Who Rides to Starbucks?

[PscyclePath]

Let's say I want to ride to Starbucks, what lock is good? Key or combo?

I haven't seen a bike rack at Starbucks. What do you normally secure your bike to? Anyone carry it in? Drive-Thru?

U-Locks rule!

But then I'm in a bad part of town...



I don't ride to Starbucks, but our little Sunday afternoon group ride often winds up at a little coffee shop, Community Bakery, over on the south side of town. What I've found to be most versatile and still easy to carry is a 3-foot, key-locking cable, and locking up to a lamp post or steel railing if there's no decent bike rack around.

Tom

[KnottedYet]

Starbucks around here have racks for the most part. If you ride up thru the drive-thru they refuse to serve you. (I've tried it, they say you are a hazard... Hmmmm... and they aren't allowed by company policy to serve bikes in the drive-up.)

I tend to prefer independent espresso stands who WILL serve me at the window or coffee shops that let me bring my bike in (Yay, Diva Espresso!). But if I were to need a lock, I'd use my On Guard u-lock with cable.

Used it with just the u-lock part at the beer garden for Oktoberfest.

[fastdogs]

how do you carry your u-lock on your bike? When I got my trek, I bought a heavy cable combination lock, and they put it on the seatpost. But I don't carry it there much. I looked at U-locks in REI, and they seemed very large and heavy- just not sure how you'd transport one so you'd have it when you needed it.
vickie

[KnottedYet]

If I'm carrying a pannier (which I usually am) I put the u-lock and cable in there.

If not, I bungee it to my rack.

[kelownagirl]

I always leave my bike outside against the window and sit where I can watch it. I live in a pretty safe area where no one would walk up and steal it under those conditions.

[Eden]

Some U-Locks also come with a frame clamp if your frame has space for it.....
I vary my approach depending on which bike I'm riding. My race bike is never left, locked or not, unless its locked on top of the car, and even then not for very long. My other bikes are not usually left for very long (like not locked outside during say, a work or school day - just while I'm in a store or running an errand). I use a cable lock mainly for ease of transport- I do not have space on my frame for a U-lock. I figure that the lock is just to keep honest people honest.
There is one place I will leave my bike somewhat unattended - and it happens to be Starbucks... our team meets and ends there often, as do many other teams and groups of cyclists. There's always a big pile of bikes parked outside and rarely do I see anyone lock them - its a pretty safe area and there's a lot of sets of eyes there almost all the time.

Kind of funny/not so funny story - I was downtown waiting for a bus once and this very homeless looking kind of drunk guy comes walking up, pushing a bike and talks to another homeless looking guy. Homeless guy two says "I didn't know you had a bike", homeless guy one looks startled " where did I get this"........... This is why I lock up my bike - I don't think I can keep it safe if one of the bike thief pros wants it, but I certainly don't want some drunk homeless guy walking off with it either.

[smilingcat]

I always remove my front wheel and carry it with me.

The bike is left were I can either see it. If I can't see it then I don't go to the store.

smilingcat