Bike Rack Etiquette

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Tetedelacourse

New Member
Location
Rosyth
We have two bike shelters at my work. One is usually pretty busy, I am often the only user of the second one. Reason being the second one doubles up as a smoking area. This doesn't bother me too much and in fact I'd rather folk were standing nearby my bike when I'm not there than not. But it never gets swept out so if you put your bag on the ground to lock the bike up it gets covered in ash. Filfy abit!

Anyway this morning I chose to use the other bike shed but most of the stands (those upside down metal U things) already had locks on them, but I was first into the shed. I too leave my lock at work cos it's too heavy to lug around.

Is it bad etiquette to lock a bike on a bar which already has a lock on it but no bike? What's the consensus? Just wondering.

I didn't but would have if I hadn't found a lockless bar.
 

alecstilleyedye

nothing in moderation
Moderator
i leave a lock on my favourite spot at work, but as i'm the only regular office hours user of the bike shed, it's not an issue.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Leaving a lock on the rack doesn't 'claim' it. And anyway, I guess there are two sides to each rack? So the 'owner' can just use the other side to you. And they could always take the radical step of unlocking the lock and moving it to another rack... Sod 'em..

Isn't there supposed to be a risk leaving you lock lying around anyway? - of theives tampering with it in the hope that you'll then leave the bike unlocked, or locked with a wimpy lock...
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
I would never take any account of a lock on a bike stand. If there's no bike, then it's fair game for someone else to go lock their bike there.


Apparently it's a common tactic for a thief to put superglue in your lock so you can't use it, and hope you'll leave your bike there unlocked when you no longer have a working lock.
 
OP
OP
Tetedelacourse

Tetedelacourse

New Member
Location
Rosyth
Eek I never thought of that. But I only leave my bike in there during office hours and we're in a secure car park, with said puffers kicking about most of the day so it's probably ok for me. I even left it unlocked once when I forgot my keys and just draped the lock over it.

Now come along fate, you have been tempted.
 
OP
OP
Tetedelacourse

Tetedelacourse

New Member
Location
Rosyth
Tetedelacourse said:
Eek I never thought of that. But I only leave my bike in there during office hours and we're in a secure car park, with said puffers kicking about most of the day so it's probably ok for me. I even left it unlocked once when I forgot my keys and just draped the lock over it.

Now come along fate, you have been tempted.

Jeezus I've just seen Mikey's post!;):ohmy:

I'm playing right into these scumbags' fingerless gloved hands!
 

bonj2

Guest
BentMikey said:
Apparently it's a common tactic for a thief to put superglue in your lock so you can't use it, and hope you'll leave your bike there unlocked when you no longer have a working lock.

Arch said:
Isn't there supposed to be a risk leaving you lock lying around anyway? - of theives tampering with it in the hope that you'll then leave the bike unlocked, or locked with a wimpy lock...

not that much of a risk, because you dont' have to leave it unlocked if you find superglue in it. In fact you'd have to be pretty damn stupid to, and all but the thickest of thieves probably realise this. I think this is just a bit of an urban myth tbh.
 

bonj2

Guest
Tetedelacourse said:
Is it bad etiquette to lock a bike on a bar which already has a lock on it but no bike?

No. it is bad etiquette however to lock your bike over someone else's such that they can't get theirs out without you removing yours first, or to put your lock through someone else's so they can't use it.
 

alecstilleyedye

nothing in moderation
Moderator
the other regular daytime cyclist actually leaves his pinarello unlocked in the courtyardy area near the swimming pool. another, more occasional chap leaves his even more expensive pinarello in the same place, again unlocked.

you can bet some theiving chav would go for my bike instead though, as they've probably heard of carrera ;)
 

zimzum42

Legendary Member
get hold of an old, broken bike.

Lock it to your favourite position.

when you get to work, unlock it, and lock your nice bike in position.

Leave the crap bike unlocked, and good luck to anyone who wants to steal it.

Thus, you always get 'your' spot.......
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
bonj;38722][QUOTE=Tetedelacourse said:
Is it bad etiquette to lock a bike on a bar which already has a lock on it but no bike?

No. it is bad etiquette however to lock your bike over someone else's such that they can't get theirs out without you removing yours first, or to put your lock through someone else's so they can't use it.[/QUOTE]


Well, durrr. Who said anything about doing that?

bonj said:
not that much of a risk, because you dont' have to leave it unlocked if you find superglue in it. In fact you'd have to be pretty damn stupid to, and all but the thickest of thieves probably realise this. I think this is just a bit of an urban myth tbh.

If you leave your lock at work, and don't carry another, or only carry a lightweight cable lock, what else are you going to do, assuming you're one of the masses who don't really think about it, or don't know how common theft is? Yes, it's a stupid thing to do, but, and I don't know if you've noticed this, there are a lot of stupid people out there...

The point is not that thieves necessarily expect a bike to be left unlocked, but that it may spend a day locked with only a flimsey lock that the owner wouldn't normally use as sole means of locking, and which they can easily cut.
 

skwerl

New Member
Location
London
bonj;38722][quote=Tetedelacourse said:
Is it bad etiquette to lock a bike on a bar which already has a lock on it but no bike?

No. it is bad etiquette however to lock your bike over someone else's such that they can't get theirs out without you removing yours first, or to put your lock through someone else's so they can't use it.[/quote]

Now that is a theft tactic. You go to head home, find some numpty has locked their bike against yours and say, "sod it. I'll have to leave it here overnight". Next day, not surprisingly, both bikes are gone.
 

bonj2

Guest
Arch said:
If you leave your lock at work, and don't carry another, or only carry a lightweight cable lock, what else are you going to do, assuming you're one of the masses who don't really think about it, or don't know how common theft is?
Well they should think about it. Superglue's about £2.99 for a little tiny bottle, they should think about why someone would bother to do that.
Arch said:
Yes, it's a stupid thing to do, but, and I don't know if you've noticed this, there are a lot of stupid people out there...
Hmmm... this is the unfortunate truth...
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
The one bit that makes me think it might be an urban myth is that I would personally use some epoxy which can fill gaps, unlike most superglue. Not that I'd actually do this for real of course.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
back to the question, first come first served, the lock has to be left somewhere if left it be, I do that, me and another bloke fight over slot one with the nice bit of wall to put things on while you're unpacking, I say fight, swap places depending on who arrives first, sometimes I end up as high as slot three where the hedge cover the wall completely and the curb is too high to ride up to the stand
 
Top Bottom