bokes

Ok, so you know how a lot of car stereos have a removable faceplate? The theory is a thief won't bother stealing the radio because it's too much hassle to get a replacement faceplate.
What if folding bikes had a similar concept? Let's say the hinge needed a small metal part for the bike to stay securely folded. Without it, the bike just won't stay together. You would take this part with you when you lock up.
I'm sure you're thinking that the thieves wouldn't know about it until the bike is already stolen. I agree, it would take years before word got around that a particular folder isn't worth stealing. But I think so what. Eventually we wouldn't have to worry as much about our folders getting stolen.
[Yes I know, folders can go with me everywhere I go, but often I like to just leave the bike outside]
Good idea?

AEO

the R20 had something like that.

that lever in the middle keeps it from folding in on itself. but actually the hinge on the R20 is so strong, that you can ride it without that little piece.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/org/rale...wenty-8-01.jpg

what prevents you from locking it up properly?

bokes

Nothing, I always lock properly, it would only be an additional layer of defense

vincentnyc

if u plan to lock ur bike outiside...y ride a folder? y dont u get a full size bike and lock it outside? what is ur particular reason of getting a folder?

AEO

hmm, then I see no reason not to have a sort of additional key to your bike.

some people don't have room to store a full sized bike...

feijai

Misunderstood. He's saying that if you have a folder, you shouldn't ever need to lock it outside. Sort of defeats the purpose.

Indeed, I've purposely never had a lock on my Tikit. Even in *Rome*, land of bike theft.

AEO

well, what if you're shopping and have to leave the bike outside?

vincentnyc

ever see a video of a tikit or a brompton with a front bag and use as a shopping cart? do a search on youtube. unless u have a dahon or any folder...u get what u pay for.

AEO

touche, I do have a dahon, that's my problem.

chucky

Better yet, do it with a nonfolder that needs to be locked all the time: I have a nonfolder with seat stays which can be opened up and I'm currently devising a way to lock them shut so I can lock the rear triangle around things without the weight of a u-lock. Sure the stays could always be cut and replaced, but I think the hassle is great enough to deter almost all thieves.

I mean, when you think about it not matter how good your lock a thief could always just cut the frame and repair it if he were willing to go through the hassle.

Because most times you don't know whether it's best to lock or take inside (or if you even have a choice) until you arrive at your destination. So it's nice to have a bike that can be either locked or taken inside as opposed to a bike which is limited to only one or the other.

For example, when I went to lock my bike up the other day I found the lock was corroded shut. When I folded it up and went to take it inside the security guard wouldn't let me. Ultimately I was able to get the bike in by lying and saying I needed it for the study I was going to, but lady luck could have just as easily allowed the lock to work and made the security guard unrelenting. You just never know.

Spending more money on a "better" folder does absolutely nothing to solve the problem because you the more you spend the more you stand to lose when you eventually need to lock it (and you will eventually need to lock it, when you fill up the front bag, when you are denied access, etc, etc).

vincentnyc

i was never denied access to any office buildings, restaurants, supermarket, museum, cafes...this is in nyc. i always take my folder inside. maybe it is my look of confident? who knows.

chucky

I'm sure you weren't, but it's only a matter of time before you are and when that day comes you will be left with a choice of canceling your (possibly very important) plans or leaving $1000 sitting on the streets of NYC completely unprotected.

Technically I've never been denied access either. I've been told I'm being denied access, but in the end I always win (just like the other day when my lock failed, which was also in nyc). However, I still appreciate the ability to lock my folder because it is by far the easier, more predictable course of action.

Just sayin' it's perfectly reasonable for people to want to lock their folders and there's absolutely no reason to poo poo it. Even if you can get your Brompton in, carrying it around isn't exactly a rewarding experience.

vincentnyc

fyi...i dont carry my folder...i roll/wheel with it. the only times i carry my folder is up or down a stair. like i say...u get what u pay for.

also i dont bag my folder or own a bag for my folder. but one thing i can guarantee u...if i ever get a bag or bag my folder, no one will ever say anything to me to my face.

folder fanatic

All my folders go with me....including the Dahons. The make or brand does not inhibit me in the least as you can see from the photo.

