spinnaker

Portland is supposed to be pretty much the bike theft capital of the country. On my first tour out of Portland I had a touring partner along. so I never had to leave the bike alone either locked or unlocked. On my second tour out of there I was solo but I pretty much was able to get out of the city before having to stop anywhere.

The rest of the tour I was pretty much out of the "high crime" areas. A couple of times I had a warmshowers host to be a guard. What I did was to try and find a place where when I ate lunch, I could see the bike even though it was locked. But still had to allow it to be out of sight when using the facilities. The one instance that worried me a bit was when I used the facilities at the train station in Eugene. I figured inside the station was safer than outside. But there was no place to lock the bike inside. So I left it unlocked just outside the men's room and took care of a nature's call as quickly as possible.

During a layover (train travel) in Chicago was lucky enough to sit near a very nice couple at the restaurant that not only offered to move so I could be near my bike but also offered to watch the bike while I grabbed something to eat.

So all in all I was pretty lucky at dealing with security. So other than a good lock and leaving the bike unattended for as little time as possible, how do you deal with bicycle security when traveling through an urban area know for bike theft? What do you do with your bags? I have a light weight lock that pretty much just protects from grab and go. Do you take your bags in with you when going to the facilities? Or just leave them and hope for the best?

mtbikerinpa

For bags I bring shoulder straps so that they can be carried easily. Always unclick accessories. I also only to to urban/risk areas with the sleeper bike. It has a subdued vintage beater look in spite of being on par with my race XC bike. If there are other bikes nearby a place the camoflage factor can help. Ironically the only bike that I have had stolen was from my low-risk back porch when I left it there while eating dinner. In that case at least the cops had it in custody before I noticed it was gone(an XL size frame being awkwardly ridden past the cop by 12 yr olds).

CliffordK

I've got a thin cable lock that I've started carrying.

For restroom breaks. In the "blue boxes", I just lean the bike up against the box... I assume I'll hear if anybody is messing with it, and I'll be out in a flash, shorts up or shorts down...

For many restrooms in parks, there is enough room to either pull the bike all the way into the restroom, or get at least the front end of the bike through the door.

In Eugene, the bike path system is about 1/2 mile from the train station. There is a small restroom in Skinner's Butte park, so I use the front wheel through the door trick. Two more slightly more isolated restrooms northbound every 1/2 mile or so.

On the other side of the river, is Alton Baker Park, with enough room to bring the bike inside.

As I was locking my bike at Universal Cycles in Portland, someone came outside to tell me to just bring it inside.

I've done a lot of shopping in Eugene/Springfield. A few lights have disappeared, but I haven't had anybody mess with my bags or bike trailer. I do lock up.

My setup varies for road trips. I often have a backpack which goes with me. I think I've removed panniers and put them in a shopping cart in the past.

My general rule is that if I can afford to lose it, then it stays with the bike.

If I can't afford to lose it, it comes with me.

One trip to Portland, I was getting ready to lock up at a convenience store in Salem when someone held the door open for me. It seemed like a good idea, so I just rolled the bike in (bike was clean).

There was a comment recently about bolting the bags to the rack. An interesting concept.

jefnvk

I've been to a few areas that consider themselves "high theft" areas. In reality, and speaking in broad terms, crime is opportunistic and random, and I wouldn't really consider any urban area incredibly more or less prone to theft than any other. If I am really worried about theft, I use a step up in security from what the locals are using (i.e., if everyone has a cable lock, I have a U lock). Beyond that, be sensible in what you do.

As someone above mentioned, keep valuables on you. I prefer a handlebar bag with a quick release and a strap that I can quickly take off whenever I go into a shop or a toilet or restaurant. Keep my passport, money, camera, etc in there.

spinnaker

My handlebar bag goes with me everywhere. At a hostel (when I don't have a private room that locks) it goes into the shower with me.

CliffordK

My Kryptonite NY doesn't go on road trips anymore. I have a place where I can leave one in Portland when I go up there. But.. no sense carrying a lock half the weight of my bike.

I do have a heavy cable lock that will slow at least a lot of people down.

My backpack is like my "purse", and goes with me everywhere, although I may re-arrange for the next tour. One pannier? Or like @spinnaker suggests, a handlebar bag.

I'm hoping to build an electrical system into a small dry box, and have to decide how I wish to deal with that on the road.

raybo

When I am in big cities, I am either getting hosted, so I keep my bike with them, or at a hotel that will hold my bike. All my shopping is done before I get on the bike in the morning.

