BikeIndiana

Got a new tiny studio apartment. Can't fit the bike inside. Only have two 4 foot pylons outside.

Is there any locking mechanism(s) or methods where I could lock my bike to these without a thief lifting it over?

Or am I looking at a regular bike lock and a bike alarm to discourage them?

This is not a super expensive bike.

Thanks!

PS: Sorry I can't upload photo. It's because I am new here. I can share the URL with you privately if needed.

SpedFast

Welcome! How about removing the wheels? Can you fit it inside then? Just a thought.

BikeIndiana

There is no quick release on the wheels. Low end bike. Would be a huge hassle to remove wheels. Couldn't they still steal the frame if I took off the wheels? Thanks.

MikeWMass

Not really, unless you can drill a hole in the pylon or screw in a big eye bolt.
Have you considered something like one of these?

Taeeryinc.com Bike Wall Mount Bike Storage Rack 48.99

Amazon.com: "Bike Nook Vertical Bike Stand & Rack - Freestanding, Upright Floor Stand for Indoor Bike Storage - Garages & Apartment" : Sports & OutdoorsHGWR?

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BikeIndiana

Good idea, but the lease is super, super strict. ZERO holes allowed in the walls. Very tiny apartment.

Unfortunately not allowed to drill into the pylon.

Maybe a lock and a motion alarm to at least be a pain to would be thieves. Fortunately the bike isn't worth much so it might discourage them.

Just figured someone else might have this issue of not having a tall tree or tall post to lock to.

MikeWMass

Is there a streetlight or signpost nearby?
Friend that would let you lock it to their car?

You could also consider these:
Amazon.com : Axle Release Classic Quick Release Adapter-3/8-Inch x 26T axle : Bike Brake Mounts And Adapters : Sports & Outdoors

If you can take the wheels off, you might be able to fit the bike in your apt. (under the bed?)
You don's say where you are but if you are in a big city your bike will be gone if not securely locked to something immovable (and maybe even then).
Inside is really the only way to be sure.
Could you keep it in the bathtub or shower stall and take it out as necessary?

Camilo

Your bike will be stolen if locked to a 4 foot post. Period. Doesn't matter if it's a good bike or not. Opportunist thieves don't care.

The only thing I can think of other than really trying something creative for getting it into your apartment: Somehow make several tight wraps around the post with a cable or chain, and also tightly to the bike so it can't possibly be loosened in any way. If it's wrapped enough times around the post, and tight enough, it might be difficult to lift off. It would have to be very tight, several wraps, I would imagine.

But I'd bet it will be stolen.

Gresp15C

I'll throw this one out there for discussion. It's a screw-in ground anchor. You screw it into the ground. It would be hard to unscrew while the bike is locked to it. If you screw it in, just a bit below ground level, then you can cover it with some leaves or dirt and it would probably never be noticed.

I've thought about this because my kids are both college-age, and it's often hard to find a place to lock a bike around the cheap student rental houses, but also a hassle to carry the bike inside all the time.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vortex-1...RG-A/202703690

icemilkcoffee 

It's a pretty simple physics problem. There is nothing stopping the thieves lifting the bicycle 4 ft up and stealing..... except the usual thing that stops people from lifting things- gravity. So chain the bike to a pylon AND a 100 pound iron weight.

soyabean

Then it'll be even easier for you to deface it and make it look unwanted.

The obvious one is quick release for the saddle.
Add a dilapitated front basket. You'll never use it.
Random spray paint.
80 grit sandpaper.
Kids' stickers.
Colored drinking straws on the spokes.

Do whatever it takes to make it ugly yet still 100% functional.

And if you do care about how your "Low end bike" looks and what people will say about you, my opinion is to start looking for a new place to live.

Herzlos

Can you change the bike for a folding one and bring that in?
Is there any kind of communal area like a bin shed or drying area or even a stairwell you'd be allowed to park it in?
If you leave it outside in any capacity long term then it risks being stolen or damaged.

PhilFo 

Back in undergrad, I lived in a house where my space was only my 10'x12' bedroom and there was no place outside to lock up my bikes, so they lived in the room with me. Not one, but two bicycles. My road bike was on one side of my bed and my cyclocross bike was by the door, but I had to really squeeze to get out the door if the CX bike was left in the room. Spare wheels were under my desk, along with tools. My backpack and camera bag (photojournalist) slept on the bed with me. I was in college and racing at the time, so cycling was a huge part of my life. If your space is big enough for you to stretch out to lay down, and you want to keep your bicycle, you'll find a way.

nomadmax 

Where there's a will, there is a way. No one can see your apartment or the surrounding street/road funiture view. I've lived in some small, and I do mean small spaces and there was ALWAYS room for a bike. Focus on where you CAN store your bike as opposed to all the places you can't. Or as my grandpa used to say "Figger it out. That way you'll be better at solving the next problem."

staehpj1

I've squeezed bikes into pretty small spaces indoors. In one apartment one lived in the shower. Was it a pain to move it all the time? Yes. The bike didn't get stolen though. Eventually we decided we had other space for it. Usually you can find a little floor space if you really want to bring it in. How important is having the bike to you. If it is important to you, you find a save spot outside or more likely will make space for it inside.

