Bike security camping

[daisyj]

I’m planning the first overnight camping trip with my e bike. I’m looking at Weymouth (UK) and I’ll need a campsite with electricity to charge the bike. It’ll be me, my partner, two bikes and a tent. Could anyone share how you secure your bikes?

 

[Baldy]

I don't normally do campsites but if I do I'll just lock it to something solid. No idea how you'd go with electric bikes never owned one.

 

[Cycleops]

A length of string attached to the bikes and the other to your big toe when settled in for the night.

 

[Dadam]

Never done it myself but wondered about it. If you have an electric hookup at the pitch the post might be substantial enough to lock the bikes to, but be careful you can't lift the lock right off the top. You may also need a special camping hookup with a round 3 pin adaptor. With the boom in ebikes, you'd think there's a market for campsites with secure bike storage and charging facilities.
You don't have to charge it where you lock it though, you can watch it while it's charging then lock it up somewhere else.

Probably worth phoning round a few sites and asking them

 

[wiggydiggy]

Option 1 for me in the past isn't available to you - I'd lock it to the car. So Option 2I have used fenceposts, trees, fences in the past. All not ideal but I trusted by sleeping next to it I'd hear someone. And you'll be able to lock the bikes to each other as well.

For charging I'd maybe ring ahead and see if they have sockets available, maybe in a utility room or similar?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

If you have 2 bikes then locking them to each other - facing different ways - at least makes it damn inconvenient to steal them

I think you can assume that it is unlikely that someone will just pick them up and put them in a van on a campsite but......

Also - and most importantly - if the batteries can be removed to charge then do so and charge them in the tent - so out of sight - an ebike with no battery is pretty useless as far as direct reselling is concerned!

you could also get one of the ground anchors that you can tie a dog's lead to - they just screw into the ground so can be unscrewed easily - but the average numpty that steals bikes isn;t going to know that (probably) and just making it that bit more inconvenient will help

Other thing is one of those motion sensitive alarms - never used one but on a campsite they could be useful

 

[Dadam]

Good thoughts there from @ebikeerwidnes The dog lead anchor is better than it sounds. If the chain is through the loop in the anchor (get the bigger ones with the closed loop) and chain isn't too loose it's going to be a huge PITA to unscrew it with bikes attached. It's going to take time and make noise, especially if you've got a motion alarm on the bikes. The anchor could be cut quickly and quietly with bolt croppers though but then they've still got 2 bikes chained together to deal with. It's probably enough to put off an opportunist.

 

[albion]

Go upmarket. Camp at YHA Beer.

 

[daisyj]

Never done it myself but wondered about it. If you have an electric hookup at the pitch the post might be substantial enough to lock the bikes to, but be careful you can't lift the lock right off the top. You may also need a special camping hookup with a round 3 pin adaptor. With the boom in ebikes, you'd think there's a market for campsites with secure bike storage and charging facilities.
You don't have to charge it where you lock it though, you can watch it while it's charging then lock it up somewhere else.

Probably worth phoning round a few sites and asking them

Thanks, some good points, there. I’ll look into the 3 pin adapter, too.

 

[daisyj]

If you have 2 bikes then locking them to each other - facing different ways - at least makes it damn inconvenient to steal them

I think you can assume that it is unlikely that someone will just pick them up and put them in a van on a campsite but......

Also - and most importantly - if the batteries can be removed to charge then do so and charge them in the tent - so out of sight - an ebike with no battery is pretty useless as far as direct reselling is concerned!

you could also get one of the ground anchors that you can tie a dog's lead to - they just screw into the ground so can be unscrewed easily - but the average numpty that steals bikes isn;t going to know that (probably) and just making it that bit more inconvenient will help

Other thing is one of those motion sensitive alarms - never used one but on a campsite they could be useful

Lots of good ideas there, thanks. I hadn’t thought of the bikes facing different directions or the ground anchor.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Lots of good ideas there, thanks. I hadn’t thought of the bikes facing different directions or the ground anchor.

Been thinking - or probably over thinking - and making one of them upside-down would make it that bit more difficult

basically you are trying to make the idiot think either
Nah - not worth the hassle
or
I take that one over there instead


Oh - and - if you get one of the personal alarms you can get where there is a base unit about the size of a packet of fags and a loop that comes from it - and when you pull the loop it comes away and the alarm goes off
Then you can put the base unit in a saddle bag and pul a tent peg through the loop so if someone takes it the then accidentally pull the loop away and it goes off
Got the idea from the shed when I moved in here - the "alarm" on it was a very simple personal attack alarm stuck to the shed roof and a nail on th edoor for the loop to go round


anyway - good luck

 

[Dadam]

🤔 .... alarm mine with a 12g blank cartridge and a tripwire!
Wake up the whole campsite and make the miscreants think someone's shooting at them with a shotgun.

 

[daisyj]

Been thinking - or probably over thinking - and making one of them upside-down would make it that bit more difficult

basically you are trying to make the idiot think either
Nah - not worth the hassle
or
I take that one over there instead


Oh - and - if you get one of the personal alarms you can get where there is a base unit about the size of a packet of fags and a loop that comes from it - and when you pull the loop it comes away and the alarm goes off
Then you can put the base unit in a saddle bag and pul a tent peg through the loop so if someone takes it the then accidentally pull the loop away and it goes off
Got the idea from the shed when I moved in here - the "alarm" on it was a very simple personal attack alarm stuck to the shed roof and a nail on th edoor for the loop to go round


anyway - good luck

Fab ideas! Thank you . I’ll definitely be getting an alarm .

 

[numbnuts]

For just over night the alarm in a good bet

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Bit of thin cord from bike frames to tent also helps when you are sleeping. Cord they won’t see but as soon as try to move bike…