xray328

Hey guys. We bought our son a Trek FX for Christmas 2017 for him to take with him to Boston for college. He called tonight and told us both the front and rear wheels were stolen. I'm just wondering what his best option is for replacement? I know going back to Trek is going to be the most expensive option and suggested he visit a local bike shop for a more economical solution. What's the best way to prevent this in the future? He had a hefty U lock on the frame but only a cable lock on the wheels. I now see there are wheel nuts that we should have used versus the quick disconnects, what's the best option there? Any idea what this is going to cost him? The bike was $330.

Thanks in advance.

ColonelSanders

I'll leave the wheel suggestions to others for now, but I will show what I will be doing for myself in respect of wheel security.


ABUS NutFix M5 Axle Set


Watch the YouTube video on the page of the above link and it will show how this locking system works.


If the above is not to your liking, then you could also do what I have been doing in recent years and that is to go with a frame lock and a 1.0 or 1.3m 6mm chain designed to work with the frame lock.


ABUS Pro Shield Plus 5950 Frame Lock


ABUS Pro Tectic / Pro Shield / Shield Chain for frame locks


Now with the above, you could even mix and match.


For the best security, but higher cost and more weight, you could get the ABUS NutFix M5 Axle Set AND the


ABUS Pro Shield Plus 5950 Frame Lock AND the ABUS Pro Tectic / Pro Shield / Shield Chain for frame locks


Or you could get the ABUS NutFix M5 Axle 100 just for the front wheel and for the rear wheel, rely on the ABUS Pro Shield Plus 5950 Frame Lock and not bother with the add-in chain for the front wheel and objects.

katsup

Check the local craigslist or a bike shop that sells used parts for a set of wheels. In high theft areas, I often see bikes locked like this:


Also secure the saddle and seatpost as those also get stolen.

prj71

New wheels this is about the cheapest you will get...

https://www.jensonusa.com/Shimano-WH-R501-Wheelset

3speedslow

DorkDisk

Sorry about your loss.

Multiple locks and supplemental security is the way to go for max security. Even with one lock, you can usually wrap it through the seatstay, mounted rear wheel, and unmounted front wheel. Two locks make it easier to get both wheels. It is important to remove as much slack or empty space in the lock.

For wheels, keyed skewers are the way to go. Pinhead make some nice skewers, and even have an option for the seatpost and headset. The advantage is one unique key for all those. A cheap option for headsets, seatpost collar, and seatpost clamp is to crazy glue a ball bearing in the allen recess. If a nice saddle is involved, a cable from the rails to the frame is not a bad idea.

Before you buy the wheels recommended above, make sure your frame has 130mm rear spacing.

csport

Also, does the bike have disk brakes or rim brakes? Velomine has some good and strong budget wheels.

ptempel

^ Good question. Was browsing the 2017 Trek catalog, and only the FX 5 and 6 had disc brakes in that year. But still worth asking.

https://archive.trekbikes.com/us/en/2017

Sorry to hear about the theft, OP. I just went to the local hardware store and got the biggest chain and a cylinder lock that they recommended to go with it. They mentioned that the lock was what they used to lock the outer metal gate for their store in Manhattan. So I knew that it was good enough for me. I always take off my front wheel and lock it with the rear wheel and seat post at work. I also can leave the lock on the bike rack so don't need to carry it. This doesn't cover the seat and seat post. If you're worried about that, then try getting a bike chain wrapped in a small piece of inner tube. Just make it long enough to go from the upper stays and through the seat rails. I see some guys in the city do this and it looked good. I think they also zip tie the middle to make it look like a figure 8 and perhaps to take up some slack.

Edit: Found this page on how to make the chain seat lock: https://thebiketube.com/tutorials/diy...bike-seat-lock

fietsbob

Now you Know Colleges are where a lot of bikes are stolen, whole or in parts..

maybe you got too nice a bike for him,* and not a good enough lock.

or was not trained on how to do it, or a moment of in attention..

locking skewers, tamper resistant bolts and such handicap your opponent
to use more destructive techniques ..

Maybe a Pre Freshman class on locking your bike
is a good thing for new student orienteering.. ?

* though $300 is pretty basic .. FX?

gluing bearing balls in hex socket cap screws does frustrate parts strippers.





...

hokiefyd 

A $330 Trek FX is the FX 1 (the current model is up to $429). An FX 1 has rim brakes and a freewheel hub. OP, this would be a good opportunity to upgrade the bike to a stronger rear cassette hub design. It's pretty much the standard type of rear hub (except for entry level bikes), and you'll have a much easier time finding cassette wheels than freewheel wheels. No other parts changes are required if you do this change -- a cassette wheel will install into the bike just the same as the original wheel did.

You'll need to match the dimensions of the hub to the bike, though. That FX likely has 135mm rear spacing (and 100mm front spacing). You'll need to find wheels with hubs that have this spacing. Check with Trek or your local bike shop to be sure. And then, as others have noted, there are good numbers of security-specific skewers and such available.

Flip Flop Rider

that sucks. bike shop will be a good option for him. and he's going to have to come up with a better security plan

livedarklions

As important for prevention as locks is also how long he's leaving his bike locked outside. Did this happen at night? Can he take his bike indoors at night?


I know when I lived on campus and had no room to store the bike inside, I deliberately employed the too cheap to steal and not that big a deal if they do anyway strategy.

I think it's pretty rare to have a bike messed with when locked outside during a class but that might vary among campuses. Being left out overnight almost asks for it.