You've just spend a lot of money on a new bike, or you feel rather sentimentally attached to your old beater, either way you want to do everything you can to keep in in your possession.
Just a note, this won't work in an extremely high crime area, if you live in a place where people are willing to strip the parts off your bike, don't let it out of your sight. If your lucky enough to live in a city where you can just leave your bike unlocked, then you probably live in a city with more cows than people. For those moderate crime areas, this should work.
There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding here. People keep on recommending better locks under the assumption that they are harder to break. Any lock can be broken, but if the thief has the time to take a car jack out and spend the ten minutes prying it open, its your fault for leaving your bike there.
People also suggest doing things like rounding off all the screws on your bike, or filling them with epoxy. Good idea until it breaks and you can't remove it.
The safest place for your bike is under your legs, short of that, by your side. At least within your sight. Locks, no matter how nice, will only help so much.
Just a note, this won't work in an extremely high crime area, if you live in a place where people are willing to strip the parts off your bike, don't let it out of your sight. If your lucky enough to live in a city where you can just leave your bike unlocked, then you probably live in a city with more cows than people. For those moderate crime areas, this should work.
There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding here. People keep on recommending better locks under the assumption that they are harder to break. Any lock can be broken, but if the thief has the time to take a car jack out and spend the ten minutes prying it open, its your fault for leaving your bike there.
People also suggest doing things like rounding off all the screws on your bike, or filling them with epoxy. Good idea until it breaks and you can't remove it.
The safest place for your bike is under your legs, short of that, by your side. At least within your sight. Locks, no matter how nice, will only help so much.
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Signing UpStep 1: Evaluate your bike
This is hard, take a step back and forget how much you love that hunk of steel or aluminum, and try to actually evaluate its worth.
Some hints:
If its not made out of steel or aluminum, its likely worth a lot.
triple butted anything, expensive
Carbon fiber anything, expensive
If it even thinks words like 'Campy' or Dura-Ace, its worth a lot.
Anything handmade (you don't count)
If your bike really is worth that much, and not just to you, the best and only way to ensure it doesn't get stolen is to never let it out of your site. Take it into your house with you at night and keep it next to your bed.
Otherwise you will probably be fine leaving it outside overnight.
Then again, if you couldn't bear to part with it, inside is always best.
Some hints:
If its not made out of steel or aluminum, its likely worth a lot.
triple butted anything, expensive
Carbon fiber anything, expensive
If it even thinks words like 'Campy' or Dura-Ace, its worth a lot.
Anything handmade (you don't count)
If your bike really is worth that much, and not just to you, the best and only way to ensure it doesn't get stolen is to never let it out of your site. Take it into your house with you at night and keep it next to your bed.
Otherwise you will probably be fine leaving it outside overnight.
Then again, if you couldn't bear to part with it, inside is always best.
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I make custom bikes and I use hardened steel rods for trikes and I also use a 7 foot logging chain to go threw all tires and frame and around a light post. I use a stainless steel abus discus lock with S. Steel inserts that can not be drilled with basic bits.
I avoid solid locks like brass that have a plate on he side that with a light tap of a screw driver will expose the pins that can then be dumped out. Some big solid looking ones have a plate holding the locking mechanism in place, A small file notching the rivet and it can be unscrewed with a screwdriver dumping out he goods and then opened. I can brake a master combination lock open in less than 30 seconds with a fork. Two large screwdrivers put threw a shackle can open almost any lock faster than if you had the key. Most lock have a hardened shackle but the locking pin that holds it is aluminum or zink and takes nothing to brake. I have tools that can open just about any lock you can think of. A big U-lock can be opened in about 45 seconds. the way that I lock up my bikes can be broken in about an hour or maybe 30 minutes if you were me. Remember this: LOCKS ONLY KEEP HONEST PEOPLE HONEST. Your job is to slow them down or have them move onto anothers bike that the owner just doesn't care about. If you spend $1000.00 or more on a bike and buy the cheapest lock then you are STUPID.People put money in banks to keep it safe. Spending around $50 and you may just be able to find your bike when you get back.
If your bike oes get pinched then there is a way that you could get it back. Go buy yourself a Low-Jack for your bike. Some pet stores sell a GPS device that attaches to your dogs coller and it's battery will last for 72 hours when charged. Buy this then change the battery so that it will last all year long then intall in th frame while using the fram8e as the antenia. get online with the collers supplied website and go film the Police aresting them then post on you tube.
I have a new bike now [worth more than i care to say] and i Installed a Lojack system in the 'Gas Tank' on the top tube. I'll know where it is [within 3 feet of it's location] in 5 minutes. Can't beat that.
my rottweiler is well enough trained that if i lock his chain to my bike and tell him to sit, he wont do a damned thing till i get back. that is, of course, unless someone causes any movement to his chain...
havent needed to search for a bike rack in 5 years. best theft deterrent EVAR
Bendog38
Then again-you get what to pay for. If you have a really good u-lock,chances are it'll be ok.
Since I live just outside of town, how do I get the folks in the city to listen to someone living just outside of city limits to get more bike racks?
U-Lock Madness
He stole the bike, the locks and the bike stand.
A truly ambitious bikenapper.
She's getting into sprint triathalons. She needed a road bike as the mountain bike simply put her at a huge disadvantage. She found her Nishiki and was immediately a lot faster. She had the tires swapped out for true road tires and gained even more speed. It's pretty fast for what it is. She's still building skill and power, so it's plenty of bike for her right now. In fact, she's beating a lot of folks, in all age groups, with bikes priced in the multi-thousand dollar range. Next step is to add tri-bars.