new bike-two locks, or take front wheel off?

Marco_Panettone

A D-lock and lockable chain/cable is a good combination as you need different tools to cut them and most bike thieves will only have 1, if that.

1886

Personally I'd buy a cheap bike and use the expensive one for training etc.

You'll find that the majority of people who have an expensive bike use a cheap one most of the time for the reasons that you want to use your's and then just use the expensive one for training/races/wkend rides.

You could buy a cheap second bike that nobody will want to steal for the same price as it will cost to buy decent enough locks to secure an expensive bike!

dandelionclock30

1886 wrote: »

Personally I'd buy a cheap bike and use the expensive one for training etc.

You'll find that the majority of people who have an expensive bike use a cheap one most of the time for the reasons that you want to use your's and then just use the expensive one for training/races/wkend rides.

You could buy a cheap second bike that nobody will want to steal for the same price as it will cost to buy decent enough locks to secure an expensive bike!

.

This is the best option, you can easily cut through a chain/cable with bolt cutter and an angle grinder will get through all the D locks. It will only be a matter of time before its stolen.
get a cheapie from Gumtree/Ebay etc. With expensive bikes you either have to have them in the house or with you at all times. They cant be left outside alone.

thelawnet

Check LFGSS for lock advice

http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html

These people ride their expensive bikes round Hackney and the like, so they know what they are doing (or if they don't, they soon learn)

https://www.lfgss.com/thread52914.html
http://www.lfgss.com/thread38263.html

hotcookie101

thelawnet wrote: »

Check LFGSS for lock advice

http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html

These people ride their expensive bikes round Hackney and the like, so they know what they are doing (or if they don't, they soon learn)

https://www.lfgss.com/thread52914.html
http://www.lfgss.com/thread38263.html

Thank you-I had forgotten about that site. It has some really good advice on it.
To those suggesting a cheap bike, I really don't want to have to do that. I want to enjoy my bike, not ride it at the weekend and some rattler during the week. I don't like in a major city, so am hoping there aren't many professional bike thieves around. Have pretty much decided on 2x sold secure gold locks, one cable and one d lock. Just means carrying 3kg of lock around, but am planning on losing 10kg in weight, so I will still be down

dandelionclock30

Good luck with that!.
Remember that even with good locks a bike can still be stripped of its components and vandalized.

Dekazer

Without wishing to give too much away on a public forum, here's what I do.

1. I always make sure that my locks are of a suitable quality for my bike insurance. My insurer insists on gold or silver bronze rating depending on the level of cover. Good quality road bikes are likely to require at least silver. These locks tend to be at least £60 each, although the sales are on now so there might be some deals to be had.

2. I have two regular places I lock up my bike, one of which is my home address. Both have ground anchors available. I keep one lock at each location, and carry a third with me in case of emergencies.

3. If two locks are available (at planned stops) I use each around one wheel plus the frame. If only one is available I remove the front wheel (it's quick release) and use the lock round both wheels plus frame.

4. Always make sure that the locks are raised away from the ground, so a thief with a sledgehammer couldn't smash it against the ground. Make them as tight as possible to the bike, to make it harder to try and cut through them.

5. I remove anything (well, almost) that can be removed but not locked - saddle, lights, saddle bag, pump. I leave the water bottles

6. I have a crappy cheap bike (under £50 in a Halfords sale) that I use for short local journeys - it really wouldn't matter if someone nicked it, beyond the immediate inconvenience.

7. I have good insurance that costs a bit of money, but hopefully would pay out if my road bike's stolen.

8. I have kept the receipts for my locks - my insurer requires this.

Hope that helps,

Lucy

Mids_Costcutter

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

.

This is the best option, you can easily cut through a chain/cable with bolt cutter and an angle grinder will get through all the D locks. It will only be a matter of time before its stolen.
get a cheapie from Gumtree/Ebay etc. With expensive bikes you either have to have them in the house or with you at all times. They cant be left outside alone.

What's an expensive bike? £400? £1000?

Using an angle grinder would usually attract some attention in most public places. Also don't thieves generally want to work quickly (in public) and will therefore go for the bikes that are least securely locked? I see bikes all the time locked at my local station or in the town centre with cheap cable locks.

I know (anecdotally) that some people won't lock their bike at their local train station, because they don't believe that a Sheffield stand is secure enough or are worried about vandalism. However at the same time train operators like London Midland won't install cycle lockers because they don't want to manage them.