any condition! The only guarantee is to take it into your office/workplace and park it beside your desk or a store room! All other methods run a risk...but other things you can do, 2 or 3 different types of locks and lock all removable parts of the bike. Don't think that a public area is going to help, most people will just walk by if someone is fiddling around the bike, they won't even take notice of what the person is doing, and these thieves work fast!

[Cabal]

-Try really hard to find secure parking for it.
-If you can, try to rotate your parking location.
-Choose a location with lots of people around. If there's always people nearby, a thief is taking a chance that one of the people around him is the bike owner.
-When you come up to lock your bike, take a glance around and see if there's bored undesirables milling about. They can see you and your bike, and see you go up into your office job for the next 8 hours. If your spidey-sense tells you to lock somewhere else, do it.
-See if you can store/keep extra locks somewhere around your parking location, so you don't have to carry so many locks all around.
-Use old inner tube, or handlebar tape, to cover your frame. Helps protect from scratches too.

-Myself I just rely on a good thick cable and padlock combination. It doesn't give good leverage for prying attacks, and the most basic way of defeating it would be a hacksaw. A guy going crazy with a hacksaw for minutes is going to catch attention. Cable and padlock are lighter then ulocks, and give you the option of locking to telephone poles. I always choose my location wisely, and at home my bike comes inside with me.

[Blitzen]

Congrats on your Trek! I have Trek hybrid myself and love it. Here are my tips for you:

--you already have a good U-lock. Is it the double-locking kind with the keyhole in the bottom? Ones that lock at the end are vulnerable.
--a cable to lock the wheels to the frame. Lots of people attach the cable to their U-lock, but for better security you should get a separate lock for the cable. A good padlock will do, or you can get a tiny U-lock at Mountain Equipment Co-op.
--location, location, location! For long-term parking, try to find a busy area, or better yet, a building with a security guard in the foyer.
--There is now a brand-spanking new secure bike parking facility at Union Station, but it's not free.
--take your bike in at night! My last bike was stolen off my front porch when I foolishly forgot to bring it inside. The wheels were locked together, but the thief just carried it off, and although my bedroom window was open and very close by, I never heard a thing.

I just noticed that the original post was *last* May. Oh well, someone may find this helpful anyway.