2travelers

My wife & I will be doing short, light, Inn-Inn touring. What's a good lock to use- one lock for the two bikes or a lock each bike?
Have looked at the Kryptonite Krytolock Series 2

Doug64

It depends on where you are touring and your comfort level.

In North America my wife and I have found that most motels and B&Bs have someplace safe to store our bikes. A lot of motels/hotels will let you take them into the rooms.

Europe is a little different. Hotels will generally have a storage area that is relatively secure. However, they will not usually let you bring bikes into the rooms.

My point is that almost any decent lock will work. We each carry a medium weight 6' cable and beefy locks. Both locks use the same keys, which is good backup in case one of the keys gets lost. We use this setup regardless of the type of tour we are doing. Almost all our tours are a combination of motels, hostels, camping etc.

A U-lock and a cable will give you a little more flexibility. We mainly try to protect against opportunistic thieves; professionals will have the tools to cut through almost any lock. It would take 2 U-locks to lock the bikes properly, given there is something suitable to lock them to.

Sometimes a little creativity is needed as in this case, a hotel parking garage in Spain.

raybo

Like Doug, I take a minimal cable lock with me on tour whose sole purpose is to stop "snatch and ride" theft.

I wrote an article explaining this.

U-locks are heavy and you need to take a cable with you anyway.

The only reason to carry a heavy lock is if you are going to be in big cities. Even then, I wouldn't take one. I'd just never leave my bike unattended.

fietsbob

Ring lock , mounts to your seat stays , facing forward Ideally.. with that and a cable or 2

you have the lock there , it will keep the rear wheel from rolling, as you close the Hasp

it can also pass thru the loop of a cable .. In addition to a bit thicker one ..

I also made up a much longer thinner one [hardware store materials ] 10-12 foot

to go around trees and picnic table for the nights in camp.

Another good lock type is Abus Bordo

strongly riveted together pivoting steel links .. it folds , goes in a Pouch on the frame..

ABUS folding locks - Locks / Bike Safety and Security

indyfabz

+1. I was just touring in MT for 9 days. Camping. I brought a cable with combination lock only because I would be alone and have to leave my bike unattended for more than short periods in Missoula (a pretty populous town) and at the Twin Bridges Bike Camp, which is in a public park and right next to a motorists rest stop. The two nights I stayed indoors I simply brought my bike in my room. Last year I did an 8 day tour and didn't bring a lock. The one time I felt a little wary I asked to bring my bike inside the grocery store and was allowed to.

Northwestrider

If your concerned about your bicycles when at the hotel, bring them into your room. I've done that in Europe as well. Just be careful of your drive train. Chain lube on a bed sheet will spoil our welcome. While at restaurants , etc, a cable lock should slow the bad guys down, usually that is all it takes to ensure your bike is there when you return.

staehpj1

i too use a cheap and light combination cable lock when I take a lock, which I may not always do. It is pretty minimal, but I find it acceptable.

Depending on where/how you tour will greatly affect what makes sense. I am mostly in rural small town settings for the large bulk of my touring. The few times I am in a higher risk setting I don't leave my bike out of sight my. In bigger cities I get a room and take the bike inside. If shopping in higher risk areas I take the bike in with me and wheel it up and down the aisles.

2travelers

Thanks for the tips, greatly appreciated

Louis Le Tour

Given that a stolen bike and/or trailer can just about bring a tour to a screech'n halt, I'm not scrimp'n on security. A long heavy cable and a heavy chain with attached Kryptonite lock will go on the road with me and if more need to be added I'll have the funds to handle that. Trusting others to be honest is a fool's game.

staehpj1

That seems like pretty gross overkill to me, but I am not the one who has to carry the weight. If it works for you that is great.

Last tour (Southern Tier, coast to coast, camping and cooking) I might have carried less total gear weight than you are carrying in just lock, cable, and chain. I much prefer it my way.

Doug64

If I was so obsessed about personal safety and the security of my possessions that I could not relax and enjoy my style of touring , I believe I'd find something else to do that would allow me to relax and enjoy my time.

We left our bikes cabled to a fence in a Swiss campground for a very long day as well as leaving our tent and other gear; while we hopped a train and went 300 km. to see a mountain I'd dreamed about climbing since I was old enough to read about it. It was safer than leaving the bikes at the train station. As my wife said as we walked toward town, "they are only tools". My bike is only a LHT, but her bike is a pretty expensive custom built frame, and she had no reservations. The purpose of a tour for us is to tour, not stand guard over our gear. We often leave our gear in campgrounds and ride into a nearby town for groceries or dinner. Some day we may get stung, but we've had several decades of enjoyable and relaxing travel. We are not foolish, and if a situation feels risky we take appropriate precautions.