I don't understand what owning/using a Dahon would limit you from exercising your folding feature any year or model of Dahon's folding or fold-up bikes have, no matter how primitive or advanced it is. My little Piccolo is not quite so compact as the Brompton, but it can just fit into the cart/trolley all the same.

My bikes are not usually so "naked" out in public like in the photo above. When I take them with me into shops, stores, restaurants, and the like, I always use a soft opaque cloth bag-ready to use hooked on the saddle's end in it's own little saddle bag. End of problem and discussion with the bike hating prejudiced public (mostly store clerks & security guards).

vincentnyc

i'm not saying u can't...but some folder like the brompton (if u upgraded to a razor scooter wheel or ez wheel) would make it easy to wheel/roll ur bike once it is folded. also the compact smaller fold doesn't hurt either. so some folders are easier to take inside an office building, restaurants, supermarket etc. than others.

Sixty Fiver

I ride a Phillip's Twenty... it deters thieves by it's appearance alone (it has drop bars) but despite that I still lock it up properly.

Unscrewing the hinge bolt on the bike might be a deterrent (and you can ride without it) but the bike does get a little weebly without that and the lower nut being secure.

I don't see a need for complicating a folder by adding a feature that disables the bike when a good locking strategy can do just that.

chucky

In that case I guarantee you will eventually be denied access. Rolling attracts attention, gives everyone full view of your package, and seems to subconsciously facilitate identification as a bicycle (first they hear the wheels rolling, then they look at the wheels, then they see the chain, and then their little brains say "aha that's a bicycle").

...you get what you pay for until you fail to prepare for the inevitable, have to leave it on the street, and then someone else gets what you pay for.

Yeah, but have you ever considered that for the same size, weight, and ease of deployment you could be carrying a lock instead of a bag? I tried a bag for a while and it was a lot bigger and heavier than I expected. Even a plastic lawn and leaf bag (which gets ruined after one use) is a bit of a nuisance.

To me, the idea here is that one saves weight by integrating instead of adding on. However, I would never use a lock which just disables the bike without attaching it to a permanent fixture, integrated or not, because if all they have to do is walk off I think most thieves would steal the disabled bike anyway. Now if they have to actually destroy the bike themselves AND then walk off with it AND then fix it or try selling it disabled then I think we're onto something.

vincentnyc

nah....never been denied. and if i do...i will bag it then like i said.

hey folder fanatic...what happen to ur brommie? dont see it anymore...was it stolen?

chucky

How are you going to bag it if you don't have a bag? And why carry a bag when for the same size and weight you can carry a lock?

Since your whole plan hinges on your look of confidence I have to ask what did you pay for that? You keep saying you get what you pay for...

vincentnyc

sorry...i'm not gonna answer any more of ur trolling posts.

chucky

Sorry...but pretending I'm trolling and ignoring the legitimate concerns I'm raising is only going to hurt you, not me.

photoassign

In a word, NO. that won't work.

feijai

I have a tikit. This has never happened. I either roll it about while shopping or take it in covered and give it to the person at the register to put behind the counter (which they *always* do). I think they're too stunned by the coolness of the bike to realize I'm bringing a bike in the store.

This is one of the reasons why I think folding bikes which don't roll well when folded (or aren't easily picked up when covered) aren't all that useful as folding bikes.

Year and a half and counting. Including lots of shopping in urban DC and five months in downtown Rome (!). I have never locked it; indeed, it doesn't even have a lock.

So let's say that eventually there's a situation where I know I'll need to lock it. I bring a lock along. Then here's a math problem for you. Is total annual theft going to cost you more in the long run with a bike that costs $1K that you lock once in two years, or one that costs $500 which you must lock outside roughly every week (because it doesn't roll well)?

Take it from me, I already know the answer: I had a Dahon stolen in Italy. It was locked outside for 40 minutes.

This is another way of saying "What if I have an inferior bike?" I believe vincentnyc has a tikit as well. Tikits have the option of built-in bags attached the bike, and they weigh a small fraction of a lock. You can even roll with the bag "mostly on" the bike -- peel it back to expose the front wheel. I did that a lot while on trains in Italy.

AEO

it was sarcasm

Joako

Horrible idea...