Parking your bike, is it safe ?

[J4CKO]

I went swimming last night to try and keep some muscle in my top half, was going to go on the bike but I was not keep on leaving a £700 bike with accessories outside the local leisure centre, we live in a nice area but even so I would be gutted if I chained it up and it got pinched or vandalised, at the very least fiddled with (quick release wheels) so is this really much of a problem, I have an old Diamond Back MTB on Road Tyres as well so might press that back into service for trips to the leisure centre.

It is a bit sad that it is even a consideration but there are some wierd people out there (not the ones on bikes, thats a different wierd) that like finding something to destroy like a bus shelter so a nice shiny bike, even if they cant nick it they will want to render it useless, not sure how much of an actual risk it is but I dont want to chance it. We did have the cars locks mutilated there once I seem to remember.

So I didnt want to leave my £700 bike, so I took my top of the range pristine Saab 9-3 Aero and left that there instead

 

[gbb]

Personally J4CKO, i wouldnt ever leave a £700 bike locked somewhere like that.
Its probably not a big risk, but a risk all the same it'll be nicked. I saw something like this some years ago....
Driving across town, i saw two young lads cycling across a field adjacent to our swimming pool....one was carrying a bike minus it's front wheel....hmmmm, a bit sus. So i turned round and looked in the parking area at the pool, and lo and behold, there's a lone wheel locked up in the racks.

I reported it to the swimming reception, gave my name and mumber, and told them where the lads had took the bike (i saw the house where they went to).

No-one ever came back...but it only would have taken them seconds to steal it with QR wheels, and it was right in front of the reception .

 

[ianrauk]

Driving across town, i saw two young lads cycling across a field adjacent to our swimming pool....one was carrying a bike minus it's front wheel....hmmmm, a bit sus. So i turned round and looked in the parking area at the pool, and lo and behold, there's a lone wheel locked up in the racks.

Locking only the front wheel? Jeeezus it deserved to be nicked...
(It didn't really but you get my point)

 

[thomas]

I don't like leaving my bike anywhere, having had one nicked in the past. Where I work now I put it in the back store room, locked. People could still walk in and take it, but it's unlikely. Where I worked in the hoils, I locked it outside the office. It was off the main road and half the time there was a shut gate (not locked) so people wouldn't have seen it.

It's all about working out the risk and if it's worth it.

 

[downfader]

If I live around the corner I'll just walk (and by that I mean up to two miles distance) or take the bus.

Just remembered I bought some "security" skewers.. Fisher Outdoor KF Maintenance ones. Wont stop the tooled-up will stop the chancer.

Our local swimming baths/leisure centers fill up with kids and teens in the car parks. Those that do the martial arts classes there often suffer abuse from lads trying it on.

 

[MacB]

my good bike is only ever in secure parking I've kept my cheapo one for poddling around, it's good for about 7 miles each way.

 

[Origamist]

Even with 2/3 locks, your bike is not safe and there's not much you can do if people want to stamp/kick your wheels (apart from removing them).

If I have to run an errand I use my folder and carry it with me, or take my old 7 speed hack which I lock with a D-lock and chain. When I come back I am always pleasantly surprised to see it still in situ.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

I think it's been about 4 years since I locked a bike up anywhere!

 

[Origamist]

Yes. That's the only thing stopping me from going to LIDLs on the way home tonight. (The one just before Tooting bec). Don't really want to leave my shiny green bike locked up outside all by itself. No worries when I cycled on my hybrid as it looked junk and I'd lock it up anywhere.

I bought some honey roasted peanuts in that Lidl and took my bike in!

 

[fossyant]

I don't have a crap bike for these purposes - I do have to leave it outside on one site, but within sight of reception, but do lock it well. But it's not in a vandal area - i.e. daytime, passing students/staff.....

As for local shops - only ever gone twice, one occasion the bike was outside, but out of sight for 2 seconds - went into the off-licence for some wine - knew where it was, and bike was in sight as I paid....the other, a local supermarket - again in and out, but bike locked to rails at front door.

 

[mds101]

I don't have a lock, I leave my bike when it seems reasonable to do so or I can keep an eye on it. I wouldn't leave it outside a swimming pool.

I've been thrown out of asda, sainsburys and tesco (not simultaneously) for walking in with my bike. Reason given....H&S. Security Guard at Tesco was almost having a heart attack at the idea of me walking around an almost empty store with a bike.

 

[MacB]

do we need cycle through schemes then? Maybe external monitors where you shop via touch screen then a pay and collect window? It nearly always takes me longer to lock up, remove panniers and my gear, then reverse it all, than it does to shop.

 

[Bodhbh]

The local pool I use always has kids hanging around the front, near the bikes, which is out of line of sight from the reception. I had a good look and didn't think it was worth the risk leaving any bike there.

I don't know how common it is in pools, but almost every single locker has it's lock broken in the male changing area, as well as a fair few in the female area, where you have to change yourself if you want to lock your gear up. It doesn't really inspire much confidence your bike will last long outside.

 

[potnoodle]

drive through Sainsburys....Now thats a good idea!!!!

 

[numbnuts]

I leave my bike outside shops, supermarkets ect, I use Abus Granit X Plus D lock and a 10mm cable with padlock through both wheels that bike it worth £1000 and my other bike MTB is worth £1500, as they say so far so good.
ps this is day time only, no way would I leave it there after dark