Bike lock(s), etc.

I've read about college cyclists keeping their road bikes in the dorm room. I think it'll be tough depending on how big of a room you get, and how many people you share it with. you might want to experiment with some sort of hanging system, maybe actually have the bike hang on it's side up against the ceiling so that it is out of the way. Ropes and pulleys to get it up there. 🙂

Also depends on what your roommates are like... They might not like having a bike in the room.

I've never invested in a "good" lock before, just enough to keep the random folks from borrowing my bike without asking between classes... So I'll pass on recommending anything.

keydates said:

I'm going to college soon, and plan to bring my bikes: Giant Boulder SE (for getting to classes) and OCR Elite (for riding with the cycling team/club).

While I'd hate to have either one of them stolen, I'm especially concerned about the latter one, since I did pay more than $1,000 for it. However, I don't think it would be convenient to leave it at home (except for maybe over the winter), even though the distance isn't more than 20 miles.

The big questions are:

1. What bike lock(s) should I get? I have a cable lock. I'm looking for a U-lock, but may also get the Master Lock cuffs for the $3,000 anti-theft warranty. Which U-locks have at least a $2,000 anti-theft warranty?

2. Does anybody have suggestions on how to secure my bikes (or at least the OCR) in the dorm room?

My recollection (and it's been a long time since I was in college) is that bicycles are frequently stolen regardless of how safely they are secured. As a rule-of-thumb, I am not comfortable leaving my bicycles locked-up for long periods of time in a location away from my presence. It's an invitation to a thief. Where do member of the cycling team/club keep their bikes? Can you store your road bike with them?

keydates said:

I'm going to college soon, and plan to bring my bikes: Giant Boulder SE (for getting to classes) and OCR Elite (for riding with the cycling team/club).

While I'd hate to have either one of them stolen, I'm especially concerned about the latter one, since I did pay more than $1,000 for it. However, I don't think it would be convenient to leave it at home (except for maybe over the winter), even though the distance isn't more than 20 miles.

The big questions are:

1. What bike lock(s) should I get? I have a cable lock. I'm looking for a U-lock, but may also get the Master Lock cuffs for the $3,000 anti-theft warranty. Which U-locks have at least a $2,000 anti-theft warranty?

2. Does anybody have suggestions on how to secure my bikes (or at least the OCR) in the dorm room?

I have biked on college campuses for 20 years (first as a student and now as university faculty) and every place I have been, bike theft on campus is a problem.

My suggestions:

Get a two sets of locks (one for each bike): a high quality U-lock to secure the frame and rear wheel and a cable to lock the front wheel to the frame (I have had a wheel stolen before that wasn't locked-and on a second occasion an attempted theft was thwarted by the cable lock. I found the wheel disengaged from the frame, the quick release stolen, but the wheel still there secured with the cable). The $100 or so for locks is cheaper than a new bike. The Master lock cuffs work fine but are heavy and harder to carry around campus than a U-lock.

Krytonite locks offer from a $500-$3000 warranty depending on the model. I have a Kryptonite that has served me well since 1987. They had a recall on 1998-2004 tubular key locks so if you get one of theirs, get one of the new ones that does NOT use a tubular key. Master offers $1000-4000 on their locks depending on the model.

Keep the road bike in the dorm room if possible-it will get beat up if you lock it to a rack in a common storage area-even indoors. If the university doesn't allow storage in the dorm room, lock your bikes next to each other in the designated storage area with your good bike in a corner or against a wall and your cheap bike on the outside of it like a shield so other people don't bash their cheap campus commuter bikes against yours in the rack. The mountain bike can probably get locked someplace a little less protective since it will get beat up a bit anyway as a commuter.

For your dorm room, look at Nashbar or Performance or your local shop for rack systems that allow you to rack the bike off of the floor but that do not require drilling the wall-you should be able to get something for less than $100. If you can't afford one, pirate the design and make your own out of wood. My dad and I made our own cheap rack out of two-by-fours when I was a student, and I used it for almost 8 years. Even if you can keep your bike in your dorm room, you should still lock it to whatever you have it racked to in order to discourage the casual walk-by theft that can happen if the dorm room in open or unlocked even for just a few minutes.

I have only one room-mate, for the poster that sort of asked.

Furthermore, I agree that it would be a good idea to ask the (older) members of the cycling club where and how they secure their bikes.

Anyway, thanks for the information. Are there other suggestions for making a bike less inviting to thieves? My sister had a mountain bike similar to mine which was stolen (partly due to a mistake of hers)...which serves as a reminder that even a relatively low-quality bike will be stolen if the opportunity provides.

keydates said:

I have only one room-mate, for the poster that sort of asked.

Furthermore, I agree that it would be a good idea to ask the (older) members of the cycling club where and how they secure their bikes.

Anyway, thanks for the information. Are there other suggestions for making a bike less inviting to thieves? My sister had a mountain bike similar to mine which was stolen (partly due to a mistake of hers)...which serves as a reminder that even a relatively low-quality bike will be stolen if the opportunity provides.

Even in the tightest dorm room, there's room for a bike or two. Junior year, I had to climb over mine to get in and out of bed, but it fit. As for the one outside, clean and shiny is bad. Pick up a can each of the nastiest spray paint colors you can find and go crazy. Finish it off with some bumper stickers and random patches of duct tape. Also, ditch the QR skewers and get bolt ons. They're a lot cheaper than new wheels.

I doubt theft will be a problem from your dorm room, but storage may be. Those wall racks for apartments are probably a good idea.

I recommend (and use) two locks - a cable lock and a U-lock. The cable lock should have its own padlock, don't lock it with just the U-lock. Both the cable and U-lock should get at least one wheel and the frame locked to something immovable. The tool to break a U-lock is very different from the tool to break a cable lock so by making a potential thief use two tools and take twice as long to steal your bike, you've provided the best protection and only a very determined, professional thief who wants YOUR bike more than any of the other 100's of bikes there will go to the hassle.

I believe most professional thieves park a van near where the bikes are parked, walk up to the bikes with their cutter or pry bar hidden in a coat or bag, cause some kind of distraction in the other direction, and get the bike into the van as quickly as possible. If I'm right, there's also a big advantage in parking in the spot farthest away from any automobile parking areas, in the center of a rack where other bikes will surround your own making it difficult to use their tools.

Nothing is 100% though - when I was in college I had a front wheel stolen from my bike while it was parked in front of the campus police office! (I developed my current locking strategy at that time).