Where do you park your bike?

[Drew]

Since I recently found MMM I have been looking into getting bikes for me and my wife.  However, I have been looking everywhere I go and have not seen a single bike rack anywhere in town.  I live in a town of about 40,000 and have never seen anyone bike anywhere other than kids in the neighborhood.  I have looked at the grocery store, shopping centers, bank, etc, and have yet to see a bike rack.  I wouldn't want to just leave my bike sitting out, even with some kind of lock on it because there is nothing to prevent someone from just throwing it in the back of their truck and driving away.  What do you do when you can't find somewhere to secure your bike?

[alm0stk00l]

I chain mine to anything that is nearby. There is usually a tree, or a light pole, or a street sign, or a trash can, or a ...etc..., somewhere nearby. In the rare cases where I find myself somewhere that does not have something to which I can chain it, I will just take it in the establishment with me. Most places don't mind if you put it somewhere out of the way near the door. Once you start doing it all the time, you never really wonder where to park it anymore.

[Drew]

I chain mine to anything that is nearby. There is usually a tree, or a light pole, or a street sign, or a trash can, or a ...etc..., somewhere nearby. In the rare cases where I find myself somewhere that does not have something to which I can chain it, I will just take it in the establishment with me. Most places don't mind if you put it somewhere out of the way near the door. Once you start doing it all the time, you never really wonder where to park it anymore.

Makes sense, thanks.  Well now I feel stupid.  I guess I just didn't know since I have never seen anyone else do it.

[YK-Phil]

Depending on the crime rate in your city, I'd say get a good cable lock like the Blackburn Angola (under $30) long enough to secure your bike to any street pole or light or sturdy tree, a fence, etc. If you live in a high crime area, the On Guard Mastif chain lock is your best bet but a little pricier and heavier.

I use an old Trek bike as my winter commuter in Yellowknife, and nobody in their right mind would ever try to steal a bike here in winter so I just got myself a cheap cable lock from the local Canadian Tire.

http://www.amazon.com/Blackburn-Angola-Combo-Cable-Lock/dp/B005ZGQIEG
http://www.amazon.com/OnGuard-8019-Mastiff-10mm-Chain/dp/B007HOG8R6

[Unionville]

I've actually been an imp and have brought my bike into stores.  Rarely does a store keeper say anything, but if they do ask, I tell them they don't have a bike rack.  More often than not, they let me lock it and store it somewhere in the store.  In Trader Joe's I've locked it to a wooden bench indoors. A lot of the time they are surprised to know they do not have a bike rack (never thought about it), and after I talk to them, they often become interested in looking into getting one.

[windawake]

My favorite places, besides bike racks, are poles. Sign poles. Sometimes a skinny tree will do. I have a U-lock so it's not super easy to lock to things that are not skinny poles, but I live in a city so there are many poles around.

I thought this thread was going to ask where I store my bike at home so I was excited to share. I live on the garden level of a condo building (the only apartment on that floor) and have space for 2 bikes to be stored under the stairs out the front and back. It's awesome. My main bike and my roommate's bike are under the front stairs, my second bike and trailer are under the back stairs.

[soccerluvof4]

all 4 of mine are hanging from hooks by the tire from the garage ceiling. Artic Midwest  = snow and ice meets 50 year old= Injury! Been that way since November and it sucks!

[Russ]

I have probably the smallest, least flexible bike lock available (kryptonite 6" mini u-lock) and have never had a problem. the world is your bike rack!

shopping cart return things
signposts
fences
utility piping out back where the meters are
trees
parking meters
other bikes
your bike itself
benches
handrails
playground equipment

some more secure than others of course

or just wheel it around inside with you... if you smile enough nobody cares :-)

and when you're at home, bikes are part of the family. keep them indoors

[Drew]

I have probably the smallest, least flexible bike lock available (kryptonite 6" mini u-lock) and have never had a problem. the world is your bike rack!

shopping cart return things
signposts
fences
utility piping out back where the meters are
trees
parking meters
other bikes
your bike itself
benches
handrails
playground equipment

some more secure than others of course

or just wheel it around inside with you... if you smile enough nobody cares :-)

and when you're at home, bikes are part of the family. keep them indoors

The shopping cart corral is a great idea!  I wouldn't have thought of that.

[ritchie70]

When I bike to Home Depot I lock it to one of the posts of the play set on display out in the parking lot. All the sign posts have big concrete bases and there is of course no bike rack.

Walgreens and the grocery store both have bike racks, which are the only other places I've ridden to actually get there as opposed to riding for the joy of it.

[rocksinmyhead]

or just wheel it around inside with you... if you smile enough nobody cares :-)

haha, I love this! probably a useful tactic for a lot of quirky behaviors :)

[SisterX]

My favorite incident of "no bike rack" was going to my first ultrasound appointment last summer.  I wheeled my bike in and asked where I could put it since they didn't have a rack.  The receptionist blinked at me a few times and then said, "Ya know, that's never been a problem before."  (They let me store it inside.)

[cambridgecyclist]

I once biked to jury duty at a court about 12 miles away (Boston area). There was ample motor vehicle parking but no bike parking. The only thing I could lock my bike to was a sign on top of an elevated curb by the entrance, so there it went, prominently perched.

The security guards were a little baffled when I started pulling out tire levers, a multitool, pump, and spare parts before the metal detector. They wouldn't let me bring my helmet in, either, even though there was no metal in it. Go figure.

