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...

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Permalink Reply by Ken Gray on May 9, 2013 at 7:27am

OK I get that cable locks are not all that secure but what about the other nearly half of the bikes? How many of them were locked with something else? How many left outside a store ect. for "just a minute". What should I carry to lock an old beater with?

Permalink Reply by S on May 9, 2013 at 7:30am

Kevin stop promoting the interests of Big U-Lock companies. ;-) If someone wants to use a cable lock or nothing at all, it's their right and if they want to complain about theft and crime afterwards, it's in their rights as well. 

Permalink Reply by Vilda on May 9, 2013 at 7:44am

I just gave this speech to a co-worker that uses a very tiny chain. Thanks Kevin.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 9, 2013 at 8:07am

6 bikes were not locked. Mostly taken from garages where the door was left open. One was taken from a residence.

1 was locked to a bike rack through the wheel only with a u-lock-they left the u-locked wheel and took the rest.

1 was locked only to itself and stolen out of an open garage.

1 was locked to a wrought iron fence and they cut the fence. 

2 bikes were locked with a Newer U-lock w/flat key.

Old beater bikes get stolen too.

About 15% of the reports to the CSBR annually were locked with a newer U-Lock with a flat key.

We at the CSBR recognize that undertaking efforts to prevent the theft of your bike often involves difficult and personal decisions, but for those who make the decision to try to prevent their bike from being stolen, we recommend a u-lock. Two u-locks is/are better. 

Ken Gray said:

OK I get that cable locks are not all that secure but what about the other nearly half of the bikes? How many of them were locked with something else? How many left outside a store ect. for "just a minute". What should I carry to lock an old beater with?

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 9, 2013 at 8:10am

We're just trying to "empower" people. What they do with the information is entirely up to them. ;-)

S said:

Kevin stop promoting the interests of Big U-Lock companies. ;-) If someone wants to use a cable lock or nothing at all, it's their right and if they want to complain about theft and crime afterwards, it's in their rights as well. 

Permalink Reply by David P. on May 9, 2013 at 8:26am

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 Anne Alt on May 9, 2013 at 8:33am

Thank you for taking the time to educate people!

Kevin C said:

We're just trying to "empower" people. What they do with the information is entirely up to them. ;-

Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on May 9, 2013 at 10:59am

Only in conjunction with a good horseshoe lock.

Permalink Reply by Ben Gray on May 9, 2013 at 11:12am

I also notice on the stolen bike report that when a flat key u-lock is defeated, the bike has often been sitting in one spot for a long time; overnight, or at least all day in many cases.

Nothing is theft proof, but I try not to leave a bike out for more than a few hours at a time.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 9, 2013 at 11:27am

5:30 pm on May 9th. Two more reported cable lock thefts...

18/31 May thefts so far were cable locks.

Permalink Reply by S on May 9, 2013 at 11:37am


I think that this is the right way:


Mike F said:

Is this the proper way to lock up?
Permalink Reply by mike w. on May 9, 2013 at 12:42pm

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?

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