We are all different, and perceive risk from our experiences and backgrounds. We need to do what works for us as individuals. But sometimes the benefit is worth the risk.

The snowcapped peak in the middle of the picture is the Eiger as seen from Grindelwald. The North Face is an epic climb.


That fence was our security for the bikes. The panniers went into the tent, and our netbook was secured in the campground's office.

Louis Le Tour

Your bikes and gear were where you left them when you got back because a common thief did not come along and steal them. If you're willing to take that risk it's your call. I just don't have another $4K+ to invest in my ride. To each his own.

Louis Le Tour

And I much prefer to know that my $4K+ investment will most likely still be in my camp when I return from the shower. I much prefer it my way. We're all individuals, some of us have learned the hard way and some have not.

Doug64

Yes, you are correct, "to each his own", and I respect those differences.

However, common thieves don't usually carry an angle grinder, industrial grade hacksaw or bolt cutters. It takes someone specifically targeting bikes to have those tools. Fortunately, most bike thieves don't cruise busy campgrounds with their tool bags.

The more bike orientated places like Portland and Eugene, OR; Seattle;and Paris, Amsterdam, and Seville in Europe are the places where people do roam around with those types of tools looking for easy targets. There is enough volume to to make it worthwhile.

Other places like Chicago, Detroit,and Cleveland get bikes stolen just because they are unsecured opportunities.

When we stopped for lunch at this diner in a "sketchy area" of Cleveland Ohio, The waitress told us to bring our bikes inside, because the panniers may not be there when we came out.


When we returned home from that trip, I fabricated some lightweight 3/32" stainless steel "security" cables for our Ortlieb panniers. They won't stop someone with a big pair of scissors, but they will deter the grab-and-go thief. Fortunately, most people don't carry a pair of big scissors either.

fietsbob

Other ways of attaching are more difficult to remove. My Old Beckman panniers
and the Rain covers I had made for them all was a PIA to pull off but solid as a rock once all tightened down..


A customer had to scramble to replace her Bar Bag when at the start of the trip
someone stole the thing from the seat of the truck her friend drive her to the trip starting point..

Sometimes the 'Not all your eggs in one basket' warning needs remembering.

there was lot of stuff in that small bag the electronics of GPS, & tablets & phones ,passport, etc. add up quick ..

indyfabz

Not understanding realities is a fool's game. May I suggest that you refrain from giving (bad) advice until you have actually toured with all the stuff you claim you are going to take?

indyfabz

LMAO! What are you going to do? Chain your tent to the picnic table? You are a funny one. I am still hoping, for your sake, that you are a troll.

Louis Le Tour

Look closer at my post and you'll see I was NOT giving advice (good, bad or otherwise). And you don't have to lecture me about "realities", I've had a bike stolen due to poor security and believe me it ain't no fun at all.

Louis Le Tour

Speaking of TROLLS! There was no discussion of TENTS being stolen, there was in fact a discussion of BIKES being stolen and until you can keep the two straight in your mind perhaps making suggestions that others might be "trolls" is just a bit premature.

Carbonfiberboy 

Cable lock with a relatively long cable, long enough to go around a pretty good-sized tree. We've left tent, gear, bike, and laundry drying in campgrounds all day, but we take our valuables with us. At restaurants, sometimes we lock, sometimes not, depends. At grocery stores or other shopping locations, someone always stays with the bike. If I were solo, I'd bring the bike in. In lodgings, we either bring the bike to the room with us, or secure it in a provided locked room for bikes. It's good to tour on a tandem.

The cable lock probably weighs a pound. Angle grinder opens all locks. It's fun to watch the video of the guy in NYC unlocking his bike with an angle grinder in several busy locations.

indyfabz

Unfortunately, the inexperienced such as yourself take comments like yours as advice.

indyfabz

Ummmm....Your own words, which I responded to:

"Your bikes and gear were where you left them when you got back because a common thief did not come along and steal them." (Empahsis added).

Are you now going to argue that you by "gear" you meant the bike's drivetrain?

Get back you me when you've "had your first," as we used to say in the 'hood.

Louis Le Tour

ENOUGH! As soon as I post this I'm going right to the "Ignore" list and your user name is going to be the first one I add.

Lone

I recommend a u-lock.

indyfabz

For what application, and why? Why they may be useful in some circumstances my BF NWT is locked to a bike rack with one right now), as the article linked to in post #3 points out, they can be pretty uselessat least on their own, in others.