[MissPeach]

I was wondering about this too. I had a bike and a nice chain and lock and it was still stolen. I had the chain through the frame and the front tire. There are a lot of bike thefts where I live so I was wondering about this.

Other people I know with bikes have had issues with people stealing or vandalizing them. I was eating with one person at a restaurant and the bike was chained to a parking meter and we were sitting there looking at it. She noticed someone kept going by her bike so she was watching them. Right in front of us they tried to pop her tire.

[YK-Phil]

I was wondering about this too. I had a bike and a nice chain and lock and it was still stolen. I had the chain through the frame and the front tire. There are a lot of bike thefts where I live so I was wondering about this.

Other people I know with bikes have had issues with people stealing or vandalizing them. I was eating with one person at a restaurant and the bike was chained to a parking meter and we were sitting there looking at it. She noticed someone kept going by her bike so she was watching them. Right in front of us they tried to pop her tire.

According the reviews, the Onguard Mastif chain lock had the best results against theft. In tests, hacksaws and bolt cutters couldn't break it, and even a cordless angle grinder died before it could cut through it. A little pricier than the competition, but worth every penny.

[Hotstreak]

My favorite is one that Russ mentioned, which almost every business has.  The meter!  Either electric or gas, they are typically in an easy access area and have very sturdy pipes to chain to. 

[luigi49]

I was wondering about this too. I had a bike and a nice chain and lock and it was still stolen. I had the chain through the frame and the front tire. There are a lot of bike thefts where I live so I was wondering about this.

Other people I know with bikes have had issues with people stealing or vandalizing them. I was eating with one person at a restaurant and the bike was chained to a parking meter and we were sitting there looking at it. She noticed someone kept going by her bike so she was watching them. Right in front of us they tried to pop her tire.

Use a ulock.  This is from my nephew who has his bike stolen twice in college.   The thief are brazen at his school.  They will enter the garage to steal or go on someones backyard. 

[Thegoblinchief]

When I bike to work I bring it inside one of the loading docks that's not used when I work (weekends).

I have a cheap cable lock. I have a slightly nicer bike than I used to but it's still only worth $250. When I do errands in nicer weather, it gets locked to all of my kids bikes. I guess someone could be heartless enough to steal a family's worth of bikes, but after being a victim of several house and car break-ins I take the position that it's not worth worrying about it. If someone wants to steal something, they're going to find a way to do it.

Keep in mind that a lock might be durable, but the galvanized pipe used for most bike racks, signs, etc sure isn't. Easier to attack the pipe and then tackle the lock back in your thief lair later.

[MooseOutFront]

All the sign poles at my Wal-Mart come out of a concrete base about 4 feet up.  I u-lock the bike to the pole leaving it almost suspended in the air.  Which looks kind of funny with the trailer attached.  I do not secure the trailer.

While my u-lock is great, I intend to buy a cable lock for greater lock-up flexibility on trips where I don't have a large concern about it getting stolen.

My bike lives in my garage, and I consider locking it up in there, but haven't found anything convenient to lock it to.  Any ideas on that?

[Russ]

My bike lives in my garage, and I consider locking it up in there, but haven't found anything convenient to lock it to.  Any ideas on that?

anything that would make it inconvenient/awkward to move is better than nothing. shelves, table, lawnmower, other bikes.

really though if you're that worried about it, I'd just bring it all the way inside.

[PindyStache]

Lots of fun and creative ideas here!

Some municipalities may have specific ordinances on parking bikes (whether they're allowed to be attached to signs, where they can be on sidewalks, etc.). I'd recommend folks know what's technically allowed and what's "AGAINST THE LAW" (and then can make a reasonable decision given any individual situation per MMM's "Chaotic Good" alignment).

I am spoiled and have indoor bike parking at work and at home bring it into my utility room, plus mostly go places that have bike parking racks. Otherwise I've just used trees and signposts pretty much.

[GuitarStv]

My bike lives in my garage, and I consider locking it up in there, but haven't found anything convenient to lock it to.  Any ideas on that?

Lock your rear wheel to your frame.  Prevents someone from biking off with your ride if you happen to be away from the garage for a while with the door open.  Plus you never forget where you put your bike lock.

[Nudelkopf]

or just wheel it around inside with you... if you smile enough nobody cares :-)

haha, I love this! probably a useful tactic for a lot of quirky behaviors :)

The lady at the bank, a few weeks ago, told me that next time I should bring my bike inside with me!

We have a bike rack at the movies, the library, and in the main street. My town's population is only about 25000, so it's never far to go. But, I lock my bike to poles, hand rails next to stairs, fences, and even to dumpsters if I'm desperate.

[GuitarStv]

FWIW, I've been yelled at for bringing my bike indoors . . . so YMMV with this tactic.

[plantingourpennies]

If there's really no rack, palm trees work quite well down here.  But go ahead and ride all the way around the building.  I've found that some racks are on the side/rear of buildings for places like walgreens and whole foods where you'd think they'd have it right out front.  Had to *really* look for them.

[luigi49]

side or back easy for thieves to steal your bike. 

[Russ]

side or back easy for thieves to steal your bike.

or not, because nobody would look there. it really depends on where you are / knowing your surroundings.

hell, I leave my bike just leaning unlocked against the wall if I'm only going to be in the grocery store for 5 minutes and don't feel like bringing it in.