Bike Pittsburgh

Love your bike. Lock it right.

Hi everyone, I'm sorry to hear about all the recent bike theft stories. Getting your bike stolen is heartbreaking. We want to reduce thefts as much as possible so we came up with a "Do's and Don'ts" of locking your bike. I'm sorry it won't do much good for you folks who've already had to deal with getting a bike stolen, but in going forward, they're some good rules to live by.

Good luck to all of you in getting your bikes back. We'll keep our eyes peeled.

How to Lock Your Bike

Bike Pittsburgh has received a number of emails lately from people who have had their bikes stolen. Getting your bike stolen causes severe sadness, stress, and irritability. Avoid these symptoms by following these do's and don'ts:

DOs:

• Do use a U-lock, or NY-strength chain lock, or better yet, two types of locks


• If you keep your bike in your garage, do make sure it's locked to something big and heavy, or attached to the inside of the garage itself. A lot of bikes are taken right out of people's garages.


• Do lock to something secure, not something that can easily be taken apart, or kicked off like a wooden railing.


• Do secure your seatpost and remove any lights and pump/bags from your bike.

DON'Ts:

• Don't lock your bike using only a cable lock unless you have one thick cable lock.


• Don't lock to a chain link fence. The links can easily be cut.


• Don't lock only your wheel, unless that's the only part of your bike you want to keep.


• Don't leave your bike unlocked on your porch. This is the number one "stolen-bike scenario" we hear.


• Don't lock to a sign post or a parking meter without a sign or a parking meter head.


• Don't leave your bike locked in one spot for a long period of time.


• Don't lend your bike to a stranger even if he says he'll bring it right back. This scenario played itself out right here in Pittsburgh recently.


• Don't leave your bike unlocked "for only a minute" while you run into a store etc. It takes less than a minute to steal a bike.


• Try your best not to lock your bike to a tree, it can harm them. We know there are often times no other place to lock to in certain parts of town, but if you have to lock a block or two away it could save a tree. City of Pittsburgh, if you're listening, please at least provide racks in these parts of town where there aren't even meters to lock to.

RE: Love your bike. Lock it right.

Some other good tips:

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/TechLab/HowToSecure.aspx

RE: Love your bike. Lock it right.

how bout we top this for all the unlocked bikes that are being stolen lately...

RE: Love your bike. Lock it right.

in front of the hilman library.

RE: Love your bike. Lock it right.

That's a great way to have your day ruined... Never was a fan of those kind of racks.

RE: Love your bike. Lock it right.

Another resource... How to use your lock properly.

RE: Love your bike. Lock it right.

what do we think of this sheldon brown advice... i think it's one of the only things he's advised that kind of suprise me:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

RE: Love your bike. Lock it right.

Sheldon used to advise that the weight of the bike and lock together should total 55 lbs. In other words, if you expect to keep a 10 lb carbon-fiber racer, you need a monstrous lock, but if your bike alone weighs 55 pounds you don't even need to lock it up. I can attest to that, having "locked" my bike up downtown before with a piece of string, and having been using a $1.99 bargain lock for years with no problem. My bike doesn't weigh 55 pounds, even, but it looks totally uncool. I mean, not even cool in the sense that "my bike is so ugly it's cool". My bike is like an old Porsche with wood-panelling and turn signals fastened to the fenders with sheet-metal screws. 'Course, I don't leave it in Oakland ever...

I also think that it was Sheldon that advised using protective camouflage: always park your bike next to one that's more desireable.

RE: Love your bike. Lock it right.

BikeSnobNYC's latest on locking techniques.