Bike security?

[DirtDiva]

I've got one of these and am yet to find something I can't lock my bike to securely with it. (My keys look different to the ones in the picture, but I'm pretty sure that other than that it's the same one - not about to run down to the garage and check.) The website does recomend it as being a lock for low-medium crime areas, but my LBS recomended it as being fine for London. My insurance company also rates it as a lock good enough for bikes valued up to £1500 (US$2700 or so), for what that's worth.

[roughingit]

The lock that I have is immune to the Bic trick, I mostly worry about the cable. Even though the brand recieved good reviews, many sites caution that cables are only deterrants. The rack in question is of a type I had never seen before now. It has these loops for both wheels welded on and the bike sits with a wheel in each loop. My bike, however, doesn't fit, so I have it lean against the wall and run the cable through one of the loopy thingies. I tried to find a pic on Google, but had no luck.

The place I am living in is actually a boarding house. It's a very nice place, but the owner was very firm on the no bikes inside rule. Right now I'm leaning towrds locking up on campus, at least there I could lock it to one of the big inverted U dealies.

Tlkiwi- The lock system I have is similar to yours, only with a higher safety rating. I haven't found anything I can't get the cable through, it's the U I'm worried about. I prefer to just have the cable as insurance for my wheels.

Huffies are stolen almost as frequently as Treks and Giants around here. Luckily my Fuji is not a popular brand, nor is it a mountain bike (more desirable to most people around here), but some people automatically assume anything with ramshorns that isn't from the seventies (and showing it) must be expensive. Locking up next to something more desirable is my normal modus operandi. At the house at, the is an unlocked Huffy next to me that could prove to be a much better target even though it looks like crud.

I like the removing a wheel idea. I take it that this would get me able to accomplish this task in a hurry? Even though it has quick release hubs, the fasteners are still pretty stiff for me to be dealing with multiple times a day.

[ladyjai]

you could only remove the wheel at night, or longer lengths. they should loosen up with use. perhaps a little lubricant might help (but don't quote me on that!)

also, move the bike around. Never lock it up in the same place every night. Jump from side to side. A bike that is noticably moving means that the owner might come out and take it for a ride, and the thieves stand a higher chance of getting caught. However, if a bike looks like it never moves, it may start losing a couple parts, then another.... etc...

[susiej]

I'll second the "move the bike" advice. The 15-year-old Nishiki was undisturbed at the suburban train station with only a Kryptonite cable lock, UNTIL I stopped riding for a month and a half. Even then , the thieves never managed to cut all the way through the cable; my husband did with a pair of bolt cutters (key was at home and he would have had to make another 40-minute round trip to get it; the hardware super-store was closer).

And, to tie with another thread, the bike was locked at the station for commuting to work. I'd bike the mile to our local station, ride out even further into the burbs, grab the bike there, and ride the 3 1/2 miles to the office. This was easier than loading a bike onto the train, although SEPTA (Philly regional rail) does allow bikes during peak hours IF you and the bike are travelling in the opposite direction of most commuters.

Good luck!

--SJ