Is my locking plan good enough?

[Elkman]

If you leave your bike outside of a grocery or other store do not expect to find it when you come out. It takes less than seconds to cut through any bike lock or chain or cable with a cordless cut-off tool and at less than $200 they are a cheap investment for a bike thief that will pay for itself with the first bike they steal. Even if the bike is insured you will still be without a bike until you can buy and receive a replacement.

If you do have to leave a bike unattended then best to have it as far from a parking lot as possible and use multiple chains and also rotor brake locks so the thief cannot grab it and toss it into the back of a pickup truck and leave with it.

I love the approach taken in Costa Rica where you leave your car or bike outside of a market or restaurant and there is an unofficial security person. I give the guy a couple dollars when I am leaving and he is happy and my car or bike is intact. I would happily give some parking attendant $10 to be sure my car or bike was protected while I was buying something or having a meal but we do not take this approach in the U.S. and instead the lot owners only post signs stating that they are not responsible for loss or damage to your vehicle while you are parked there.

 

[Pobidz]

I read online about bike theft, angle grinders and missing wheels, locks trending towards three digits... and then I go outside and it is bizarro world. Yesterday, two people came riding up to the pet store, saw that there were no racks, and left their bikes and helmets in a heap in an empty parking spot with no locks at all. And they were still there when they returned!

Couldn't be me, I need a chain + U-lock for peace of mind. I'm looking into theft coverage with an existing SF renters insurance policy, or potentially a personal articles policy.

 

[Formernuke]

I'm curious as to what happens if you walk the bike into the store with you.

 

[dmourati]

I'm curious as to what happens if you walk the bike into the store with you.

I’ve done it at the grocery store with no issues.

 

[rawlus]

popular wosdom is to spend 20%+ of the cost of the bike on the locking solution.

 

[indianajo]

If you leave your bike outside of a grocery or other store do not expect to find it when you come out. It takes less than seconds to cut through any bike lock or chain or cable with a cordless cut-off tool and at less than $200 they are a cheap investment for a bike thief that will pay for itself with the first bike they steal. Even if the bike is insured you will still be without a bike until you can buy and receive a replacement.

I shop off my bike 4 to 6 times a week, locking it to power poles, gas meters, cart racks. I then carry the stuff home on the bike. I tried Shipt/meijer grocery delivery Jan 2018 when my chin was broken, but they found 1/2 my order "out of stock". Too stupid to look for the product is my diagnosis. No discounts on old stock either with shipt/meijer. Amazon doesn't carry many of the foods formulated for diabetics I eat. Then twice a month I pick up drugs which has to be in person or use a delivery pharmacy costing much larger co-pays. And the language I use leaves the clerks baffled at the hardware or home store. Pointing works better, "one of those". New words for stuff all the time. Nobody has heard of a medium edison lamp base. Or a delay-on-off 120 vac relay either.
So far in 3 1/2 years I lost a taillight held on with tie-wraps, and several screws missing from the battery mount twice at a grocery store in exurban Charlestown. No attempts on my cable or lock. It is not the $12 lumos cable you buy from the bike shop or Master at the hardware. Weak link I assessed was the $15 3/8" shank Master lock, now replaced with a 1 lb Abus 92/80 15/32" shank. SS sling is a ***** to cut, especially off the ground where a cable cutter & sledge hammer won't work. Try it, you won't like it. 19 ga strands.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

popular wosdom is to spend 20%+ of the cost of the bike on the locking solution.

Such expensive locks do not exist.

 

[soyabean]

I'm curious as to what happens if you walk the bike into the store with you.

Based on my experience, every case is its own, and to each individual doing the enforcement.

A hired store security guard can ask you to leave, some do, some don't.

Going to big box stores during the day before it fills up with people finishing their day jobs is usually fine.

Franchised restaurants are fine if you eat all the way in the back, just keep a low profile and stay out of the way.

Basically you just have to try it and see if you can get away with it.

You won't get in trouble nor fined for doing it. All they can do is ask you to leave.

 

[m@Robertson]

Do a substantial, smart lock and don't be scared to spend real money for it. Do a smart job of picking where you shop. Be smart about where you leave the bike. Don't obsess over the angle grinder risk (its relatively rare) other than to use a locking scheme that makes it take too long to cut thru your lock when coupled to the location you picked. Lock to something so two guys can't pick the thing up and put it into a pickup truck and work on the lock at home.

I shop for everything on an ebike. Its what the bike was meant to do. I could use my car but then I'm robbing myself of the exercise/workout.

I also use Velosurance - only for theft loss. The Bullitt is about $30/month for $7000 in coverage.