When I go shopping, my first thought is to find a place where I can see the bike. Often there are places inside the store where a bike can be stowed for a short time out of the way of others. Workers in the store who are bike riders occasionally offer to "keep an eye on it" for me. If I can't find a spot inside (managers can be touchy on allowing it), I try to find a secluded space where I can lock it. If possible, I shove behind a line of unused shopping carts and lock it. Once, I simply took my bike into the store with me and walked it up and down the aisles. In truth, a touring bike isn't all that wider than a shopping cart. I got funny looks but no one stopped me.

Going to the bathroom is tricky. I find most public toilets are big enough to take my bike into. Porta-pottys, I lean the bike on (lock it to it, if I am really worried) and try to be quick.

As for my panniers, I just leave them on the bike. While it would be a drag to lose them, there isn't much in there that couldn't be replaced fairly easily. If I was really concerned, I'd ziptie them to the rack. But, I have never done that.

I use a camelback, so all my valuables live on my back when I tour.

It is worth note that I rarely spend much time in big cities on my bike. I ride into and out of them, but once there my bike is usually safely stored somewhere out of sight.

redbagsrambler

Like others said, I keep anything of value in my handlebar bag with a detachable shoulder strap. This bag goes everywhere I go. I lock the bike either with a U-lock or a cable lock, though I use the cable lock more often now. I leave my panniers on the bike. Most of what is in my panniers is dirty clothes covering useful gear such as a small cookstove. If a thief wants to paw through my dirty underwear, then it serves him right. If I should feel concerned about security of the panniers themselves, I travel with a few long zip ties which I could use to further attach the pannier to the rack using a hard to get to loop in the middle of the back of the pannier. I figure an opportunistic thief isn't going to take the time to figure out what is holding the pannier to the rack and then pull out a knife to cut through it. Like you, most of my stops have the bicycle within view, and those without it in view are pretty short.

reppans

HobbesOnTour

I've only toured in Europe and to date have not been too concerned about bike security for what I call short term parking.
I have a common as muck Trek MTB converted for touring that looks battered and bruised, so that's one point.
I travel fairly heavy so that's a deterrent to any opportunistic thief - if they want to try to cycle it away quickly, chances are they will get a shock.
I lock out the front and back brakes with elastic too.
I try to park the bike where I can see it if shopping/eating.
My valuables live on my handlebar bag and that goes everywhere with me.

If I'm camping in or near a large urban area I will be more careful and lock the bike to something. I have a homemade (not by me) lock of several layers of flexible steel that is difficult to break/cut with conventional bolt cutters.
This year I got an ExtraWheel trailer and carry a long cable lock for that.

Rob_E

I usually carry a cable with a padlock. If I expect to be in some urban areas, I will either add my Abus folding lock, or my U-lock if I'm really concerned. In Cleveland, I tried to stay close to the bike, used the U-lock to secure it, and used the cable to secure the bags. Far from fool-proof, but it did the job. And I also have a handlebar bag with valuables that travels with me. Although, to be fair, if I were to loose my bike and luggage, that would probably cost more to replace than anything in my handlebar bag. I just assume someone cutting two locks and riding away on a fully-loaded bike is unlikely.

escii_35

What the person above said x2.

Business in Eugene and Portland are rather friendly to heavily geared tourists when it comes to bringing your bike inside. They can tell the forigners vs local Flora and fauna.

fietsbob

During the brief time I took to use the public bathroom, in Copenhagen , across from the Tivoli Park , someone starred stripping my bike locked to a fence
less than 10 meters from the bathroom door..

I had my Panniers left in the Hostel .. so I soon after checling on needing a visa * found a Baltic sea Ferry, and left for Poland after replacing the bolt ..

*thanks to all the Poles in Chicago I did not need a visa .. .. & Warsaw pact had just dissolved in march of that year.. with the breaking up of the Berlin Wall ..








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andrewclaus

I don't own anything I would miss very much. If the bike and gear got stolen, my worst anxiety would be changing travel plans--and then the time needed to salvage another inexpensive kit. I don't neglect basic security--I carry a light cable lock, and keep things in sight or with me as much as possible. I also tour with only two rear bags, so it is easier to carry the gear, which is many times more valuable than the bike.

One extra item I carry is a Velcro strap to close a brake lever. It serves double duty, making the bike harder to quickly ride away, and making it more stable when leaned against something.

Paul Barnard

I wish more businesses were friendly like that. It strikes me as odd that a shopping cart or a double wide stroller is perfectly acceptable, but a bicycle is objectionable.

3speed

spinnaker

I have stopped at customer service and asked if I could leave the bike at the desk while I shop. Never been turned down. I also use those curbside kiosks that are growing in popularity now.