Is anyone here religious about not locking to street signs?

I feel like I occasionally see pretty strong language on here about the dangers of locking one's bike to a street sign.

 

Is anyone here religious about never doing it? I will walk out of my way to lock to a rack, but I become flummoxed when visiting a friend's apartment on a residential street, where bike racks are rare. In those cases I just lock to a stop sign or whatever.

 

But is anyone here so committed to not doing that that you would walk 2 or more blocks to the nearest bike rack?

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Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on October 28, 2013 at 2:59am

I lock to street signs all the time for relatively short durations (maybe up to 2-3 hours), but I check to make sure the sign is not loose and has a nice rusty old bolt(s) holding it down.

If the base is loose, if there's no (or an easy-turning) bolt between the pole and the base, or if it's the type stuck in the dirt, I won't use it.

Oh, and don't forget to look up to make sure there's actually a sign on the pole to prevent a lock from going off the top.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on October 28, 2013 at 3:22am

Like Bruce I make sure they aren't loose and try not to lock for too long.

BruceBikes said:

I lock to street signs all the time for relatively short durations (maybe up to 2-3 hours), but I check to make sure the sign is not loose and has a nice rusty old bolt(s) holding it down.

If the base is loose, if there's no (or an easy-turning) bolt between the pole and the base, or if it's the type stuck in the dirt, I won't use it.

Oh, and don't forget to look up to make sure there's actually a sign on the pole to prevent a lock from going off the top.

Permalink Reply by dan brown on October 28, 2013 at 3:53am

I never lock to a street sign. just my style.

I lock to a rack, a fence, a gas meter (seriously) or just take the bike inside the store, etc.

I guess it's whatever floats your boat, I just don't do it.

Permalink Reply by KayCee on October 28, 2013 at 4:00am

I had to lock to a street light the other day- my enormous Abus chain barely made it.  Otherwise I was looking at a tree, a CTA sign (which I've heard are no-nos) a bus stop or a pretty long hike.  Had I seen a decent, solid looking sign, I'd have done it.  First time we were really at a loss.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on October 28, 2013 at 4:23am

I'm pretty religious about avoiding locking to street signs. The exception would be at group events (with people I know) when I'm locking to another bike in a pile of bikes locked to a street sign. Otherwise, no. I would walk a block or two to find a bike rack or parking meter.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on October 28, 2013 at 4:34am

I don't like street signs, but I like street lights.  And with my Abus chain lock, I can usually get my frame and front wheel locked to a street light if there are no racks nearby.

Permalink Reply by David Barish on October 28, 2013 at 5:04am

Its not a matter of religion but of practicality. A street sign is not high on my list but if its the best thing available I will use it.

Permalink Reply by Rusty on October 28, 2013 at 5:23am

Ha, not really relevant but at Chestnut and State, there's an Italian restaurant Go Roma. I usually see Bike Cops in there (cop discount) and they always lock up bikes with their handcuffs to the rack haha

Permalink Reply by Bill Savage on October 28, 2013 at 5:43am

I will use any street sign that doesn't leave my bike blocking the pedestrian way (hence, usually, not CTA bus stop signs or stop signs near corners).  It's not about street signs v. other available places to lock bikes, it's about being practical and respectful of other users of the street.  And all advice above from Bruce is right on.  I have had friends lose very high-end bikes to thieves because the No Parking Sign they locked it to was not itself locked into the base.

Permalink Reply by Deet 4.5mi on October 28, 2013 at 6:51am

dont do it.

Permalink Reply by Reba 4.0 mi on October 28, 2013 at 5:11pm

Never ever lock to a street sign. I've had excellent luck taking my bike inside after asking nicely if I could do so due to lack of racks outside. I've done this at my dentist, eyeglass shop, hairdresser, even at Wendy's on Ashland just south of Fullerton. Seriously, just smile and ask.

Permalink Reply by Emily O on October 31, 2013 at 4:33pm

You're not supposed to lock your bike to a CTA sign? Oops.

KayCee said:

I had to lock to a street light the other day- my enormous Abus chain barely made it.  Otherwise I was looking at a tree, a CTA sign (which I've heard are no-nos) a bus stop or a pretty long hike.  Had I seen a decent, solid looking sign, I'd have done it.  First time we were really at a loss.

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