Folding bikes can take up very little space if that is an option.

The ground anchor mentioned in an earlier post might be an option. If googling for options I think they are also called hurricane anchors. How well they hold may depend on the soil, but the ones I put in to anchor my shed are crazy solid they'd be really hard for a theif to get out with a bike locked to them. An angle grinder would cut them off easily, but it would also cut pretty much any lock so It really wouldn't necessarily be an especially weak link. Some may have a weaker or stronger loop or eye on the top. Keep that in mind when choosing. Also place where it isn't a tripping hazard.

BikeIndiana

Thanks all for the ideas. You guys are awesome!

Could the bike be brought inside? Yes, but any time I'd want to use that area where it is, I'd have to move it. Move it from the kitchen to cook or from in front of the futon to get in and out or watch tv, from behind the futon to get to my bed or desk. It would be constant moving of the bike to get around this super tiny studio apartment. So yes, there is room for the bike but a giant hassle every day. And as I mentioned, nothing can hang on the walls. I liked the vertical stand, but the handlebars would be the issue. Maybe if there was a quick release on the neck so they could quickly be turned to be parallel with the frame so it could sit flush with the wall.

I like the anchor idea between the posts and had thought of it. I'd need permission from the owner and I don't think they would want to call 811 to have them come mark gas and and electric lines. I can ask her.

Probably the most viable route is to wrap a long lock several times tightly around one or more plyons making it a giant pain to lift AND a bike motion alarm that would go off for a while (until they took it off and smashed it.)

If I think of any other ideas I will report back for sure. Maybe I'll buy a pitbull and leash him to the pylon!

Iride01 

Get a couple 2 x 4's and lean against the walls. Add some bike hooks and you can now put your bike up off the floor where it's easier to get around in your apartment. With a little thinking and pondering you can make it more stable and as complicated as you wish.

staehpj1

Maybe clamp something to the pylon with some kind of tamper resistant hardware or metal strapping? Is it concrete or a metal post?

_ForceD_

Have you thought of asking the landlord/superintendent if there is a storage shed/room somewhere on the property where you could keep the bike?

Dan

freeranger

There is a saying that "locks are to keep honest people honest". Any bike kept outside is subject to theft. An angle grinder, bolt cutter, or other tools will defeat most things. Someone once tried to break into my shed, locked by a very large master lock. Their bolt cutter defeated it, the only thing that stopped them was my neighbor's dog started barking causing my neighbor to notice them, she let out a scream and they took off. They dropped and left the bolt cutter behind. I now own a heavy duty bolt cutter, will only be used if I lose a key to one of my own locks. If you can find the studs, maybe hang the bike from the ceiling with an eye bolt and tie downs. Just have to spackle over the holes when you vacate the apt.

smd4

I keep my bike in a walk-in closet. If it can fit there, it can fit in a studio apartment.

Barry2 

Around here in the Bay Area, if they can't steal the whole bike, they will steal parts from it.

And once you pay for parts and shop time to reassemble, it's the same price as a cheap bike.

Barry

Camilo

Or maybe two or three of them tightly chained together- it would be very difficult to twist them out of the ground if they prevented each other from twisting
I had a similar (same?) idea. Kind of riffing on the idea of tightly wrapping chains or cable around the post that couldn't be slipped off, If it were me, I might go to a welding or metal fabrication shop and have a strap or collar made that would fit very tightly when locked on the post, with a way to lock the bike to it. Such a collar, if tight, would be impossible to slip off the post I think. Especially if installed near the base.

But like more than one of us has said, every lock is defeatable. But maybe if the bike is ugly enough it would only be vandalized, not stolen,

As for the alarm- that wouldn't even cross my mind. Wouldn't it cause regular obnoxious false alarms, especially when the kids start having fun with it at night. So you want to be responsible for that?

Eric F 

IMO, if the bike is valuable to you (even if it wasn't expensive), it's worthwhile to deal with it inside your tiny apartment. If it is a functional bike, and locked up outside, it will get stolen or stripped.

kap 7

A lot of great input given so far ... I was thinking if the bike is not of much value and the main threat is opportunistic grab and go thieves in your area maybe just a very conspicuous lock on a wheel would work.
I live in the south bend Indiana area btw!

msu2001la

I have a lot of questions about the motion sensing alarm. I've never heard of this, but after a quick internet search I see what the OP is talking about. They look like cheap plastic sensors that get zip tied or sticky-taped to the frame. I guess I could see how this might be useful on a bike that is stored in a garage where no one can get near it, but I don't see how it would work for a bike locked up on the street that will be bumped into, moved around by wind, etc. To avoid constant false alarms the sensitivity would have to be dialed way down which means a thief can probably cut the lock and be on the bike before it starts going off. There doesn't appear to be anything preventing a thief from just pulling the whole thing off the bike and tossing it aside, or smashing it with a hammer a few times to make it stop.