Train Station Cycling Hubs

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jamin100

Guru
Location
Birmingham
Going to be starting to cycle to the station soon and im in 2 minds as to whether to wrestle by bike onto the train and lock it at work, or leave it at the station.

The station im using has one of those new (ish) cycling hub things which are keycard entry (which anyone can apply for) CCTV monitored (apparently) and "secure" t

This is what im on about


View: https://youtu.be/4gWwl0yqgO0


Access is free, so it wont cost anything and the bike i'll be using is a beater single speed steel bike that looks like its been in the wars. Never the less, its cost me £50 to put together and I dont want some scrote to steal it. I'd obviously be using a D-Lock to secure it but know they are not impenetrable..

Anyone used one?
Are they secure / Safe?
 

winjim

Smash the cistern
I've started using one and it's pretty good but can't be relied on to be 100% secure as there's nothing to stop people just following you before the automatic doors close. Also I guess a thief could just apply for an access card. There have been thefts from the one at Sheffield so they insist you use a D-lock. However, they say they've had no thefts from the upstairs section although that bit has no cameras, and as there are so many bikes in there I would think that the actual chance of a specific bike getting taken are pretty low.

So I would treat it as a semi-secure location out of the weather. The changing area is a good size and if you need the loo you can always pop in rather than paying at the station. The door access supposedly works on any cycle hub on the line but I haven't tried it anywhere else.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Using the bottom deck of one of those two-tiers is one time it's worth wearing a hard hat! :wacko: Most UK versions seem much lower than the Dutch. That, or make sure you can lock the bike when stood behind it.
 
OP
OP
jamin100

jamin100

Guru
Location
Birmingham
If a thief did enter I'd have thought the chances of picking your beater over the hoard of assembled hardware would be be pretty slim.

No if my beater baby is the only one in there :laugh: weighs a ton mind..

I've applied for a card anyway so i'll see what its like i guess... The one in the video is identical to the one i'll be using
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
I would not using a lock like the one in the promotional video, that is for sure. I leave my commuter all over the place including at the local station which has similar racks, but no controlled access. I don't really worry about it as I have a decent lock and security skewers. At some point I will get round to popping in a greased ball bearing into the allen bolts on the seatpost and saddle. But as yet, I have not had any problems. My local station would need 15 of those hubs to match the current capacity. I don't see that happening. 10 lockers can be rented at the station, but only if you are season ticket holder, I assume the waiting list is long.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
The only problem with leaving it locked but without secure access is mindless vandalism which I found out once to my cost.
 
I've started using one and it's pretty good but can't be relied on to be 100% secure as there's nothing to stop people just following you before the automatic doors close. Also I guess a thief could just apply for an access card. There have been thefts from the one at Sheffield so they insist you use a D-lock. However, they say they've had no thefts from the upstairs section although that bit has no cameras, and as there are so many bikes in there I would think that the actual chance of a specific bike getting taken are pretty low.

So I would treat it as a semi-secure location out of the weather. The changing area is a good size and if you need the loo you can always pop in rather than paying at the station. The door access supposedly works on any cycle hub on the line but I haven't tried it anywhere else.
Unfortunately you are 100% right. Other than CCTV I'm unsure what the Cambridge station cycle hub has :-/ https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/ne...-stolen-cambridge-station-cyclepoint-14768538
 

tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
I've not tried my local one but both me and mrs 73 have signed up. Handy for a bit of extra peace of mind if I need to leave the bike at that end of in town. As it's harder to fine a suitable place to leave it and it will be handy when I start using the bike to get to the station.
Ours costs £5 one off fee it's upstairs and you have use the lift to reach it.
Downstairs is the local bike project space so people are about all the times are station staff.
As with anything it will be as safe as you make it , lock you bike up as you do anyway and it has to be worth a go.
If nothing more than it keeps it dry and out of sight of anyone passing who fancies a go.
Like @steveindenmark says if we got support them they stop providing them.
 

Gekko21

Regular
I stash my bike at a mainline station too. It's part of an NCP carpark that claims to have CCTV but I've no idea where the cameras are trained or how easy it would be to get the footage if needed. There's no card access and I'm trying to be philosophical about the risks. I could have gone down the Brompton or hire bike option but wanted to ride a full sized, non-clunky bike around town so I ruled those options out. I use a sold secure D-lock and cable through the wheels. As described above, the storage is the top and bottom level rack style. I've started using the top level as I was sick of banging my head :rolleyes: when using the lower ones.
 
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