Where to lock my ebike?

[Kivis]

Now that I am serious about ebiking, I am sometimes not finding places to shop at that have somewhere for me to lock my bike against. I don't mean legitimate bike racks. I mean no nothing. No poles or sign post, etc. Anyone else having this experience, too or is it just my town? Or can provide a workaround?

 

[ki11a]

Thats the main reason why I got a long enough chain to wrap around trees if necessary and although it is a bit heavy, the weight punishment does not affect much as much as it would on an acoustic bike.

Another option is to simply walk your ebike along with you when you are shopping, its a bit much but I found that most shop keepers dont mind as long as your bike isnt caked in mud.

 

[6zfshdb]

A trick I've seen used a few times when nothing else is available is to lock the bike to two shopping carts. Yes, a determined thief could take the carts and bike but it isn't easily done by a single person.

 

[draver]

I've used the shopping cart corrals a few times when nothing else was provided. They usually are at least as large & heavy of piping as most bike racks and they are generally pretty visible in high traffic areas as well.

 

[ebikemom]

Another option is to simply walk your ebike along with you when you are shopping,

I do this when there’s not a rack, and use my side baskets as a shopping cart. I haven’t been booted out of a store yet!!

 

[Marci jo]

My local grocery has huge entry ways. A couple times I needed to dash inside to use their restroom. I simply brought the bike inside and left it the corner of the entrance. They were ok with it as long as it doesn’t block traffic.

 

[Sierratim]

Our community thinks of itself as cycling friendly, but there is a definite lack of places to reliably lock a bike. The owner of the LBS has been on the City Council for several terms now. To his credit he has managed to get racks installed downtown and at the largest market. It is helping. Hopefully our neighboring town of Grass Valley gets the hint!

Now if he could just do something about people smoking pot downtown, often leaning against the 'Smoke Free Zone' signs...

 

[Micheal Backus]

Most of us have a lot invested in our e-bikes. If someone really wants it they will take it no matter how many locks you use. Therefore, e-bike insurance is a must have. Its really not that expensive, about $150/yr. I can leave mine for a short time as it is equipped with an anti-theft alarm. For anything over a few minutes, I lock it with a U-Bolt along with a blue tooth cable lock (for the seat).

 

[Over50]

Now that I am serious about ebiking, I am sometimes not finding places to shop at that have somewhere for me to lock my bike against. I don't mean legitimate bike racks. I mean no nothing. No poles or sign post, etc. Anyone else having this experience, too or is it just my town? Or can provide a workaround?

Usually, I'm at least able to find a utility pole or a tree. At one local grocery store, I use their gas meter. I carry a thick yet flexible steel cable, in addition to a lock, in order to have the flexibility to lock to just about anything.. However there was this one time: at another local grocery store, that I found the bike rack full and no other suitable place to lock up. It was summer and teenage employees had filled up the bike rack. So I decided to just wheel my bike through the store. The door/customer-greeter employee went on a shouting tirade as I tried to enter. For some reason he was so upset by the prospect of someone taking a bike inside the store. I said something like "I can push a 4-wheeled shopping cart through the store but not a 2-wheeled bike? Do you stop people in wheelchairs too? ... and by the way, your employees have taken up all the bike rack space, can't they park their bikes inside the store so customers can use the bike rack"? He became even more upset. So I calmly asked for the manager and when I explained to her she said "please, park your bike in front of my office and I guarantee it won't go anywhere". Her office was the elevated cage at the front of the store. Problem solved. Belligerent door-greeter person went back to his station.

 

[Kivis]

Usually, I'm at least able to find a utility pole or a tree. At one local grocery store, I use their gas meter. I carry a thick yet flexible steel cable, in addition to a lock, in order to have the flexibility to lock to just about anything.. However there was this one time: at another local grocery store, that I found the bike rack full and no other suitable place to lock up. It was summer and teenage employees had filled up the bike rack. So I decided to just wheel my bike through the store. The door/customer-greeter employee went on a shouting tirade as I tried to enter. For some reason he was so upset by the prospect of someone taking a bike inside the store. I said something like "I can push a 4-wheeled shopping cart through the store but not a 2-wheeled bike? Do you stop people in wheelchairs too? ... and by the way, your employees have taken up all the bike rack space, can't they park their bikes inside the store so customers can use the bike rack"? He became even more upset. So I calmly asked for the manager and when I explained to her she said "please, park your bike in front of my office and I guarantee it won't go anywhere". Her office was the elevated cage at the front of the store. Problem solved. Belligerent door-greeter person went back to his station.

Biggest problem. Some people don't know how to be nice.

 

[CodyDog]

We carry a long cable and get creative.

 

[indianajo]

I use a 6' long stainless steel sling https://www.mcmaster.com/8942T15 and a padlock to give me options. If there are no power poles, I use gas meters or live electrical conduits behind the store. Make sure it is not an abandoned service. The thief that chops a 440 vac 3 phase conduit with his cutters ends his career right there. If he chops the sling, he gets to buy a new bolt cutter.

 

[ebikemom]

Our community thinks of itself as cycling friendly, but there is a definite lack of places to reliably lock a bike.

I tend to be a squeaky wheel. I locked my bike to the sign in front of my church for a while. People complained. And then the facilities committee ordered and installed a bike rack! When there isn't a reasonable place to lock my bike, bringing it into the store draws attention to the problem. I've also gone into restaurants and told the manager that I'd love to eat there some time but have no place to lock my bike. When we go on vacation with all of us and all of our ebikes, we can lock them together in a chain in front of the restaurant we want to eat in, and eat by the window. I think that's reasonably secure. And then also I usually chat with the manager about the lack-of-bike-racks problem.