locking up

<[email hidden]> wrote: (clip) The point is don't use a cable lock. They
can be cut instantly with a large pair of scissors, (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I use a cable, even though I am aware of what you are saying here. I use a
sturdy padlock, and for added security, I pass the lock through and around
my chain/chainring. If someone cuts the cable, he won't be able to ride the
bike until he does some more work.

Also, I could never run fast enough to catch someone riding my bike away,
but I can probably run faster than someone carrying my bike.

<[email hidden]> wrote: (clip) The first lock I cut with a dremel, took a
while. The second I popped with a crude scissor jack.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Did anyone question what you were doing? I'll bet not. I once lost my
keys, and had to cut the cable holding my motorcycle to a parking meter. I
bought a hacksaw blade and a pair of Vise-grips, and spent about twenty
minutes sawing through the cable. Not one passerby seemed even slightly
interested.

In article <[email hidden]>,

The Wogster said:

Nobody leaves for long, the longer the bike is there, the more likely
the owner is to return quickly.

I've heard/read a number of beefs about how somebody or other
left their bike locked downtown overnight, only to return and
find their ride MIA.

Quoted message said:

As for cable locks, it depends on the thickness of the cable, a 2mm
cable is going to be easy, a 20mm cable is going to be much harder to
cut, but will also be much stiffer and heavier. If you have a high end
road or mountain bike, then you want a lighter lock, but it's going to
be as strong either. A commuter or touring bike where weight is less of
a concern, go for the big lock.

I've been meaning to have a look at some of these skinny
cables used to lock up skis.

....

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

With China's insatiable appetite for scrap metal, I think
there's going to be a corresponding increase in bike thefts.
On the local TV news the other night they said scrap aluminum
is fetching $14 a pound (locally.) I guess this partly
answers the other thread about "where do all the old bikes go?"
If my prediction is correct, /all/ bikes, no matter how junk-y
they [are made to] look, will be at increased risk of theft.
So bike security is becoming an even more important issue.

Hmmm, you need to steal a lot of bikes, to make it pay well, a dope
head, looking for enough for the next hit, isn't going to have the tools
to steal a double locked bike. Heck you probably goint to make more
getting a pole, driving a spike into the end, sharpening the spike, and
with a big empty bag, go out collecting aluminum beer cans beside the
local highway.....

It would take a lot of beer cans to make a crank or handlebar.

There's lots of homeless types here pushing shopping carts along
and looking for any swag they can get. At home here, we've had
some of the aluminum gutters ripped off the garage. To these
folks, anything they can get is all grist to the mill. Yes, they
collect beer cans too. There's a dime deposit on each one (same
for liquor and wine bottles); just cash 'em in at any liquor store
or recycling depot.

If you've got any aluminum ladders, keep those locked up and
out of sight, too.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

lowkey said:

I guess what I'm wondering is if people really do have a different
experience with regard to the incidence of bike theft.

I'm on my seventh bike in three years in China.

Also lost an unlocked bike from in front of my house in college in
Chestertown, MD and an unlocked bike from _inside_ my house in
Baltimore.

I've gone the many locks route. Three on my last bike, including two
wheel immobilizers and a cable lock locking it to something. It went
missing while paying the phone bill. Three on one of my bikes in
Shijiazhuang. Including a back wheel immobilizer, a cable, and a built
in lock in the front fork. That one went missing overnight from inside
a secure compound (probably over the wall).

Now I _only_ put my bike in parking spaces with designated bike guards
_or_ someplace where I can physically see it. At my regular internet
bars this means locked up and inside the 'net bar (whether they like it
or not). The nicer restaurants have motorcycle guards who can usually
be co-opted into watching my bike. If they can't, they don't get my
business. Ever again.

-M

"lowkey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've done a little experimenting. Call it: Death Wish 2005

No kidding. :o

Quoted message said:

I stopped at a plaza with the usual teens and banished smokers hanging
out. There was a storefront pizza place where I decided to get a slice. I
left my bike unlocked leaning against the storefront but it full view and
not 4 steps from the pizza place counter where I stood. While waiting the
group of teens strolled down the plaza past me, the bike, and the pizza
place eyeing me and the bike it seemed. I made a point of making eye
contact with them and they moved on.

*shudder* That is both creepy and infuriating.

Don't you just want to go out and bash their delinquent little skulls
together?

You damn well know what was on their mind when they walked by! Grrrr...

Oooo... see? You've gone and gotten my blood pressure up now. 😉

*********

I can't afford to buy another bike if mine got stolen.
I budgeted for it - it's gotta last a few years or I'm bikeless.

