Yes, my seat was stolen to me years ago. I parked right outside the subway and when I got there I had the bike, but no seat. From that day on I always lock my seat too.
How easily does your seat come off? Is it just with a lever or do you need a spanner? Mine is screwed on pretty tightly, it's enough of a bother for me when I want to adjust the seat. If somebody goes to all the trouble to undo that then they're more than welcome to it :P ah well, one more thing to worry about locking up I guess.
There is a simple solution for that here in Colombia. You never have to worry about your bike being stolen as there are private "parqueaderos" here. You simply drive your bike into a parking lot and it will be guarded 24/7. Outside every supermarket, and in nearly every street, you will find people who will watch your precious bike for a few pesos. Many people depend on these "jobs", and it is an economy in itself. My favorite is the "Pablo Segundo Parqueadero" , Pope John Paul II Parking Lot. Who would ever dare and steal anything from a place that is protected by a Pope? 😉
There is a simple solution for that here in Colombia. You never have to worry about your bike being stolen as there are private "parqueaderos" here. You simply drive your bike into a parking lot and it will be guarded 24/7. Outside every supermarket, and in nearly every street, you will find people who will watch your precious bike for a few pesos. Many people depend on these "jobs", and it is an economy in itself. My favorite is the "Pablo Segundo Parqueadero" , Pope John Paul II Parking Lot. Who would ever dare and steal anything from a place that is protected by a Pope? 😉
Wow that actually sounds really handy! I know friends who've had bikes stolen despite multiple locks etc., they would kill for a service like that 🙂
Just today a guy entered in my office with a bike seat on the hand so guess what, he felt safer bringing it with him than leaving it there, it's just the way it goes.
Just today a guy entered in my office with a bike seat on the hand so guess what, he felt safer bringing it with him than leaving it there, it's just the way it goes.
Some bikes have those quick-release levers for that purpose. I've also seen people detaching their front wheels and either locking them to the back one or carrying it with them in order to deter thieves. I just have a big heavy chain to lock my bike to things and I haven't had any problems (well, one of my lights got nicked once, but that was my fault for leaving it on in the first place)
Yep, they are easy for us to remove them, but at the same time they are easy to be stolen as well, that is why I would prefer to have them better fixed than like that. The same with the wheels.
If I were able to commute to work, I wouldn't be at all afraid to leave my bike chained outside the building, there are ample places I could do that, although no bike racks per se. Safe, definitely, I could also just bring it into my office and stick it in the corner. Either way would work. What really prevents me is I don't have a place to take a shower and change, and it is about 15 miles from home - and I have a white collar job, so it wouldn't go over well with my boss or clients if I smelled like a dead hog on the side of a Texas highway in July.
While I don't have a white collar job like you, I do commute 17 miles and have not had any issues with stinking when I arrive at work (actually been told I smell like a fresh breeze by a couple people). During the summer I intend to keep some shower pills in my panniers just in case...here's some interesting stuff on commuting myths here: bicyclecentreseverett.combike commuting excuse busters pg328.htmOpen ↗
My biggest problem is when I have the bike on the truck rack, and need to run in somewhere. There is no way to lock the bike to the car!
Quite lucky to have a storage room at work! If I had the possibility I would consider bringing mine more often because we've had quite a few thefts here were I work.
Parking have always been a great trouble any wheee you go. I do believe one should be really careful while deciding where to park. It is always good to pay and park.
Parking have always been a great trouble any wheee you go. I do believe one should be really careful while deciding where to park. It is always good to pay and park.
I live in an area where there are about 15 different cities within a small radius. I bike in various parts of the county, and certain areas aren't too kind to people that leave their bikes unsecured or with stealable parts outside. Otherwise, I secure my bikes anyways, so it doesn't matter where I'm at. I'm not going to assume that nothing is going to happen to my bicycles, no matter where I am.
Back in college is use to see a lot of bike tires that were attached to a lamp post with a security chain. Apparently, people had been stealing the bike but leaving the tire and taking the rest of the bike. Whatever part is unsecured, someone will find a way to take it. Rule of thumb is, park it in a secure location, and bolt up every removable piece and use secure chains.
You have to realize that for some people this is what they do for a living. Stealing other peoples stuff is an artform. Years of practice goes into it. Some professional theifs will pull up with a truck with a lift, and have proper company attire, and they look legit. They pull up with bolt cutter and snip your safety chain and roll you bike right on the trick and take off. In america this would look suspicious. In a third world country, people would be scared to say anything in fear.
Fear of reprisal. That seems to be the case overseas. No police protection here. Just basic thug like actions and reprisals. "you say anything I kill you".
In my area, you have to chain your bike to a pole that has something on top of it so that your bike cannot be lifted. However, if you do that, your bike should be safe and no parts should be salvaged other people. Not even easy to remove parts like seat and tire. I had an experience losing my bike because I tied it to a 6 foot pole with nothing on top of it so the bike can be lifted over the pole. Now, it has been more than 5 years without any incident once I know to secure my bike in a stationary pole with some obstruction on top of it.
