When and how do you secure seats, lights, bags, etc.

I have secure places to keep my bike at home and work. Last night I locked my bike up in public for the first time in a long time and was worried about what to take off and what to leave. I ended up putting my lights, bike computer, pump, and spare tube in my packpack and left the pannier attached.

For quick trips into a store or restaurant, what do people take and leave? Obviously it's safest to take everything, but sometimes difficult, especially if you aren't carrying a bag or a jacket with deep pockets.

I see a lot of bikes downtown with missing seats. Are seats that much of a theft target that people carry them in? What else should I defend against getting stripped? I use a U-bolt with large cable through the rear tire. My bike is a Trek 7100 so lower end parts. How do my worries change with a more expensive bike?

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Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on February 23, 2012 at 3:55pm

 I agree- it's a hassle to remove everything from your bike each time you go into a store, etc. especially when you have multiple stops. I have two removable lights that I drop into my helmet and carry with me. If I have the crate on my rack I'll bring my mini-pump and spare tube with me as well.

 As for seats and wheels with quick release, locking skewers are an option. I'm a fan of the hose clamp hack as they're a buck apiece and my parts aren't really worth stealing anyway. Just a little peace of mind.

 More expensive bike? I probably wouldn't let it out of my sight much.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on February 23, 2012 at 4:01pm

Seats with quick releases are definitely a theft target.  On my folding bike, which needs a seat quick release to be foldable, I always take my seat with me. 

I had a seat stolen off my mountain bike (not a fancy one) several years ago in the Loop.  Those little cables you sometimes see used to secure seats are useless against a real thief, who can snip them easily with a wire cutter or bolt cutter.  When I bought my new seat, I had the shop install a special bolt in place of the quick release.

Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on February 23, 2012 at 4:23pm

Don't be too hard on the seat leashes.  At a minimum, they may make the seat on the bike next to yours more attractive.  I also used a locking bolt in place of my quick release on the seat, but  a thief just sawed through the seat post (carbon fiber).  The locking bolt succeeded in securing the remaining seat post.

I now use a leash, the locking bolt, and an aluminum seat post.  Of those three things, the leash is most visible, and I've not had my seat stolen since.

I leave my rear light on the bike at all times, even when parked outside on the street in the Loop during work days.  That has never been stolen.  When at work, I bring everything else in with me (e.g., computer, front light).

When going to the grocery store, I usually am not as vigilant about bringing stuff in.  Perhaps  because I where I shop (Treasure Island in Hyde Park), I've not had anything stolen.  For other errands / trips, I usually don't anything to the bike that I can't readily throw into my helmet to carry in.



Anne Alt said:

Seats with quick releases are definitely a theft target.  On my folding bike, which needs a seat quick release to be foldable, I always take my seat with me. 

I had a seat stolen off my mountain bike (not a fancy one) several years ago in the Loop.  Those little cables you sometimes see used to secure seats are useless against a real thief, who can snip them easily with a wire cutter or bolt cutter.  When I bought my new seat, I had the shop install a special bolt in place of the quick release.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on February 23, 2012 at 4:50pm

I use two Ultra-heavy U-locks on my bike and try to get both tires and the frame twice to the bike rack if I can.  

But for the seat (I've got Brooks B67) I've got a regular allen binder bolt and a bike drive chain fastened 'round the seat rails and down to the seat-stays.  I've got an old inner-tube rubber to line the chain.  So far it hasn't been stolen.  I never leave the bike out overnight though.

I leave my tool kit (nothing more than a spare tube with 498 patches on it already, a 15mm wrench, a half-dozen sticky-back patches just in case, and a couple of no-name tire levers) plus an ear gator and maybe a cheap pair of jersey gloves in my saddle bag.  If someone wants to steal that stuff they must need it more than me.

I take my bike computer (Enduro-8) off when I'm going to be gone for a while.  My lights are dyno-powered and wired.  They aren't very expensive if someone wants to take the time to steal them.  A B&M halogen up front is only $25 and the spanninga rear is about the same.  I take my water bottle as it's often a Klean Kanteen with the spout top which would cost me $20+ to replace. 

Other than that I don't stress about it.  The bike is well locked and if someone wants my old tube or some small part off of my bike I guess it is the cost of enjoying riding my bike everywhere.  What else am I going to do?  -take the car?  -NOT!

Permalink Reply by David on February 23, 2012 at 4:54pm

Almost two years ago, I bought some really cheap tiny seat bags on sale at Performance and as an experiment decided to keep one on the bike at all times with a tube, patch kit, multi-tool, and canisters/pump.  Total cost was under $20, and I was curious to see how long it would last.  It's still on the bike (well, truth be told, the first one got stolen in a just couple of days when I left the bike overnight at a Metra stop in the burbs, but I figured that was an unfair test so I did it again, and the second one is still there). 