I figure there are three ways to protect your bike:

1) make it SO un-appealing, theft becomes unlikely. You can actually get
"rust" acrylic paint kits at craft stores. Still, if you have even mildly
good components, as others have indicated, you could come back and find them
missing and your rusty looking frame still chained to the post

2) use multiple, high-end locks of different types. Not perfect as thieves
will eventually find a way through or just take components - plus, locks are
expensive! (A Kryptonite New York U-lock is *$150CAD* locally... crazy)
or...

3) ...the only absolute CERTAIN way to prevent theft...take your bike
where-ever you go, *never* leaving it unattended.

I used to take my touring bike with me, the top tube over my shoulder,
around malls etc.
A bit inconvenient but *nobody* - not a single store owner, security guard
or anyone complained.

These days, I have a folding bike and it pretty much gets the same
treatment, albeit it's more convenient than the full size tourer.

I've never owned a bike lock. With $26 disposable funds in my current
account, I can't afford to replace my bike. I'm not complaining - I've got
it good compared to many - but there's no way my bike leaves my side.

Wonder why folding bikes aren't as popular considering the aggregate cost of
having bikes, components and locks stolen?

A couple of thefts (nevermind the aggravation, stress, lost time,
productivity) and any extra cost between a normal bike and a decent folder
is wiped out.

<shrug>

"To each their own!" 🙂

Happy riding!
Chris

"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"lowkey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've done a little experimenting. Call it: Death Wish 2005

No kidding. :o

Quoted message said:

I stopped at a plaza with the usual teens and banished smokers hanging
out. There was a storefront pizza place where I decided to get a slice. I
left my bike unlocked leaning against the storefront but it full view and
not 4 steps from the pizza place counter where I stood. While waiting the
group of teens strolled down the plaza past me, the bike, and the pizza
place eyeing me and the bike it seemed. I made a point of making eye
contact with them and they moved on.

*shudder* That is both creepy and infuriating.

Don't you just want to go out and bash their delinquent little skulls
together?

You damn well know what was on their mind when they walked by! Grrrr...

You know damn well that you have no idea what was on their mind when they
walk by! Grrrr...

My best guess was teenage members of the opposite sex.

Sun, 26 Jun 2005 15:21:47 -0400, <[email hidden]>,

C.J.Patten said:

3) ...the only absolute CERTAIN way to prevent theft...take your bike
where-ever you go, *never* leaving it unattended.

That's not certain where you have weaponised addicts on the street.
--
zk

Quoted message said:

lowkey wrote in part:

The point is don't use a cable lock. They can be cut
instantly with a large pair of scissors, essentially, that
anybody can get at a hardware store.

Depends on the thickness of the cable, a cable that is say, 1mm thick,
can probably be snapped easily, certainly cut with cable cutters. The
thicker the cable, the harder it is to cut, but the lock is heavier.
Most cable locks are less then 10mm (3/8"😉. A 15mm (5/8"😉 cable would
take a lot more to cut. One thing with padlock based cable locks, is
that the cable needs to fill the U part of the padlock. If you can't
get anything in there thicker then the U shaped part of the lock, then
you can't jack the lock, you need to cut the lock, which may not be easy.

No bike is 100% safe, the idea is to slow the thief down, to the point
where it's not worth the risk to attempt it. Most bike thefts are still
crimes of opportunity. Don't want your headlight to disappear, get a
good soldering iron, heat up the screw near the end, and add a drop of
solder. I suppose a good hot-melt glue might work just as well, the
idea is to make it hard to remove the headlight without taking a lot of
time.

A determined, professional thief, will get your ride no matter what you
do. So some things to look out for:

1) Going to the movies, go to the mall, because theives don't know where
you have gone, the show or just a single store, and it's hard to know
when your going to return.

2) Park in public areas, preferably within view, this way you can see
when your bike is being attacked.

3) Use the strongest lock you can afford to use, it's all balances, the
stronger the lock, the heavier the lock, but riding a 5lb lighter bike,
with a 10lb heavier lock, defeats the purpose.

4) If locking up at work, you can get a very heavy lock, that you leave
at work, take a break on occassion, and check your bike, vary the
frequency and number of visits each day. Ask security if you can park
the bike where they can keep an eye on it.

5) See if there is a bicycle registration program with local police, if
there is, then register your bike. If there isn't keep a detailed
description handy, update it whenever you change anything, include any
and all serial numbers. In both cases, it makes reporting a theft much
easier.

6) Report any theft to police, sometimes joyriders steal a bike to go
somewhere, then abandon it, if the police locate it, it can be returned
to you.

7) Never leave a bike unattended, for any length of time....

8) Lobby local and provincial/state governments to increase the
penalties for bike theft. Since a bicycle has a much wider range then a
person on foot, it can be a real safety issue to lose one. Also, to
provide better and more secure bicycle parking....

W