 

[Jmedvm]

On insurance, we were able to add it to our homeowners policy for about $300/year. I also looked at velosurance but it was way more expensive.

Hmmm interesting. For me buying a used 2016 Gazelle C7 NL I could not add to homeowners because the State Farm underwriters wanted an estimate on current replacement comparable bike. No one would write one up. But if they had it was about $20/month for $4000 replacement insurance with a $300 deductible and $24/month for Velosurance with $300 deductible and they required only that I register the bike with Bike Index, send them a screen shot and photos of the bike. Velosurance also will pay for replacement of other equipment stolen with the bike (locks, panniers, racks etc). These quotes were without liability,medical etc, as my homeowners balloon liability policy covers that and I think I do not need additional medical expenses. I found out quotes are based , of course, on location as well as use but also on credit score!?

 

[Jmedvm]

Do a substantial, smart lock and don't be scared to spend real money for it. Do a smart job of picking where you shop. Be smart about where you leave the bike. Don't obsess over the angle grinder risk (its relatively rare) other than to use a locking scheme that makes it take too long to cut thru your lock when coupled to the location you picked. Lock to something so two guys can't pick the thing up and put it into a pickup truck and work on the lock at home.

I shop for everything on an ebike. Its what the bike was meant to do. I could use my car but then I'm robbing myself of the exercise/workout.

I also use Velosurance - only for theft loss. The Bullitt is about $30/month for $7000 in coverage.

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So what are you using to lock it? Thanks!

 

[Jmedvm]

I just got my used ebike and for me also like m@Robertson said “do not lock it” is not an option for me. I bought it to replace my car as much as possible and am committing to riding it to go shopping etc. I am in the Phoenix metro area, Downtown Mesa to be exact, so possibly not quite as many professional thieves around as NY but still a risk. I ordered a Kryptonite NY chain with the mini U-Lock (9/10 security on Kryptonite scale) but it is HUGE and weighs over 11 lbs! I looked in to the cinch chain with same little u-lock. My bike came with an AXA café lock and I located a plug in long chain (moderate safety) in Europe and ordered that as the secondary lock. I am now thinking of getting a stainless steel cable sling like suggested elsewhere here with the little U-Lock. Or a shorter Kryptonite cinch lock…the lock cutting lawyer suggested the Kryptonite series 4 chain with the integrated lock. They are all keyed, but the trade off in security (8/10) is worth the weight trade off he thinks. Also I will add a motion alarm and an apple Air Tag and connect it to my iPhone to trace my bike by gps should it get stolen . Someone I met suggested mounting it on the top inside of battery storage with very strong industrial double stick tape in a silicone case. This solution though depends on a couple of factors for success: the local police’s attitudes/policy for tracking devices used to recover stolen property and how quickly you can find it. Some police have policies that trying to confront someone and potentially gain access to their location may be a violation of privacy. Others will investigate and it may be days before sending an officer to help, and after like 2 days the Apple air tag will begin to emit beeps so other iPhone users can locate it to report it. This also obviously would let the thieves know the tracker was there too. The Mesa police Dept says within an hour that will show up to “accompany” you to investigate to protect safety.

 

[Ebiker01]

2-3 AIRTAGS , and Turn off their speaker.

 

[m@Robertson]

So what are you using to lock it? Thanks!

I have two setups as seen in the two pics I posted. Here is the first one (pictured immediately below): which is on the longtail, parked at Costco.

1. Pragmasis DIB long U-lock. Motorcycle grade. 16mm shaft. This goes thru one end of the chain and thru the bike frame and rear wheel. It can be attacked but not easily given its position 'inside' the bike. Thats worth a couple extra minutes just dealing with accessibility.
2. Pragmasis 13mm long link chain, 2 meters / 6.5 feet. This chain in 13mm size is pretty much bolt-cutter proof (see the attempts on Youtube). Note I cut and sealed (with flame) the cloth covering so I can turn one end into a loop. Thats why, in addition to lower weight, you want long links. The loop is used around the front wheel of the Surly and goes around the front wheel and thru and around the bike rack.
3. Lockitt.com roundlock. Used for the loop in 2. The roundlock is free-spinning and effectively impervious to even angle grinder attacks. That means you have to do two cuts thru a chain link to defeat that (independent) portion of the lock.

So this setup is effectively two independent locks along the length of a single chain.

My other setup (I have two of them for two other bikes) is plainlyu visible on the pic of the Bullitt above so I'll skip the separate picture

1. Pragmasis 11mm, 2-meter noose chain. The noose is not an independent lock but its way more convenient. Its also big chain but not enormous like the 13mm above. Thats a function of convenience as well. Its still a damn serious chain.
2. Two separate Pragmasis U locks. A long one and a medium one.

