Securing a bike / theft

[rannyv]

I love me e-bike and ride in a pretty big city (Portland, OR) but sometimes I don't feel comfortable taking it on errands because I worry about theft. If not theft of the entire bike, theft of seats, seat posts, tools, panniers, etc. I have plenty of locks and know how to lock a bike, but having to secure the seat and remove all vulnerable bits (tools, panniers, lights . . . ) can be a bit tedious, especially at each stop. And all these locks can be pretty heavy. The consequence is I don't always take the bike even when I want to.

I had a small, folding bike and that was great because it could be folded up and taken with me. I've never had a bike stolen in many years of riding and I attribute much of that luck to my "don't let it out of your site" philosophy.

I'd love to hear others' experiences and solutions to this concern - especially those who use the bike for commuting, errand running and general car replacement. What is you light weight, un-complicated solution to bike security? Maybe it's locks. Or maybe something else.

 

[Over50]

I am a multi-lock and cable guy but for my commuters I have at least found ways to reduce the burden. For the seat post I use security bolts (no quick release). I think the brand I have is Specialized. For the saddle bolts, I purchased security bolts from Fortified Bike. Fortified also has the locking seat post clamps. So at least on my commuters I only cable the front wheel and don't worry about the seatpost and saddle. Since my commuters have front suspension, there isn't a way for me to mount a cafe lock (which would be ideal). But for my commuters when they are locked all day I still have to use plenty of hardware. I'll have two solid locks (Abus Bordo and Abus Granite X Plus u-lock) and a cable for the front tire.

For quick grocery runs where I don't leave the bike alone very long I carry a cable that I can throw around a pole and then use my Abus lock to lock the rear wheel/frame and cable. But I usually don't secure the front tire on quick stops.

On my Tern GSD, I did just install an Abus cafe lock on the front wheel so that eliminates one cable I have to carry. But I still have to cable the saddle since that bike really needs to have a quick release seat post.

Unfortunately with so many vulnerable parts and bikes being pretty easy for thieves to make off with, there aren't too many options apart from hauling hardware. Insurance is the last part of my security strategy. I hate the thought of not using my bikes to their fullest because of fear of theft. So my attitude has been one of take reasonable precautions but expect that eventually the bike thief might get me.

 

[rannyv]

@Over50 - So you are using insurance as well? I priced it and it was, as I recall, around $50 / month for my $4700 bike. I was looking for a small cargo bike for errands and have actually considered some of the cheaper ones to lesson the concern about theft. But I've tried a Benno Boost and that one is reasonably small and still rides well with 24" x 2.6" tires. But at around 4K, that doesn't fit my definition of a cheap bike.

I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and secure some of the seatpost, panniers (they aren't easy to remove) and carry the locks.

I am currently job hunting and a bike friendly work place gets bonus points. Fortunately, most tech companies have lots of cyclists and are bike friendly. One local company I visited even had a shop for bikes.

 

[Dionigi]

Like Over50 I use multiple locks, the bikes have the Abus cafe lock built in which I use in conjunction with it’s plugin chain. Also used is the Abus Granit xplus 540 with a cable to secure the front wheel and Hexloxs for the stem, seat post and saddle. In addition I use the Sherlock GPS tracker.

 

[Riversurf]

I love me e-bike and ride in a pretty big city (Portland, OR) but sometimes I don't feel comfortable taking it on errands because I worry about theft. If not theft of the entire bike, theft of seats, seat posts, tools, panniers, etc. I have plenty of locks and know how to lock a bike, but having to secure the seat and remove all vulnerable bits (tools, panniers, lights . . . ) can be a bit tedious, especially at each stop. And all these locks can be pretty heavy. The consequence is I don't always take the bike even when I want to.

I had a small, folding bike and that was great because it could be folded up and taken with me. I've never had a bike stolen in many years of riding and I attribute much of that luck to my "don't let it out of your site" philosophy.

I'd love to hear others' experiences and solutions to this concern - especially those who use the bike for commuting, errand running and general car replacement. What is you light weight, un-complicated solution to bike security? Maybe it's locks. Or maybe something else.

You are one among many who have struggled with this dilemma. You might get something useful from taking a look at this thread on the EBR website: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/if-you-had-to-choose-one-lock.24359/#post-160515.

If I were to choose one lock, it would probably be one of the ABUS Bordo line, combined with some secondary security for the wheels. But as you say, all that security gets heavy fast, it's a bit of a hassle to snap on and off a bunch of securiy when all you want is some Ben & Jerry's.

