How vigilant are you about your bicycle security?

[MrJamie]

I'm probably closer to the paranoid than the careless end of the spectrum, but im frequently surprised at how little people worry about their bikes.

Yesterday for example I was sat in a beer garden I'd cycled to, enjoying an hour of sun and saw a couple of cyclists arrive, lean their bicycles against the wall of the pub about 3 metres from the main road and then hobble inside on some sort of cleated shoes. One of the bikes was a Boardman road bike, not sure which but lower front spoke count and the woman had a decent enough looking Trek hybrid, but neither of them secured their bikes in any way but rather sat nearish to the window, close enough to see a thief but far too far to give chase. Its a nice area, with a shiny Ferrari not more than a few metres away, but I still couldnt leave my bike completely unlocked like that.

Im also forever seeing young adults at the local shop, lean their bike up outside and go in shopping out of sight of their bikes, while im accross the road D-Locking my bike to a post and unclipping computer/lights just to go in for a few minutes. I even lock my bike up on my doorstep while im working on it if i need to go inside for a minute. Anywhere busy or where its left for more than about 2minutes ill cable the wheels too.

Do you ever get lazy and not bother to lock properly?

 

[defy-one]

Short answer - Never!!!!
I work to hard for my dosh to give some bstd a freebie.

 

[marzjennings]

I've seen bikes taken in under 20 seconds, just taken by some scrout who just happened to be walking by a shop seconds after the bike's owner has just walked inside.

So, no I don't leave my bike unlocked at all. Even to the point of bringing the bike into the stall with me when forced to use a public loo while out riding.

 

[Nick Stevenson]

Never leave any of mine anywhere unless they're at home in the garage locked up or when at work it's always parked up inside a police station! Which is handy ;-)

 

[Chappy]

I always have a look around for a decent place to lock up. Depending on where I go I will take 2 locks 1 for the bike and 1 for the QR wheels.

 

[DRHysted]

Even to the point of bringing the bike into the stall with me when forced to use a public loo while out riding.

Done that myself.
At home it's either locked in the shed, or unlocked in the kitchen (surounded by 7 dogs). At work it's in the bike shed inside a secure site (I know it's secure because I'm security) right in my line of sight.
The other week I got slightly de-hydrated because I ran out of fluids on a long ride, and was not prepared to leave it unlocked outside a shop (I was only 10 miles from home when I used the last drop so thought I'd be OK).

 

[albion]

Never. If I forget my lock on my own and need it I turn back, even if I have miles to go.
Also I'm wary of those supermarket cycle stands wound a brick corner. The bike stays in the open amongst the public.

Its quite incredible how many bike stands there are that no one ever uses and for obvious reasons.

 

[summerdays]

Out on the street - wouldn't leave it unlocked at all unless I'm standing close by (how close depends on the area). At home I will quite happily wheel it round to the back of the house and leave it there for several hours, or only for a minute if around the front of the house. Luckily I have understanding friends many of which let me bring it inside their houses! At a pub I might lean it against a wall if I was sitting outside nearby, not if I was inside - then it would be locked - even if only to another friends bike.

 

[snorri]

I take a fairly casual approach usually, depends on the locality.

 

[geo]

never leave my road bike anywhere, I'm either on it or its with someone to look after it if I nip into a shop. If not its in a locked garage.
Slightly less careful with the older and far less costly hybrid, but still wouldnt leave it unlocked

 

[nick.b]

mostly i use a cheap cable lock, just to put off 1 or 2 people, i never leave it for hours unattended, but 5 mins here or there if im out on a ride, my £12 abus lock is a little gem, probably only buys me 15 seconds but its a trade off weight vs security and im not going out on a ride with a kilo + in lock weight on me.

 

[Banjo]

mostly i use a cheap cable lock, just to put off 1 or 2 people, i never leave it for hours unattended, but 5 mins here or there if im out on a ride, my £12 abus lock is a little gem, probably only buys me 15 seconds but its a trade off weight vs security and im not going out on a ride with a kilo + in lock weight on me.

That sums up my attitude. Maybe I will lose a bike one day but whats the point of buying a nice light bike just to strap a kilo of lock to it? On Audax rides I often see 20 or more expensive bikes just leaning against a wall outside a cafe etc .

 

[Drago]

I'm somewhere North of over protective. Sheet hot locks, CCTV and PIR alarms at home, full details logged on Immobilise.com extensive photos.

Nothing's infallible, but if Johnnie Scumbag wants one of my bikes he better be prepared to work hard for them, and even harder still to punt them on.

I'd sooner carry a lock than face a 40 mile walk on cleats, or face the hassle and expense of replacing a bike.

 

[Norm]

I never leave them unlocked, taking two locks if I know I'm going to be stopping somewhere and nearly always have some sort of lock at any time.

Then again, we have insurance on all of the bikes, if something did happen, life would go on.

 

[kernel gadaffi]

Mine are never out of my sight if I'm out on one of them, at home, they're fastened to the garage floor with an Abus lock and lashing kit, the garage has the same type of lock and is alarmed, it was different kettle of fish two years ago though, I only had one bike then and it wasn't that expensive, a scrote(s) knocked the old lock off, took my tools and a load of fishing gear, it wasn't till I worked out what had gone that I realised the value of what was in there, about £2k of tools and £3K of fishing gear.