Public Service Announcement - Cable Locks!

The CSBR interrupts your regularly scheduled threads about helmets, head injuries, reckless cyclists, reckless drivers, and the physics thereof, to bring you the following announcement.

As of noon on May 9th, the CSBR has received 29 stolen bike reports for the month of May. More than half of them (16) were "locked" with some form of cable (cable w/padlock, combination cable, or keyed cable). The most recent report was for a $5000 bike locked to a bike rack in the Loop with a combination cable lock.

Nobody on the chainlink still thinks it's OK to lock their bike with a cable lock, do they?

Carry on...

Views: 3134

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on May 9, 2013 at 8:56pm

For his sake, hopefully no one finds out who he is and applies Krazy Glue to his door locks.

mike w. said:

Ooo-kay, so the guy's problem is that people leave their bikes locked up on his street, so his solution is to make the bikes' removal impossible? Seriously?

His well is a little too close to his septic tank...
 
Mike F said:

Check out this story.

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/33/dtg_bikecrusader_2010_08...

What is wrong with this guy?
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 10, 2013 at 4:59am

I could see that happening - and he would be so deserving of that extra special punishment. ;)

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:

For his sake, hopefully no one finds out who he is and applies Krazy Glue to his door locks.

mike w. said:

Ooo-kay, so the guy's problem is that people leave their bikes locked up on his street, so his solution is to make the bikes' removal impossible? Seriously?

His well is a little too close to his septic tank...
 
Mike F said:

Check out this story.

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/33/dtg_bikecrusader_2010_08...

What is wrong with this guy?
Permalink Reply by WillG on May 10, 2013 at 5:14am

I love people that go out of there way to be assholes.

Mike F said:

Check out this story.

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/33/dtg_bikecrusader_2010_08...

What is wrong with this guy?
Permalink Reply by Megan B on May 10, 2013 at 5:15am

Love the photos.  I agree with Barry about using a multi-lock approach.  I use a Ulock to grab my back wheel and frame - it fits pretty tighly so there isn't much space for someone to get in and saw it off.  Then I use a cable lock to secure my front wheel to the frame since the wheel could be easily stolen. 

 

On a different note, I have a mirror and tiny bag velcroed to my bike.  I don't bother to take these off when I lock up my bike outside at work or outside businesses becuase it is incovenient and these aren't very expensive (I do remove my lights).  In the 3 years I'm been biking fairly frequently, I've never had these stolen - to my amazement.  Knock on wood.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on May 10, 2013 at 8:02am

I use a cable lock to secure my quick-release wheels, and loop it around a U-lock which secures the frame.

Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on May 10, 2013 at 8:11am

I still cringe when I see people touting a cable to 'secure' quick release wheels. We're all aware of how easy it is for some simple bolt cutters to go right through one of the thicker Kryptonite cables, so I think more people should be replacing the quick releases with locking skewers. Then using a cable and u-lock would be a much bigger deterrent, IMO.

Do many bike models come standard with locking skewers, or do companies offer that option during sale? Would be nice to see. 

Permalink Reply by S on May 10, 2013 at 8:49am



Zoetrope said:

Do many bike models come standard with locking skewers, or do companies offer that option during sale? Would be nice to see. 

Most road bikes past the low-end come with quick releases.  MTBs tend to have thru axles or similar if they're above the low-end.  You can always get locking skewers but that's usually another $100 or whatever on top of the bike.

Permalink Reply by David P. on May 10, 2013 at 12:45pm

I love Detroit, but I'm hardly unbiased!



Michael Perez said:

hows detroit? Iv'e never been there.

David P. said:

Saw a bike locked by the front wheel only to a rack outside Starbucks as I was walking up Clybourn yesterday. Couldn't figure out who inside might have been the owner, so I just left a note on the seat about safer locking. Saw a guy locking up like this in the loop a couple of years ago; fortunately I was able to talk to him before he walked away. When I moved here, I continued to use my cable lock, which had been good enough in Detroit, even though I knew better than to think it was enough here (inertia got the better of me.) That inertia was what got my bike stolen! Learned the hard way.

Permalink Reply by Michael A on May 10, 2013 at 3:32pm

"locking skewers" can easily be defeated with a $20 tool.  Most geared road, hybrid, and mountain bikes over $250 will come with quick release axels standard. I either remove the front wheel and place it in between the bike frame and object that I lock up to using a unlock. Lately I have been bringing an Abus link lock as a second lock in hopes of making another bike seem like an easier target. 


Zoetrope said:

I still cringe when I see people touting a cable to 'secure' quick release wheels. We're all aware of how easy it is for some simple bolt cutters to go right through one of the thicker Kryptonite cables, so I think more people should be replacing the quick releases with locking skewers. Then using a cable and u-lock would be a much bigger deterrent, IMO.

Do many bike models come standard with locking skewers, or do companies offer that option during sale? Would be nice to see. 

Permalink Reply by David P. on May 11, 2013 at 7:03am

Large streets with not a lot of traffic. It's very easy to ride in, and there's a nice cycling community(ies) that's been growing especially in the last 5 years or so. Message me and we can talk about it.

Michael Perez said:


I would like to visit and ride the streets. How.is it traffic wise?
David P. said:

I love Detroit, but I'm hardly unbiased!



Michael Perez said:

hows detroit? Iv'e never been there.

David P. said:

Saw a bike locked by the front wheel only to a rack outside Starbucks as I was walking up Clybourn yesterday. Couldn't figure out who inside might have been the owner, so I just left a note on the seat about safer locking. Saw a guy locking up like this in the loop a couple of years ago; fortunately I was able to talk to him before he walked away. When I moved here, I continued to use my cable lock, which had been good enough in Detroit, even though I knew better than to think it was enough here (inertia got the better of me.) That inertia was what got my bike stolen! Learned the hard way.

Permalink Reply by David P. on May 11, 2013 at 7:06am

Hmm....I suppose it's hard to identify someone as a new arrival unless they identify themselves by finding a community like this one and identifying themselves. Or else if they join some ride or another and identify themselves, in which case people can advise them of good locking in person. But for the bike-on-the-street, perhaps a little (laminated?) card that can be left with a bike with a bit of text and a few illustrations stressing the importance of good locking, and showing how to do it. When I saw a poorly-locked bike on the street the other day, I went inside to try to identify the likely owner, and when I couldn't I wrote a note on paper I had and left it on the bike.

h' 1.0 said:

I suspect some healthy percentage of  cable lock victims are new transplants to the city.

How do we reach them?


David P. said:

I love Detroit, but I'm hardly unbiased!



Michael Perez said:

hows detroit? Iv'e never been there.

David P. said:

Saw a bike locked by the front wheel only to a rack outside Starbucks as I was walking up Clybourn yesterday. Couldn't figure out who inside might have been the owner, so I just left a note on the seat about safer locking. Saw a guy locking up like this in the loop a couple of years ago; fortunately I was able to talk to him before he walked away. When I moved here, I continued to use my cable lock, which had been good enough in Detroit, even though I knew better than to think it was enough here (inertia got the better of me.) That inertia was what got my bike stolen! Learned the hard way.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on May 12, 2013 at 6:34am

Simple & effective.

David P. said:

...perhaps a little (laminated?) card that can be left with a bike with a bit of text and a few illustrations stressing the importance of good locking, and showing how to do it.

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service