The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: MilesTeg on February 15, 2017, 02:28:47 PM
-
So I have a nice bike ($1k new) in and will be riding in a town with a relatively high bike theft rate (college town). Looking for decent lock, where decent is defined as secure enough to reasonably protect (i.e. redirect thieves to easier targets) a such a bike without breaking the bank.
Any suggestions?
-
any lock will just slow down the thief it will not stop them. If they want your bike they can steal it. U lock or a tig lock fro amazon
-
I found the summaries of different types of locks on http://thebestbikelock.com/ to be helpful. As luigi49 says, locks will only slow down a determined thief. The question is - can you slow them down enough that it's impractical for them to consider your bike as a target?
-
any lock will just slow down the thief it will not stop them. If they want your bike they can steal it. U lock or a tig lock fro amazon
Yep, like I said, I just don't want to be in the low hanging fruit category.
-
U-Lock plus cable is the most secure and flexible option. No lock will be impermeable to theft, though.
(http://www.bike.bikegremlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/good-no-loop.gif)
EDA: here's an example on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/OnGuard-Bulldog-Combination-U-Lock-Cable/dp/B009RUEY24/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1487197686&sr=8-8&keywords=U-lock+cable+combination).
-
Unfortunately the 1k bike is a low hanging fruit. :) Even a $100 bike is a low hanging fruit in college town if they know the brand. Now a cheap bike that works very well will deter theft. :)
-
Unfortunately the 1k bike is a low hanging fruit. :) Even a $100 bike is a low hanging fruit in college town if they know the brand. Now a cheap bike that works very well will deter theft. :)
hmm... maybe your college town is different from mine - $1k bikes are about as common as iPhones around here; roughyl half of the greater bike population.
That said your point is a good one... the best way to avoid having your bike stolen is to have the cheapest bike with a decent lock. I actually had a commuter bike in Boston where my bike lock cost me more than the bike itself.
-
I have a kryptonite chain lock that cost me about $50cad and I always lock the wheel and my frame to something solid. I often lock my bike on campus all day and on my street overnight. My friend got her wheel stolen when she just locked the frame. And I actually saw a bunch of bikes locked to 3 foot high poles this year.. they could have all been lifted right off. Basically, if you get a decent lock and always lock the wheel and frame to something solid and public, you should be fine. I've had my seat and mudguard stolen though, so you might want to take any removable parts with you or replace any quick-removal pieces with bolts instead. Bike thieves are the worst.
-
U lock and cable combo are great. If you don't want the hassle of locking wheels, pinhead locks are really convenient.
The u lock should go through the REAR wheel and frame. The front wheel is substantially cheaper to replace if stolen off the cable. You want the expensive wheel and frame locked with the hard to break lock.
The Onguard locks are a good value for security level. I use a Brute in my high bike theft area, but the Pitbull / Bulldog lines are fine for most places --- there is a weight trade off for high security. Amazon often has good prices, so shop around.
http://www.onguardlock.com/ulocks/
https://pinheadlocks.com/store/en/
-
Stickers. Lots and lots of ugly stickers, all over the entire bike. These make your bike distinctive (easy to find if stolen) and hard to repaint (less desireable/harder to fence). I am a huge fan of ugliness as theft-deterrence, and I passionately dislike locks and the hassle they create for me.
Alternatively, you could wire a battery to the frame and have a hidden switch. Any potential thief would then have a shocking experience....
-
I actually use a Kryptonite U-lock and a smaller Palmy U-lock - one front and one back, then park next to a bike with just a cable lock if I see one. If I'm in a high-theft area, I'll add a cable lock. My bike was $1000 and almost never is the most expensive bike on the rack in this area, and it helps that it's a brand not well-known. My goal is to make my locking annoying for the run-of-the-mill thieves, and my bike itself not as attractive to the pros.
-
Maybe not what you want to hear but, whenever possible, I take my entire bike inside with me. If the store owner complains, I will usually ask if its ok to leave it inside somewhere out of the way. If that doesnt work, I lock my bike up outside but dont worry that someone will steal it, because I will remove the front wheel and seat and take BOTH inside the store/business with me. My thoughts are that a thief looking at a locked bike with no wheel or seat may think twice. If I'm really paranoid, I'll take BOTH wheels and seat inside with me.
I also lock the bike up in a location that has high pedestrian throughput. The more eyes on the bike, the better.
-
Maybe not what you want to hear but, whenever possible, I take my entire bike inside with me. If the store owner complains, I will usually ask if its ok to leave it inside somewhere out of the way. If that doesnt work, I lock my bike up outside but dont worry that someone will steal it, because I will remove the front wheel and seat and take BOTH inside the store/business with me. My thoughts are that a thief looking at a locked bike with no wheel or seat may think twice. If I'm really paranoid, I'll take BOTH wheels and seat inside with me.
I also lock the bike up in a location that has high pedestrian throughput. The more eyes on the bike, the better.
In high theft areas, if they can't steal the bike, they'll just strip it and you'll end up with a just a frame u locked to a barrier with the wheels (maybe, if they're in a hurry) still cable locked to the bare frame... I'm lucky to live somewhere that you can just leave it sit out unlocked and it won't get stolen, but I've got friends in college towns... Bikes get stripped right fast. Any part that's not locked down is gone.
-
Anyone tried these or heard of them? http://ottodesignworks.com
I saw it on popular mechanics or something. Looked interesting. I've been in the market looking for a bike lock recently.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
I have a 3-pronged strategy:
1. The lock itself. I use a basic Kryptonite U-lock (The ~$45 one). They come in different sizes, get the smallest loop you are confident will do the job, which for me is usually the smallest one they offer. It does mean you have to look for a smaller rail to lock to, but that slight inconvenience is more than made up for with extra security, as the larger loops = more room to get a crowbar/tool into and more leverage once it's in. Smaller ones are much harder to break. Try to fill the loop as much as possible when locking up and not leave a big empty part a lever can get into. I don't bother with an additional cable lock for extras for reasons that will be apparent below.
2. Your locking habits. The longer you lock something up, the more likely it is to become a target and the more time the thief has to get it. I try to lock bikes up for maybe an hour max, and 95% of my day-to-day use is sub-10 minutes. If I'm going somewhere that requires hours at a time, I'll do my best to see if I can bring the bike inside with me. Locking up in the same place, every day, for the whole day, or leaving overnight are asking for trouble.
3. The bike itself. As a recreational rider, I have nice bikes, but I also have one that is cheap and dedicated as a commuter/workhorse. This one has no quick release parts, nothing flashy, nothing easily removed, and looks like shit (although it is well maintained and runs perfectly). It currently has a bent seatstay where someone tried and failed to break the lock. While I will sometimes lock my other bikes up briefly, this is the one I will always use if it's a less than ideal situation. If something does get stolen or broken, I consider that CODB and remember that even if the whole bike disappeared every couple of years, it would still work out cheaper than using a car.
Fingers crossed, but I have never had a bike or parts stolen in 25 years of commuting daily and riding everywhere (I don't even have a driver's license), although I have had things damaged. The key thing is to make it difficult, as nothing is impossible to steal. Thieves are by nature lazy and opportunistic and if it looks too hard, they'll move on to an easier target. I'm currently in Baltimore.
-
I recommend the following:
1) 2 U-locks used like this: http://www.kryptonitelock.com/content/dam/kryt-us/en/smallerImages/132936_D1-web.jpg
2) Don't use your $1k bike as your daily commuter - buy a cheaper one, make it look like crap (as mentioned above), and still use U-locks. A $1k bike locked up all day most work days will definitely attract thieves and no lock is theft-proof.