Locking the bike in the same place everyday

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Armegatron

Active Member
Hi all. Im returning to Uni in September and my bike will be locked up outside. There are a few Sheffield stands around the campus, and ideally Id be parking it in the same place everyday - but Ive just thought - is this asking for trouble?

Ive invested in an Abus Granit xplus (D lock), together with a cable extender for the pannier rack and an Abus Centuro (cable lock). Also Ill be using an alarmed padlock on the front disc brake.

Does anyone else avoid parking the bike on the same stand everyday, in case a thief starts to checkout any weak spots in the locks etc?
 

Sailorchick

New Member
Location
Southampton
Does your uni have any secure cycle facilities. I commute to Southampton Uni and they have a couple of locked bike sheds on campus. £10 gets you a years access to the sheds. You may find that your Uni does something similar.
Just that bit more secure than a sheffield stand outside as Uni campuses are usually very prone to bike theft.
 
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Armegatron

Armegatron

Active Member
Sailorchick said:
Does your uni have any secure cycle facilities. I commute to Southampton Uni and they have a couple of locked bike sheds on campus. £10 gets you a years access to the sheds. You may find that your Uni does something similar.
Just that bit more secure than a sheffield stand outside as Uni campuses are usually very prone to bike theft.

Thanks for the reply. As far as Im aware there are no secure facilities - however I may be able to approach the student union for funding for a facility as they have a huge problem with lack of car parking, so alternate facilities might be a good idea.
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
When I was at uni I rotated where I parked it, problem was there was insufficient parking in many places. If people get on at them they'll put in more like for example they put in 60 sheffield stands under three covered stands, enough capacity for 120 bikes and another 20 elsewhere.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
I locked my bike in the same place, outside the library, everyday for four years, never a problem...

but that was in Edinburgh...
 

brokenbetty

Über Member
Location
London
If the bike is worth nicking don't park it in the same place every day. Someone will check which locks you use then bring the right set of tools to break them.

If it's not worth nicking then just make sure your locks are too much hassle for an opportunist who fancies a ride home.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I walked past some Sheffield stands (funnily enough) on the Sheffield university campus about 5 years ago and I saw a front wheel locked to one stand but no bike (d'oh!), a bike locked to another but no front wheel (d'oh!), a bike locked properly but with various bits missing off it (aaaaaaaargh!) and another adequately locked bike which had been severely jumped on (*!@$%!!!!).

I know someone whose mountain bike was nicked within a month or two of starting at Sheffield Hallam university.

I went to watch a criterium stage of the Milk race in Manchester in the early 90s. I walked the circuit a couple of times and the first time round I admired the fantastic array of fine racing bikes chained to lamp posts along Deansgate. By the time I did my second circuit virtually every single one of them had been kicked to bits. :biggrin:

Oh, and I had my bike nicked from the school bike sheds and a friend had his bike nicked from my parent's garden virtually from under their noses.

I can safely say that I would only leave a cheap, nasty bike that I didn't care much about locked up in the open in any big UK city.
 

Mad Doug Biker

Just a damaged guy.
Location
Craggy Island
Which is why I'm keeping my battered old mountain bike/Tank for when I need to leave a bike locked up (and also for when the weather is crap in the winter, etc etc), and get another good bike that I can use the rest of the time.

That said, I locked it (the Tank) outside the main entrance of the College I was at in Glasgow for ages, and never had any problem (I even remember leaving it there over night/for the weekend once or twice as I had to take heavy equipment home on the train instead. I smile when I think about that now).
There was a security office just inside and they would be able to see if anything was happening mind you, and they did close the gates at night, but, still, anyone could have wandered along at night and helped themselves.

Crammed full of bikes every day that place was!
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I know of 4 or 5 bikes that are permanently locked up outdoors with very cheap cable locks in various parts of Hebden Bridge but they don't get stolen or damaged because they are pretty old and rusty and obviously not worth anything, except as a means of transport.
 

Shut Up Legs

Down Under Member
ColinJ said:
I know of 4 or 5 bikes that are permanently locked up outdoors with very cheap cable locks in various parts of Hebden Bridge but they don't get stolen or damaged because they are pretty old and rusty and obviously not worth anything, except as a means of transport.
Down Under, we refer to those as bicycle art :laugh:
 
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Armegatron

Armegatron

Active Member
Thanks for the replies. The primary place Ill be parking it is outside the sports center, which is a glass walled building so hopefully that will be a deterrent in itself. The other main place would be in the central square which is over looked by a library, security office and the student union. CCTV covers both of these locations, and based on previous chats with security they are a good bunch of lads that would probably "have a go" if anything was happening and they spotted it.

I rode in last year a few times on what I would call now a "BSO" and locked that under a walkway - I wouldnt dream of putting my current bike in the same place though as its very secluded from public view!

I reckon Ill take the advice onboard and rotate between a few locations, but I think the biggest help will be locking the bike with enough locks to say to a theif "Just dont bother, steal the one next to me with a £5 cable lock instead".

Ive also started an email to send to the Student Union in the hopes of getting some additional facilities. Fingers crossed.

Thanks again,
Mike
 
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