Where can you lock up your bike near stores

[mikeschn]

The only bike I'd park at my local supermarket is a $99 Cranbrook. If someone really needs that, they can have it. But they'll have to cut through a chain.

I saw this parked in front of the supermarket yesterday, sans chain. I wonder if it disappeared???

 

[PedalUma]

I honestly bring a lock with me about once per year. I seldom walk out of sight of a bike. If I do I will park in front of a bike shop that has its doors propped open and techs right there. There are three bike shops in my little downtown within two blocks of each other. My bikes look highly unusual and identifiable. The ones I use most are very well known. I rented a bike a couple of weeks ago and the guy was almost mobbed and tackled several times over two days. He would beg people to call me. Another security factor is having a super clean bike. Some people associate bikes with being less than and dirty. If it looks really nice, you can take it in with you. Also I ride bikes that would not fit 95% of people. I can turn the battery off or put it in a pannier. These things are working for me so far.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

This article, Public Bike Racks, at the Cycling Independent, discusses a critical factor in the adoption of bicycling. Can you safely lockup your bike at your destination?

At the train station? At your job? At the store? At the cafe at ride’s end?

What’s your experience?

if your locality has done a good job, what factors contributed to the successful implementation of pubic racks? Do you have suggestions on reaching out to local governments or developers?

In my small town, I only bike the same three or four places and all have suitable locking or are very low traffic areas and quick stops so I just run in and don’t sweat my bike like the coffee shop and butcher. Park inside at my office which is great! Not so much in the big city I used to live in, we had one lock cut and bike stolen and knew a lot of friends who had bikes stolen too pretty frequent. My wife got a nice chain lock after her bike was stolen. I still use a cheap cafe lock that could be cut in 30 seconds.

 

[Dave Rocks]

I don't even lock my bike.

I just put a couple of these magnets on the frame and no one messes with it.

 

[PedalUma]

Someone pointed out the the diameter of a seatpost is about the same as a rocksalt shotgun.

 

[Taylor57]

Lately, the only place I stop is a few taverns and restaurants and the owners let me bring it inside. I still activate the annoyingly loud alarm just in case. I have locked it up a few times but when it was out of sight I was uneasy. I don't want to try and collect on my Kryptonite warranty

 

[BEC111]

I don't even lock my bike.

I just put a couple of these magnets on the frame and no one messes with it.

Where’d you get the magnets?

 

[Taylor57]

Where’d you get the magnets?

I think that was in jest...

 

[Dave Rocks]

The magnets are made in photoshop.

Not Real. I was joking around.

A magnet wouldn't attach to an aluminum frame.
but you can print on vinyl and make them decals.

I did knock off the red decal (in the pic below) printed off a couple
and stuck them on my bike. (Not my bikes in the pic.).

 

[BEC111]

I knew it was a joke. After all, ”The Bicycle Thief” probably can’t comprehend “carcinogenic“.

 

[Cowlitz]

I was surprised to not find a bike rack at the grocery store in the western themed town to the west of here. I locked my bike to a bench in front of the store. My not a cable lock would not go around the pillars. It is a town that caters to athletic tourists but there is no bike rack at the grocery!

Back in my area, Home Depot puts racks of plants, or barbecues, or whatever they want to display against their bike rack, and I have complained about that, but I now ride my bike into the store and use the cafe lock. I do not live in a hotbed of crime. Walmart has a bike rack to the side of the store that is pretty exposed to being seen and the employees park their motorcycles in that area. I was nervous one time when a couple of tweakers were sitting on a bench there and trying to find out how much I paid for my bike. I mentioned this to one of the motorcycle parking employees, and the bench is now gone.

Safeway moved their bike rack to where it will be a problem for a wheelchair to get around. They've also removed chairs and tables they had outside of their store. It was the place for the tweakers to charge up their phones.

There's another big store where I park my bike inside. They told me to do that a few years ago. I put the cafe lock on there also.

Back to Home Depot. I have this strong urge to just ride my bike around inside their store. I wonder if I could get away with it?

 

[Cowlitz]

Oh, and the "downtown" part of this little cow town I live in has some definitely designer made bike posts--they aren't really racks, that aren't really very practical. It's too scary to ride there anyway and I've never seen a bike using them. I have seen bikes locked instead, to trees and lampposts.

 

[Nvreloader]

Back in my area, Home Depot puts racks of plants, or barbecues, or whatever they want to display against their bike rack, and I have complained about that, but I now ride my bike into the store and use the cafe lock.

Cowlitz
What are you calling "a Cafe lock"? I have never heard of that term before.
Tia,
Don

 

[tomjasz]

Cafe lock

The Best Cafe Bike Locks for 2022 - Bike Shepherd

Sometimes, a biker like you needs to stop for a cup of coffee, lunch, or an afternoon beverage. But, it is not all the time that you can keep an eye on your bike. Today, ... Read more

www.bikeshepherd.org

 

[Cowlitz]

Cowlitz
What are you calling "a Cafe lock"? I have never heard of that term before.
Tia,
Don

Gazelle bikes come with them built in. Its a little bar that slides between the wheel spokes and keeps the rear wheel from turning. I understand that there is a youtube video on how to break them and have read about Gazelles being stolen after the owner left the bike with only the cafe lock activated. I feel secure using it when parking in stores and for quick runs inside some places. I live in a small town where the criminals are not very sophisticated.

https://www.gazellebikes.com/en-us/blog/ebike-security

 

[ElevenAD]

I also use movment sensor alarms if im shopping in a big store where the bike is out of view. The cruiser in my avatar has 2, one is built into the light under the seat and there is another in the handlebar bag so if someone moves the bike the annoying alarms should make them think twice before touching the locks. I think they cost me around 20bucks on Amazon, peanuts compared to the price of a new bike!

 

[Taylor57]

I also use movment sensor alarms if im shopping in a big store where the bike is out of view. The cruiser in my avatar has 2, one is built into the light under the seat and there is another in the handlebar bag so if someone moves the bike the annoying alarms should make them think twice before touching the locks. I think they cost me around 20bucks on Amazon, peanuts compared to the price of a new bike!

I got the same alarms. The only annoying part so far is battery life has not been that good. But since I buy my batteries at the .99 cent store that may be part of the problem!!