Apart from that, I usually take the front light with me everywhere out of habit, but the rear light always stays on the bike. I never leave the panniers on the bike, but I have nice panniers.  I'm seriously considering picking up a cheap banjo bros bag or something and leaving it on the bike all the time.

I don't want to minimize the theft problem, but short visits to stores, restaurants, etc. is a completely different level of risk than leaving your bike outside work or a train station every day for 9 hours or (worse) leaving it outside overnight.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on February 23, 2012 at 4:57pm

+1

David said:

Almost two years ago, I bought some really cheap tiny seat bags on sale at Performance and as an experiment decided to keep one on the bike at all times with a tube, patch kit, multi-tool, and canisters/pump.  Total cost was under $20, and I was curious to see how long it would last.  It's still on the bike (well, truth be told, the first one got stolen in a just couple of days when I left the bike overnight at a Metra stop in the burbs, but I figured that was an unfair test so I did it again, and the second one is still there). 

Apart from that, I usually take the front light with me everywhere out of habit, but the rear light always stays on the bike. I never leave the panniers on the bike, but I have nice panniers.  I'm seriously considering picking up a cheap banjo bros bag or something and leaving it on the bike all the time.

I don't want to minimize the theft problem, but short visits to stores, restaurants, etc. is a completely different level of risk than leaving your bike outside work or a train station every day for 9 hours or (worse) leaving it outside overnight.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on February 24, 2012 at 6:39am

Timely; www.bikehacks.com

 2 neat ideas- padlock the QR levers and an extra cargo seatpost rig.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on February 24, 2012 at 6:56am

Wow, that's a clean install...

Fran Kondorf said:

Timely; www.bikehacks.com

 2 neat ideas- padlock the QR levers and an extra cargo seatpost rig.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on February 24, 2012 at 8:24am

Yeah, if you're talking about the bungees I hear you. I'd use heatshrink.

 I thought the cargo/seat thing was smart.

James BlackHeron said:

Wow, that's a clean install...

Fran Kondorf said:

Timely; www.bikehacks.com

 2 neat ideas- padlock the QR levers and an extra cargo seatpost rig.

Permalink Reply by Adam Sterling on February 24, 2012 at 9:48am

I just avoid quick release on pretty much everything. My front rim on one bike is QR, but everything else isn't...rear rims on all bikes, seatpost collars. QR is pretty convenient, yeah, but in a place like Chicago, IMO it's better to carry a 15mm wrench if you need it. If there are five bikes up for the stripping, the one w/o QR is going to be the last one hit.

I personally have never had lights stolen off my bike, but my GF has had both lights pilfered before. Solution to that problem? Zip-ties. Both my front and rear lights have been zip-tied to my helmet for almost two years. Wherever I look, I have light, and although I leave my helmet outside on my bike (sometimes), all those zips make it less attractive for jagbag thieves. 

I'd agree with James, if you have a nice saddle (Brooks or likewise), a partial bike chain is MUCH better than anything else. Unless you're a total pussy, you can slice through those little leashes with a pair of cable cutters pretty easily, IE it's gonna take a determined person about 2 seconds to be through your leash. 

After using a messenger bag for years, I've finally switched to panniers. I'm still not exactly sure which I like more, but I never leave the pannier on the bike if I'm not on the bike. Although you can find some cheapies, a decent pannier can easily top $50 per. I see no need to expose that to risk, ever.

Permalink Reply by paulcycles on February 24, 2012 at 9:54pm

Outside, even in a secure buildings (armed guards) like my workplace even the seat is easy picking for urban theft.  I like three eyes, two U-locks through the frames, and I often strip a wheel off and carry it with me.  This is the best defense.  I rarely over 50 plus years had stuff stolen- BUT if I get careless any working diamond frame, esp. those with a label like Trek, Schwinn, plus builder helps ensure the thief can turn it over for good money QUICK.  As an urban gorilla since age 9 riding where the drivers honked, or speed closely by my butt, sometimes I want a third Krytonite ulock to bounce off a cabbie's head.  Thankfully this fair, beautiful to wretchedly ugly city has never been better rolling off a Brooks saddle to pump after those babes in front.  As to a more expensive bike== I carry the whole thing in with ME.  Happy to have been a Bikes on Metra and Bike Lane stripping BEFORE 1970, and still beatin some of the traffic as long as a open bike lane is in front of this old geezer...

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on February 25, 2012 at 5:48am

Jeff Schneider said:

"...where there are a lot of drunken young people who might know what bike gear is worth and might not have the good judgement..."

 So, you've been on a few of the group rides I take it. ;-)

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