linberl

The trike I'm considering has a straight frame/boom. No rear triangle. No loops or areas to pass a u lock thru. I could put a u lock around the boom in front of the steering, and it wouldn't lift over the front der. post/cranks, but any u lock there is going to be coming out vertically and I can't figure out how it would attach to a vertical pole/bike rack. Since I will be locking up at shops for 30-60 minutes at a time, how in the world do I secure the frame to a rack? I can secure the QR rear wheel easy enough, but the frame has to be secured somehow. The black seat adjuster bar is the only open loop and it comes off easily on each side br removing the bolts. Hellp!

dabac

If it was me, I’d settle for locking a front wheel to something solid.
While not as expensive as the frame, a single-sided front wheel is still quite an unusual bicycle part. Securing that would destroy the idea of a quick flip for any potential bike thief.

linberl

I was going to run a cable thru the wheels. I found an Onguard brute lock that has a wider "head" so I think it would angle enough to get around a pole. Now I just have to figure out how to keep someone from taking my custom bike flag, lol.

cat0020

This is probably the easier and fairly secure way of carrying a tadpole trike:

linberl

Not looking to carry it, looking to securely lock. to bike racks. I already figured out the folded Trident Spike fits easily in my Prius and folds in 30 seconds. It will only go in the car if it breaks down too far from home.

northernjeep

On sites like amazon you can find a disc brake lock that is also a siren. Putting the lock on a disc means the trike can,t be moved and the alarm is loud. One nudge, it chirps after that it's quite loud. Also maybe a U lock on the chainring would stop the trike from being ridden away

linberl

Oh, I will look for those! Thanks for the suggestions.

VegasTriker

I bought one of those disc brake locks a decade ago but decided it was not for me. It was more difficult to use compared to simply locking my rear wheel and frame to a fixed object. If somebody does move the trike with the lock in place, it can damage the rotor or brake mechanism. That's expensive to fix. Mostly I consider any lock just a deterrent for someone trying to hop on my trike and take if for a ride. You could thread the cable through the front wheel and chainring and then lock it to a fixed object. I had one regular bike stolen years ago here in town even though it was securely locked. I would never leave my bike or trike locked in a sketchier part of town after that. I was only gone for about 10 minutes and within that time somebody stole it.

Is there a big market in used bike flags? I don't see any regular riders using flags. About the only ones who do are trike riders.

linberl

I can see stupid teenagers taking a cool flag. They take useless things all the time around here out of boredom and then leave them a few blocks away after they lose interest. I live in an urban area. Bike theft is constant. Yeah, I had a bike locked up thru the chainring once, a folding bike so not lots of options, and someone tried to pull it loose and bent the chain ring pretty good. I had to replace it, it was too warped to repair. So yes, I will run a cable thru the wheels and chainring and I think the Onguard Brute lock looks wide enough at the arch end to get enough angle off the boom to put around a vertical pole. I'm going to pick one up at REI and can return it if is doesn't fit that way. I'll use my mini u-lock to secure the rear wheel to the seat adjustment and then run a cable thru the seat and rear rack. Hopefully that will be enough to deter the bad guys. I've been riding a folding Bike Friday that never left my hand the last few years because I got tired of the anxiety of wondering if my bike would still be there after I shopped or went to a movie or whatever. Hoping the recumbent will not recreate that anxiety..

downtube42

I rationalize that nothing I do will stop a determined/skilled/equipped thief.

Once I set that aside, I'm targeting the opportunistic thief or joy rider. A cable with loops on the end, and a padlock covers it. Length of cable depends on what's needed. Run the cable around the main frame tube, then push the cable through it's own end. Tighten it down. Then run the open end through a wheel, and to an anchor point (bike rack, etc). Run it around that object, then padlock the loop on the end, to the cable itself.

Depending on the amount of slack, a determined thief may be able to finagle this off and leave with everything except a wheel. Or cut the cable and take the whole bike. But a determined thief isn't my target.

VegasTriker

If you are worried about losing an expensive flag, why not make your own and simply use the standard flag to hold it. Here is one I made from part of an old kite that I got at my local Goodwill surplus store where they sell thing by the pound for $1.69/lb. I picked up two kites a while ago and used part of one for this flag. It simply clips on the Catrike flagpole with binder clips so I can use the regular flag if it gets really windy. I was lucky to find several bike flags one visit to the store but you can buy a Bell bike flag at Walmart for $8 if you don't want to mess with the Catrike flag.

linberl

Cables just don't cut it (pun intended) in the Bay Area. I call those donor bikes.

linberl

You are right, that is what I should do. However I found a flag that I really love, and I'm purchasing so few accessories for the trike that I am very tempted by this adorable $45 streamer flag. It's something that will make me smile every time I see it, and that is priceless. I'm thinking if I get a shockcorded pole I can just remove it if I feel like it's a risky situation.

downtube42

I would not leave a bike locked outdoors and out of sight in Portland, unless I was prepared to lose that bike. No matter the type of locking mechanism. The density of determined and equipped bike thieves is simply too high. I expect the same is true of virtually any large city in the US.

Heck, when I lived in lowly San Angelo, TX, someone broke into our car and stole a unicycle from the trunk.

As I said, to stop an opportunistic thief.

