Lock 'em Up: Looking for Peace of Mind

February 28, 2012

After reading a lot of dire warnings about bicycle theft in Europe (particularly Netherlands) we were really wondering if not being able to leave the bikes at all would spoil the trip. We really enjoy going in to stores together, not to mention museums and historical sites.

Part of our discomfort was not having a strategy for what locks we would carry and how we would deploy them. The best locks are of course also the heaviest, and we just couldn't bring ourselves to carrying 10-15 pounds of iron to feel we could both go in to buy an ice cream somewhere. But if not that, what is the answer?

Last year we used lightweight puny locks, reasoning that almost anything would stop the opportunistic thief and that nothing would stop the professional. This year, our stuff is worth more and we will be further from home. We just could not go with the $4.99 dealy.

At Clever Cycles we looked at some mid-way options:

This lock is similar to a U lock, but is built from movable links like a chain. It folds to be more compact than a U and resists attack from jacks, Costs about $80 though.

This is the lock standardly found on bikes in Netherlands. It keeps the bike from being pedaled but does not attach to a bike rack. It normally sits at the seat stay where it is permanently installed.

This cable is metal clad, so it takes both a hack saw and a bolt cutter to defeat. The hope is that impoverished bike thieves will not own both tools.

But in the end we decided on middle of the road Kryptonite U locks. We have yet to figure out exactly where to apply these to the Bike Fridays, but we plan to put the bikes end to end and secure them to each other. They will make a bulky package then to try to throw in a truck. We also now have a medium thick, not metal clad, cable to secure the whole mess to a bike rack. That means a would be thief will need tools to break the U locks and a bolt cutter for the cable. We also have replaced the front wheel quick releases with bolts that take a 5 mm hex key. This is not nearly as secure a the Pit lock or systems like it, but at least the thief now needs yet another tool.

Our middle of the road solution. Total weight: 6 pounds. We might still add a padlock for the cable. If not, the U locks will secure the cable. Not shown are some very thin cables that we plan to run through the panniers. We will always take our handlebar bags with us, but could gamble on the main panniers for a few minutes at a time.

These locks may or may not do the trick for us, but we do feel much more at ease now that we have settled on which ones to take.

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	2

Mike AylingSteve,
Are you still using all those locks?

Mike
Reply to this comment
6 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Mike AylingWe decided after this trip that the U Locks were too heavy, and we went all the way in the other direction, to two little cables and padlocks from the Dollar Store. You could just about snip them with a scissors. The idea there was that a real thief could probably break anything, so all we wanted to deter was an opportunistic kid. But still, we were too nervous, so for most trips we just never left the bikes unattended. That produced many interesting conversations, as I was commonly left outside churches and grocery stores with the bikes, and passers by stopped to chat. Another consequence was that we would only go to restaurants where we could sit with or in sight of the bikes.

Finally, when Dodie got her Dutch bike this year it came with the Abus type lock pictured above. The lock also has an accessory chain that uses the same key, plugs into the Abus ring, and can head out to grab a railing or bike rack. I was then so jealous of Dodie's bike that I went out and bought at least an Abus chain like hers for the Friday. They say these chains can not be cut with a bolt cutter, so the thief needs a battery powered grinder. Even so, we are still loath to leave the bikes. This year we did chance it once - when we took the little tourist train in Colmar. When we came back, the bikes were completely unmolested. Just lucky?
Reply to this comment
6 years ago