Since the Bullitt is all about daily use - and for a bike to be usable day in and day out, with multiple stops on that day, the lock has to be convenient. I can deploy the noose around the back wheel and run it up to the front wheel in short order. I can also affix the second independent lock in literally a few seconds. Removal is just as convenient. On that bike I have a bag the locks, chain and keys to into and the lock travels with the bike always. And needless to say, if I choose to, I can just use the short U lock for a quick conversion of the bike into a boat anchor if I want to.

All of this stuff is available at lockitt.com... and none of it is cheap. Worth mentioning: The Lockpicking Lawyer said "I would consider using this lock myself" regarding the DIB u-locks in his review.

 

[m@Robertson]

I am now thinking of getting a stainless steel cable

Here's the thing about cables: They can be cut thru with a simple pair of electrician's dykes. Since a big cable is a series of smaller ones, bundled, you just snip a little at a time and 20 snips later you are thru. Or just use a bigger set of snippers and its 10 snips. Or 2. Or medium bolt cutters in one. Cable bad Except to keep passersby with dodgy morals honest.

I stayed away from the Kryptonite or similar security chains with short links because of the extra weight. My long link chains are heavy bastards too, but fewer links (less metal being used to cross over and complete the links; fewer links per meter) mean less weight for a given length. So best of a bad situation. You need at the least a quality rack for a decently long chain lock.

 

[Jmedvm]

Here's the thing about cables: They can be cut thru with a simple pair of electrician's dykes. Since a big cable is a series of smaller ones, bundled, you just snip a little at a time and 20 snips later you are thru. Or just use a bigger set of snippers and its 10 snips. Or 2. Or medium bolt cutters in one. Cable bad Except to keep passersby with dodgy morals honest.

I stayed away from the Kryptonite or similar security chains with short links because of the extra weight. My long link chains are heavy bastards too, but fewer links (less metal being used to cross over and complete the links; fewer links per meter) mean less weight for a given length. So best of a bad situation. You need at the least a quality rack for a decently long chain lock.

Thank you so much! I was wondering if I could look into motorcycle locks! This is a well thought out system! I am so surprised that the E-Bike stores here selling bikes are selling really inferior locks! Maybe so far our crime scene is not as bad as NY or SF but they are selling really crappy locks and cables! I appreciate this so much. I ordered the NY cinch Kryptonite chain but seriously it’s still very heavy…..sigh. Do you know how much your setup weighs about? Or at least the chain part? Thanks for this great info. A unique solution I have not heard of and I am really researching! The lockpicking lawyer uses the Kryptonite Integrated NY lock and chain. It’s an 8/10 instead of 10/10 because he said he just can’t carry the others! But it is pretty short!

 

[m@Robertson]

Yeah remember I am locking cargo bikes with this stuff so I have carrying capacity out the wazoo. I literally don't need to care how much it weighs, although I do of course

6.5 ft (two meters) of the 11mm chain is going to come in right at about 9.3 lbs. By contrast the Kryptonite 4-ft noose lock you have weighs 11 lbs but that includes the small lock.

If instead I bought 5 feet (1.5 meters) of the long-link Pragmasis chain, that will come in at a hair under 7 lbs. There is an Abus Granit sized like the mini Kryptonite (XS67) that comes in at 1.45 lbs. So you'd get one more foot of chain and it would weigh 8.45 lbs vs. 11. That is a good indicator of how much weight you save with the longer links. You can't buy it in 4 ft lengths but the Pragmasis chain at 4.65 lbs per meter would weigh about 6 lbs in a 4 ft length. So in matching chain lengths: 7.45 lbs vs. 11.

The Abus/Pragmasis solution would cost quite a bit more though.

Use the Roundlock instead. Its 1/3 less cost, is almost unattackable and weighs less than half the Abus. I don't know exactly but I know mine is small and light by comparison. Just from holding onto the thing.

And the 'unpickable' Abus for contrast:

I don't worry about getting locks picked on the street.

 

[6zfshdb]

While locking your bike is always a good idea, regardless of the lock, you are never fully protected from the right thief with the right tools at the right time.

 

[MartsEbike]

Its good to have a plan to secure the bike when you're away. But what's your plan going to be if you're still with or on the bike when they try steal it?

So few people even consider this a possibility...

 

[Pobidz]

Its good to have a plan to secure the bike when you're away. But what's your plan going to be if you're still with or on the bike when they try steal it?

So few people even consider this a possibility...

A bikejacker is a different species from a bike thief. Definitely worth discussion, but not really what a lock addresses.