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Old 11-02-22, 11:47 PM
  #181  
LV2TNDM
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 731

Bikes: Cannondale tandems: '92 Road, '97 Mtn. Mongoose 10.9 Ti, Kelly Deluxe, Tommaso Chorus, Cdale MT2000, Schwinn Deluxe Cruiser, Torker Unicycle, among others.

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Originally Posted by bikehoco
If you’re going to leave your bike unattended (even if locked), then buy a Walmart bike so you’re not upset when it’s stolen.
EVERY bike is left unattended eventually. If you're riding your Walmart bike for commuting or errands, where is your "nice" bike? Do you sleep and shower with your "nice" bike? Sling it over your shoulder when in meetings at work? Sure, it's nice to have your bike nearby, but you can never be with it all the time. Oh, and what about if you have more than one bike? Surround yourself with them?

You see where I'm going here. And the idea of "uglifying" your bike is only so effective, and only for those who are willing to do this. I'm the exact opposite; I appreciate my bicycles for how they perform AND look. Function AND form are very important. The most expensive cars tend to have the nicest paint. This applies to bikes as well. And the nicest bikes deserve an awesome finish. As someone with now six bikes that have custom or upgraded paint, I just don't follow this suggestion.

I tried the "ride a POS to school" approach in college. It SUCKED. Coming off my nice, perfectly functioning and fitting bike, riding an old junker was terrible. And when it rained, no more brakes (chrome steel cheapo wheels). So this isn't for everyone. Plus, your nice bike is then LEFT ALL ALONE while you're on your junker!

Today's world requires better locks. Luckily, there are some alternatives out there. They aren't cheap, but neither are bikes, cars or houses these days! And who's gonna balk at spending another hundred or two on a lock when they own a $5k to $10k bike? I own both the Altor SAF and Hiplok D1000 locks. They're an excellent solution to the current problem with grinders. They aren't perfect, but they're the best option right now. The Kryptonites and Abuses of the world (and just about every other security manufacturer out there) need to get on grinder-resistant material RIGHT NOW!

I visited a few local LBSs to show off my new Hiplok D1000 and sure enough, a really nice cargo bike was locked up across the street. A good $4k bike. It was locked with what USED to be an excellent security choice: Kryptonite NY lock. I own four NY Fagedabout locks (in addition to many other of its predecessors) and now realize they're obsolete. So that cargo bike I spotted is the perfect candidate for the $300 D1000.

There really isn't a "cheapo" cargo bike designed to carry the kids and groceries. Nor are there many cheapo e-bikes. This has ratcheted up the prices of utilitarian bikes that need effective security solutions.

"My bike's TOO NICE to lock!" is just not very helpful. You hear it all the time. With home, garage, shed, apartment, etc. burglary at all time highs, this statement is ridiculously false today.

Buy a better lock. The locks of the past are no longer good enough.

Time for new materials like Ferosafe and Proteus to be entering the market en force. I'm sure Kryptonite is madly formulating a grinder-resistant lock, but they're still mum on the subject.

Lock your bike better than average. Utilize all the tools to your advantage:

Best lock you can afford/buy/justify.
Lock your bike well. Don't just go through the top tube and walk away. Steerer tubes make frame cutting more difficult and tempting. Through the rear wheel between the stays locks your frame and rear wheel.
Use GPS trackers.
Photograph your bike & record your serial number.
Register your bike with the various online resources.
Don't lock up over night outside. There are exceptions, but rare, especially in the city.
Be sure what you're locking to is secure. The duct tape trick mentioned above is AWESOME. I hadn't heard that one before. I've heard about the loose sign post or parking meter in the ground trick, but not the "cut rack with tape concealing it" trick. Thanks!
Redouble your efforts to secure your bike storage area.
Add motion-sensing video surveillance.
Add motion-sensing alarms.
Add lighting.
Use more than one lock if you must. Thieves are opportunists and want a quick theft & resale. They'll pick the easier bike to steal.
Nothing's 100% (Physics & engineering dictate you cannot make a lock that cannot be broken), so consider insurance. Renters is usually a good deal.
Uglify your bike if this suits you.
Ride a "junker." All I can say is good luck!

I fear the day when portable, battery-powered plasma cutters hit the streets (will get through a D1000 in about ten seconds). When that happens, we'll have no recourse (short of attack dogs and firearms).* Time for an international ban on the development and production of this sort of thing for consumers. No need for it, will only make theft more rampant.

Until then, be smart, utilize the resources and information out there, stay a step ahead of the scumbags and you'll probably be ok. This approach has served me well for about 40 years after losing my first and only bike to theft while using a horrible cable lock (which a locksmith said was stout).


*And this delves into the political realm. Won't go there too far, but it would be far better to address the CAUSES of bicycle theft in the first place. When legit 9-5 jobs pay more than crime, then you don't need to break the law! A society that values its people with lucrative jobs that provide a secure financial future, you have less dysfunction across the board: less domestic & drug abuse, less mental health problems, less homelessness, crime, and the list goes on and on. So if we really want to address bicycle theft and crime in general, we need to go further than better bike locks!
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