The Chainlink

Do you take your lights/helmet/etc... when you park? I wish I did...

I've gotten so used to leaving everything on my bike with no consequence and last night was a rude wake up.

I went to the Eighth Blackbird concert at Pritzker Pavilion last night and locked up next to the Millennium Park bike center.  When I came back, my helmet, with mounted front and rear lights, was gone.

I'm assuming this was a crime of convenience, because the thief left the lights attached to my bike (Planet Bike Blinky on rear) and my HornIt.  I'm wondering also if he thought the front light on my helmet was a camera; several people have asked if that's what it was when walking by me recently.  Here's hoping he was disappointed when he looked closer later on.

It felt really disorienting when riding home without the helmet last night.  Both because of the missing weight and the fact that I no longer had that light to direct at whomever I chose with a turn of my head.

Careful with your stuff out there.

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Permalink Reply by Maurice on August 29, 2013 at 11:45pm
I've had lights stolen, so I started taking them with me. Then I had my mount (sans light) stolen. Not sure why anybody would want that, but I replaced it with a bolt-on. So far, so good.
Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on August 30, 2013 at 12:25am

Eew!

BritBoy said:

I usually take everything easily removable with me. Having said that, my helmet sometimes smells so bad I probably wouldn't even need to lock up my bike if I left the helmet with it...

Permalink Reply by Bez on August 30, 2013 at 5:29am

vinegar...

BritBoy said:

I usually take everything easily removable with me. Having said that, my helmet sometimes smells so bad I probably wouldn't even need to lock up my bike if I left the helmet with it...

Permalink Reply by Ace Mann on August 30, 2013 at 8:20am
This is interesting for your helmet

A new product known as the HelmMate is designed to take care of a couple of common bicycle commuters’ complaints – even if they’re relatively small ones. It lets cyclists stow their helmet on their parked bike instead of having to carry it around, plus it keeps the saddle from getting rained on.

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When not in use, the HelmMate simply looks like a large-ish seat-mounted glasses case, which fastens onto the saddle rails with an Allen bolt.

Park your bike and open that case up, however, and a water-repellant nylon cover can be pulled out from inside. That cover remains attached to the case at one end, while its far end is pulled forward over the nose of the saddle – an adjustable elastic drawstring allows the cover’s edges to be snugged in beneath the saddle.


From there, you just undo the zipper that runs around the circumference of the cover, stick your helmet inside the upper storage area (so it’s sitting on the saddle), then zip it back up. A small combination padlock is included, which is used both to lock the HelmMate to the rails, and to lock the two zipper tabs together. For added security, users can also leave a bit of their helmet strap protruding, and run the lock through it too.

The product’s Danish designers point out that the cover is not 100 percent watertight, in order to allow its sweated-up contents to breathe a little. This means that it won’t keep the saddle bone dry in the event of an absolute downpour, but it should also keep the inside of the cover from smelling like a gym locker.

The HelmMate is priced at €39 (US$52) plus shipping, with a smaller version for children’s bikes going for €34. A demo video (which is in Danish) can be seen below – the demo itself starts about 30 seconds in.
Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on August 30, 2013 at 8:29am

Interesting idea. I always keep a swimmer's towel with me to dry off my bike anyway, so the case not being 100% watertight isn't a huge issue.

Permalink Reply by Matt Talbert on August 30, 2013 at 8:34am

+1

I also take off all my lights and cyclometers, and if able, will being my helmet in (i.e. work, someone's house/apt). However, I will run my U-Lock through the straps. If someone cuts the helmet straps, then they defeat the purpose of the helmet, and their thievery is therefore useless. I am not sure how easy it is to get replacement straps, but imagine it is inconvenient to acquire replacement straps, in addition to getting them on.


Cameron 7.5 mi said:

I always take my lights off, helmet depends on where I'm going. If I'll have a good place to put it, I'll take my helmet with me. If it's going to be a hassle to carry, I'll lock trough the ratchet sizing mechanism and leave it with my bike. If I leave it with my bike I try to lock it up higher outside of the dog pee zone.

Permalink Reply by Chitown_Mike on August 30, 2013 at 9:35am

I strip my own bike so someone else doesn't have to for me.  But I learned that the hard way as a kid which I have never forgotten.

Sorry that someone felt your stuff was better suited in their hands.

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on August 30, 2013 at 12:54pm

Ditto on the knog blinders, specifically. I didn't use to take lights with me, but these are so nice and so compact and easy on/off that they live in my bag and I put them on whatever bike i'm riding. 


notoriousDUG said:

I always take my lights; I use a Knog Blinder front and rear and they are to easy to remove/install to leave out there for somebody to take.  Unless it is a bolt on hard mount light you should always take it in.

My helmet I am 50/50 on.  Often I just lock through the strap and leave it with the bike but if I think there is a good chance of people locking to me or the bike getting pushed around I take it in because I have a pretty nice helmet.

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