At first, I did lots of research about locks; I, too, had hoped to take my ebike on errands, but I haven't because of the same theft concerns you have. My head started spinning from all the advice and information. My takeaway was that every bike lock can be either picked, broken by brute force, or cut with a grinder (Want to see some interesting lock breaking/picking, see: The lock-picking lawyer on YouTube. Eventually, I'll get around to a system that gives me enough piece of mind to leave my bike outside a grocery store, etc. But for now, I only use my bike to commute (because I can keep it in my office) and on fun runs, where I never leave it alone.

Probably too much worrying, but in my town bike theft is rampant (college town), though I doubt there are gangs of bike thieves running around with angle grinders. There are in some places. Good luck, let us know which direction you go.

 

[Over50]

@Over50 - So you are using insurance as well?....

Yes, I'm paying for the Velosurance on all four bikes. As the bikes hit several years of age I might drop them. The problem with the homeowners I found (as told by both USAA and Farm Bureau) is that they would only cover theft and damage if transporting on my vehicle (car crash only). But they wouldn't cover damage if I had a crash or was hit by a car on my commute. I figured that is the most likely scenario for me after theft.

I did forget to mention a couple of things. I was able to get a pannier lock for my Riese and Muller. Using the Racktime compatible panniers. So if there is a locking pannier/rack option that is a good way to minimize theft of your bags. I have been leaving my panniers on my Riese and Muller while at work and so far they haven't gone missing.

And when I've commuted on my Terns, I've used a cover to help keep the components from walking away. Those bikes are small and if you drop the handleposts they are quite easy to cover with a small pvc cover. I'm using a Covrir which has latches and loops for locking the cover.

 

[rannyv]

Excellent suggestions. Thank you!

 

[Dynamo Dan]

Riversurf and Over50 have the right idea. An Abus Granit X Plus D lock or Abus Bordo with a good thick cable should do the job. Use them everytime you leave your bike unattended. Don't get lazy or compromise on expense. Let other people do that. They will be the one's that get their bike stolen, not you.
Court did a great video on the subject. Invest 3 minutes to watch it.

 

[indianajo]

I go every where. I spent 3 days at the World fest in downtown Louisville Labor Day weekend. I locked my bike to the rail on the river on the bike path and rode up the elevator to the Bellevedier. No problem.
I lock my bike frame and power wheel to poles (8' minimum) or gas meters using a Master 1/4"X6' cable and a grade 10 lock. I changed the quick release on the seat out to allen bolt & nut, and changed the quick release on the front axle to a 5" long bolt and nut. I cage the battery in an aluminum frame and bolt it to the rack with elastic lock nuts, which are a nuisance to remove. Once when I went to hear a pipe organ in a neighborhood with lots of apartments full of twenty-somethings, I had the tire knifed but nothing was stolen. I passed two bikes missing seats and front wheels chained to poles on the way home that day, the Sunday after Derby.
Once at a church that feeds the indigent, on meal day, I had the rear light stolen by cutting the tie wraps. I use #6 x 1 1/2 screws and lock nuts now. Only a $16 light, but hard to find in red (lots of blue ones at the store).
The air pump I carry is a $23 Schwinn from the grocery store (the foot pump) and the tools are in a pink grade school pencil box secured with velcro. Beneath the contempt of any self respecting thief.
There are not enough e-bikes in our town to create a market for used e-bikes. I've seen 3 so far besides mine. There is an organized ring with a van stealing scooters. They cut the hinges off the storage shed across the street, also cut through the chain link fence, to get one. I slept right through the noise of the grinder. If a bike theft ring gets organized, my defense is that a messy kit installed on a dirty $1200 cargo bike is harder to sell than a nice looking standard cycle. At 7' long with the extra racks, my cargo bike is too hard to haul without disassembly. My battery wrapped in aluminum and foam and screwed on , see picture here https://electricbikereview.com/foru...est-your-battery-befor-30-days-expires.25134/ is too weird looking to even be identified.
From 1966-2016 I used a 3/16" chain and lock to secure my bike to poles and trees. Easily cut with a bolt cutter; nobody ever did. The first 30 years I used a $3 school combination lock with the plastic dial, easily smashed with a hammer. Nobody ever did. The bike I rode was never the fashionable one. I didn't get a derailleur shifter until 1982; before that I had Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hubs. Before that a Bendix 2 speed hub shifted by the pedals. That one got stolen in 1966, no chain at all. The wrong thing doesn't get stolen as often. Seats & wheels are stolen as vandalism, not because anybody ever uses or resells them. Probably my stolen cruiser was dumped in a yard an hour later. Just, whose yard?