Parking your bike, is it safe ?

[MrRidley]

Went to asda (robroyston) yesterday with my new bike, so i had a look at the bike rack outside it's like an upturned u shape, anyway i managed to lift the thing clean out of the ground so called one of the passing staff collecting the trollies and showed him the rack and he said and i quote
''but nobody is going to steal your bike with a bike rack attached''
went on my merry way laughing to the nearby tesco.

 

[HLaB]

They used to have a rack at the Duloch Park tesco that wasn't bolted to the deck; unsurprisingly people hardly used it and locked their bike to other objects, a year later the rack was gone.

 

[ferret fur]

Although it is a risk I always leave my bike locked up outside shops etc with only a token lock for security. I'm sure one day it will get nicked, but what is the point of having a bike if you are not going to use it? I also kind of feel that we are giving in to the criminals if we stop doing what we would normally do because of fear.

 

[J4CKO]

I will park mine at the local shop and in the centre of town but its never for any length of time, I think "Geeky" accessories do put off kids, things like rachs and panniers but they arent daft and relaise you can bin all that, if you had a Pashley or something they probably wouldnt nick it but feel the need to ruin it.

I think a few bikes of different types should be left around and videoed to see what happens, would be interested, especially asking a vandal to explain his actions.


The irony is, most of the ones that nick them dont ride anyway.

I had left an MTB outside a bookshop and saw a lad going for it, he went from walkign normally to an "I aint doing nouthin or nuthin" pimp limp as he went to grab it, he saw me looking out and shaking my head, made a calculation as to whether he could ride a 25 inch frame and that was a no, could he run with it, it was a no and could he tackle the rather large chap in the shop shaking his head, again no, he about turned loooking sheepish.

 

[HLaB]

I was locking up my heavy hybrid the other day, plenty of lights, mud guards, pannier racks and the local kids came up complimenting me on my cool bike, was it a racing bike ? etc. Fortunately it was still there when I got out of the shop.

 

[palinurus]

I'm always leaving my bike unlocked outside shops when I get a paper etc. Still, it's usually early in the morning. If some not-particularly-ambitious-but-keen type criminal wants to get up early enough they can have it away. They'll get **** all for it anyway and I'll have to buy a new one, I need a good excuse to do so.

I might feel differently when I put my new wheels on at the weekend. It'll treble the value of it at least.

I have a really shoot bike which I keep for when I need to park up for extended periods. I'd be glad if someone stole it if it didn't mean I'd have to go to the trouble of finding another shoot bike to replace it.

 

[palinurus]

I was locking up my heavy hybrid the other day, plenty of lights, mud guards, pannier racks and the local kids came up complimenting me on my cool bike, was it a racing bike ? etc. Fortunately it was still there when I got out of the shop.

That's weird that isn't it?. It's always my unremarkable bikes that attract comment. The really shoot bike mentioned above is an MTB, rigid, with slicks, rack, paint chipped all over, rusty to boot. Some guy was admiring it recently, telling me it was a sort of cross between a racer and a mountain bike.

 

[rog]

i am never going to leave my bike locked-up outside again. not never. its either gonna get robbed or harvested for parts & i cant be doing with it anymore.

the last time i got done over was the final straw as i was trying to be particulary merticulous about security: I was using 2 d-locks, made sure it was always locked to a bike post and even removed all the quick release items (saddle etc). one day i came back to retrieve it and i thought it looked a bit strange, it was only after 10 secs or so i realised someone had slashed my cables and nicked my handlebars!

dont think it matters what bike you ride as my mate at work has got the crappiest rust-bucket but that didnt stop someone from stealing one of his pedals. he's now perfected the art of riding one-footed over the last 12 months as he's not got round to replacing it!

 

[palinurus]

Stealing a pedal? wha?

What thief carries a foot long pedal spanner, a can of plusgas, a blowtorch, a hammer and a 2' length of steel tube around with them?

 

[palinurus]

he's now perfected the art of riding one-footed over the last 12 months as he's not got round to replacing it!

He should swap the pedal to the other side for a year, i've heard it does wonders for souplesse.

 

[Black Sheep]

i've happily locked up about £1000 of mountain bike before with no problems

normally tho i'm locking up my road bike which looks a bit odd, down tube shifter, rear mech with no markings on (painted out) brooks saddle, no front gears

and good look to anyone trying to fix it after knicking it, took me a year to get those wheels! (27 inch)

 

[J4CKO]

Stealing a pedal? wha?

What thief carries a foot long pedal spanner, a can of plusgas, a blowtorch, a hammer and a 2' length of steel tube around with them?

LOL, that is proper funny !

 

[Twiggy]

I lock my bike up out and about, though I am careful where I do lock it up to some degree.

Bike shed got broken into recently, my bike wasn't locked up at the time, just placed inside, would have been easy to wheel out, but they left it, instead going after the other bike shed...

There are some upsides to having a really old bike.

I do take my bike into shops with me when I've not got a lock with me for whatever reason, even taken it into motorway services with me.

Stealing a pedal? wha?

What thief carries a foot long pedal spanner, a can of plusgas, a blowtorch, a hammer and a 2' length of steel tube around with them?

You know it's possible to removal a pedal with very simple tools. 6" spanner can do it.

 

[Night Train]

I never lock up my 'nice' bike and it only does round trips with me or where I can take it in doors with me. I have walked around B&Q with it many a time.

I have an old rust bucket (does that term apply to a bike?) that I will use to pop out to the shops. It carries the same security that I used for my Harley Davidson. If it was good enough for a £12,500 motorbike then it is good enough for my freecycle bike.

 

[PBancroft]

I think it does matter more where you leave your bike, rather than what you lock it with or to.

I have never, and will never lock my bike outside the train station for example. No point. Any pikey worth his salt will know I'll be gone for hours and anyone else who passes by will be more intent on catching their train, getting home, or just turn the other cheek.