Tea Shop - Bike Security

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CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
I carry a decent lock all the time. Yes, it's insured, but it would be a major hassle to spec-up and order again.

I can understand the visual deterrent argument of the made-from-cheese cable-locks linked to in this thread, but I do wonder whether they are actually riskier than nothing at all? They might give you a false sense of security, thinking that you can take your eye off it for at least a few mins, whereas in reality any of those cables could be snipped in literally one second.

Ben
 

nickb

Guru
Location
Cardiff
I always carry one of these:

4738safeman_l.jpg


I bought some for when we go skiing but they're ideal for quickly locking your bike to something when you pop into a shop etc.
 

penster

New Member
Remember the golden rule. 'The lighter the bike, the heavier the lock'. If you ride a junker the bike weighs a ton, but the lock weighs zero.
 
a lot of the cafes used around here(lancs) allow cyclists to leave locks and some have provided them, no good if it's a one off stop but if it'sa regular stop then it's worth asking if locks can be left at the cafe
 

Randochap

Senior hunter
A little lock goes a long way

Living in the cycling capital of Canada also means living in the bike theft capital. One needs a junker to park downtown. If your bike isn't stolen, it will be stripped of anything worth a hit of crack.

In the downtown core, a decent lock and constant surveilance are a must. A good trick is to lock up outside a bistro/restaurant with a big front window. Low-lifes may assme you are within sight of the bike.

Elsewhere, I use a tiny cable lock, as above. These will stop tooless tools and opportunists, while you pay for your cappucino.

I also have a rider on the house insurance for all my good bikes.
 

alecstilleyedye

nothing in moderation
Moderator
none of us seems to bother locking the bikes on our club runs, usually the bikes are left where we can see them, or the café is the sort of place that's unlikely to attract passing thieves.

i'm not sure that hanging out near the posh bikes is always a good idea. my carrera badged bike will probably appeal more to the thief who will assume that as it's a halfords brand that it will be very difficult for the owner to positively i.d. (and hence be proven stolen) the bike, should it end up recovered by plod. unfortunately for the thief, i could pick my "carrera virtuoso" from a thousand others, as only the frame and bars remain from the original bike.
 

gavintc

Guru
Location
Southsea
another tip for a cafe stop is to ask if you can put the bikes in the back garden /alley of the cafe. Most places that are in the country will have a space in the back.
 

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
Would your insurance cover you for theft of an unattened, unlocked bike ?
Mine wouldn't, but I'm hoping my featherweight lock counts as 'locked'.

What they don't know won't hurt them (actually it will as they'll pay out) :evil:


As my bike has a back compartment I carry a cable lock in that to use. At my club we usually lock up a few bikes together and can always use a few locks on a few bikes. Don't think there have ever been any problems but we're usually in quite small villages.
 
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