DreamRider85

I’m new to bike locks. Just got a Z lock. I stopped at a market and didn’t see any bike racks. I found this small piece stapled to to a pillar and locked it but generally speaking I don’t know where I’m gonna find the right spots to put my bike. Like I said I’m new to locks. Do you have any general tips?

Illgot

I use signs when I have to, tension wires for utility poles, I have had to walk a block just to find a secure spot to lock up. I carry a u-lock from Krytonite though so my choices are a bit limited. Just make sure that what ever you lock up to is secured to the ground or a wall. I have seen a lot of bicycle racks that are not secured; not going to risk putting my bike on a rack someone can toss in the back of their truck.

70sSanO

Generally u-locks (kryptonite, abus) are good. I will also use an Abus chain with a good padlock, like Abloy, for store situations in lower crime areas. If there is not a rack or steel fence, or a fixture in concrete, a light pole is good. You want to make sure the wheels are locked along with the bike.

You Z lock is probably good for the front wheel or the seat. A lot depends on the level of crime In your area.

You can’t make it theft proof, just want to make it more effort than a thief wants to spend. With bikes in high demand, extra caution is probably warranted.

John

Reflector Guy

The flip side to this issue are the bikes that are locked up and seemingly abandoned for months or even longer. There are a couple in my town.... Including one right in front of the quaint old-fashioned movie theater downtown. Someday I should swing by and see exactly how they are locked! Perhaps the bikes are junkers but it seems no one ever bothers them.

General Geoff

If you're referring to this "Z-LOK": https://hiplok.com/product/zlok1/



My first suggestion would be to get a better lock. Chain or U-lock. That glorified zip-tie is 2 seconds and a wire cutter away from being defeated.

As to where to lock up, anything that's steel and immobile should work. Bike racks, traffic or street light poles, sturdy railings or guard rails, building pillars if they're small enough.

General Geoff

If price is a concern, Walmart sells this one for $17. Uses a disc detainer core, and an 8mm chain which should be resistant enough to concealable bolt cutters. I actually picked one of these up to lock up a cheaper craigslist bike I recently got to ride for a couple months while out of town for job training, seems pretty stout to me. If the airline will let me fly home with it, I intend to destructively test it with some big-ass bolt cutters just to see how tough they are.

wolfchild

That's not a bike lock that's a zip tie...Return the Z lock to where you bought it from and buy yourself a proper bike lock...There are plenty of objects that you can use to lock a bike: a lamp post, railing, sign post, utility wires etc.

Nyah

I keep it locked in my grip, as I walk it around inside with me.

DreamRider85

Okay thanks for the suggestion. Some blog post suggested that the Z lock was the best value.

flangehead

At locations with shopping carts, I generally lock to the cart corrals in the parking lot. There is generally good visibility and the metal is solid. Though some could in theory be disassembled to defeat the lock, it would not be practically achievable with the visibility and short duration of my visit. I use U-locks, and I don't leave my bike in high-risk areas for long durations.

Mojo31

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D15QH72xfPA[/ame]

Nyah

If the store offers shopping carts and has no Wallmart-style greeter, my solution is this:


Since the store offers shopping carts, there's also plenty of room for people to walk around wheeling their own 'cart'.

If you keep the bicycle with you - don't leave it unattended, anywhere - it both stays safe AND doesn't cause a problem to anyone. In future visits, the store remembers you and welcomes you back, since they appreciate your business.

I say all this from experience. I started doing it in February of this year.

fietsbob

My NL made bike has a frame lock that closes it's hasp around the rear rim-tire ,

On the side opposite the key cylinder is a pin catch. the pin is on a length of hardened chain
with 1 larger loop-link on the opposite end . the pin fits through that loop securing the front wheel and the bike rack or signpost I'm locking around.

I'm using this bike as my Grocery packer.. rather than international touring...

Koyote

Echoing Nyah -- I do take my bike indoors quite regularly, usually to park it in a business' entry - especially if they have no rack outside. It might feel weird at first...But, if you just act like it's perfectly natural, and you have every right in the world to do it, no one will say anything to you. And if someone does object, simply respond that, if they put in a proper bike rack, you won't be forced to bring your bike inside.

Bill in VA

"Best Value" can mean "best for the money" or just "cheap", especially in advertising.

My take is pay now or pay later. A pricier lock will could mean you might not have to spend money on a new bike. With the current bike shortages, there might not be a new bike available to replace a stolen one. A lock merely buys you some time before the thief gets the bike. A Ziplock could be seconds, a decent lock could mean enough minutes for the thief not to bother.

All bets are off at night and in bad areas. When I lived in Philadelphia, PA in the 1980s, I saw a bike locked to a parking meter with a Kryptonite U-lock outside my apartment when I came in after midnight. In the morning, it was gone as was the parking meter head. And that was in the 'good area' near Society Hill.