VegasTriker

I think you are worried needlessly. Obviously I can't really judge the propensity for your bike/trike to be stolen in the area where you live since I don't live nearby and know the area. However, recumbent trikes are not as much a target as regular bikes. First, they stand out like a sore thumb. It's not something you can pick up and walk away with even if just one wheel is locked securely. If you are going to steal a bike, stealing one that would be hard to sell and easily identified is a poor choice. The picture above shows a trike with a single chainring which tells me this is one of the entry level models. That means entry level components, many of which are not usable on anything else but this trike. The ones that are, don't have a lot of value on the used parts market. Bentrideronline has a subforum for stolen trikes. Lots of trike riders there but very few posts in that category over the past few years. It's wise to lock the trike in plain view and not leave if for hours unattended. I have no problem locking mine long enough to go into a grocery store and shop for what I can carry on the trike. Been doing that for 20 years now on trikes that are far from entry level. Nobody has ever taken anything from any of my trikes. Went to the PO yesterday and left the trike locked in plain view in front of the building. I didn't even bother to hide my daytime running lights. Not much use to anyone as I modified them so you can't simply attach them to a regular bike. Would not be much of a loss anyway as a new set is only $10 and I have spares.

linberl

Where I live if you leave a light, a bag, an seat with a QR, etc., it will be gone in minutes! Someone actually stole a bag off my adult son's bike that had a big rip in it! And any bike is fair game because it's all stripped for parts and then made into frankenbikes and sold for $50 at flea markets. The trike I'm going to buy is a 24 speed, not the highest quality components, but definitely good enough for frankenbikes. The rims would be sufficient to make it worth stealing around here; it's a business and there are bike chop shops. Anyway, I'm going with
a u-lock on the beam between the cranks and the crossbar with a cable thru the front wheels, and a mini ulock on the rear wheel and cable thru the rack and seat. That way, even if one u lock is cut they still have to disassemble, not roll or lift into a van (very common). And I'm goiing to hide a Tile tracker on it as well.

10 Wheels

Since my car was stolen from a secure public parking garage, I don't worry about it.
If they really want it, they can figure a way to take it.

sloppy12

why couldnt you use a dutch style lock? like the abus frame lock.

linberl

AFAIK that stops someone riding away, but we have organized "van" thieves who come around in vans with sliding side doors and have no problem putting an unrideable bike inside to deal with locks later on. My goal is to convince them the other bikes around me are easier game.

sloppy12

the have addition cable lock that is a add on. so it would lock wheel to frame and cable to whatever.

Leisesturm

I have never been able to get past the looks of that trike. It just screams 'entry level'. Cheap, if I'm being mean. Don't do it. There is a trike called the ''Gekko". It might be an HPV model, maybe AZUB but it's deffo European. I was gobsmacked at how ... inexpensive it was. I would pay twice what they are asking, and I'm not a trike type. If I had to lock that Trident(?) I would find a way to get the main tube next to something that will fit in an 11" U-Lock AND get one of those tamper alarms. A Gekko and anything nicer I simply would not leave unattended. I would not. Someone committed to using a trike as a car replacement simply has to think outside of the box with respect to security. There are motorcycle chains that surely must be up to keeping a trike safe if they keep $14K super bikes off of Craigslist. Or just go to ACE Hardware and get 3' of a thickness of chain that you think suffices. Ask them for a suitable padlock. Bob's your uncle.

linberl

And indeed the reason I picked the Trident is maybe it won't attract as much attention as a higher end trike. I am definitely going to have to lock it up and leave it. My custom Bike Friday 2 wheeler never left my hand; I have a cheap Dahon I. bought used that I rode in the rare situations where I couldn't take my folded BF inside somewhere. The Trident is also going to have to live in my garage (where the BF lived in the house) and bikes are stolen from folks backyards and garages. I'll lock it to something in the garage and leave the seat indoors but one never knows. Losing a $1500 trike would hurt a lot less than losing a $2500 one (the Catrike Villager which tempted me). Also, I'm old haha, so amortizing an expensive trike over my remaining lifespan isn't necessarily a win.

VegasTriker

The Gekko is made by HP Velotechnic but it is not just one trike but four models ranging in cost from $1,990 to $4,980 based on the price list at Bicycleman in Alfred NY. https://www.hpvelotechnik.com/en/rec...umbent-trikes/ It is definitely one of the better brand of trikes as evidenced by owner satisfaction.
I think you are looking at it from the wrong perspective as to amortizing the expense of a trike over your remaining years. I'm probably older than you. If someone stole my Catrike 700 I would immediately look for another Catrike, preferably an Expedition or 700 because it is so much fun to ride a really good quality trike. My first trike was not cheap. It turned out to be not very dependable with a couple of serious design defects. It was so much of a pleasure to own and ride my second trike, an Australian made Greenspeed GTO. The basic design wasn't that much different but it stopped faster, handled far better, and best of all I knew it wasn't likely to break down unexpectedly. I rode it 29K miles in 9 years with just one on-road breakdown (not counting flats). Whoever survives you can resell the trike and make a few bucks back. All depends on what you can afford. Any trike is going to attract attention far more than a regular bike.

linberl

i'm 72. I spent a small fortune (to me) on my custom 2 wheel Bike Friday. It was worth it because I used it to replace an automobile and at that time I expected to ride it for years and on vacation. I am selling it because I can't ride a 2 wheeler anymore; I have a health issue that might mean I can't ride months from now, no way to determine at this point, but my health and ability to ride is questionable to say the least. Thus, I am not willing to spend more on a trike at this time.

Leisesturm

I may have to change my tagline. "Life is too short to ride an ugly bike (trike)". The price of the base model Gekko is not significantly higher than the Trident and the theft likelihood depends more on the social dynamics of the area than the actual worth of a particular bike.
Edit:FWIW, me and mine just bought a house with a 30 year mortgage. There's no way ... but they can't stop you. Within reason, get the trike that will make you smile.