bike lock advice

[ET MB 90266]

Hi All,

I'm trying to figure out what the best type of bike lock is to bring? A cable lock or U-Lock? which one holds up in the playa dust the best?

I would think that the u lock with key might get rusty or blocked.

Thoughts?!

[Savannah]

My U-Lock finally got rusty, but that was after many Burns and forgetting to clean it (in whatever way it might actually be cleaned). I could still technically get it to lock (most of the time ) but finally simply chucked it. I bought a number-combo cable lock for this year so I don't have to worry about keys.

In a pinch, I've even used a heavy length of chain and a padlock. I've always locked my bike, if only to itself. Never a mishap; knock on wood . . .

A really determined bike thief can probably get through almost anything if they have come to steal, but most bike thieves out there are not determined, they're just drunk. (And tired, and want a ride across the playa to their tent.) Or, they're confused about the identity of their bike, because they've only owned it for 3 days and it's dark.

Hedge your bets by bringing a cheapo bike (bigger tires are better) and locking it even when only away for 30 seconds. Drag it away from the street and behind something when not in use: taking a bike that's two feet away from the street is one thing; creeping through someone's stuff at length takes someone more unusual and rare.

[Conduit]

I like the cable locks with letters vs. numbers. Most will let you change the letters around to make a word so it's easy to remember.

[Savannah]

I agree, the letter combo locks are even better! Especially if you share a bike with someone. Because numbers are probably meaningful only to the person who set the lock, but a word is easier to turn into a mantra.

Luckily, there are only a few number combos I would ever use.

And a person could leave a reminder of what the code was back at camp, in a logical but subtle place.

[maladroit]

Rusting is not really going to happen on the playa, but when you get back to someplace with humidity. The dust won't instantly cause a lock to fail. A key mechanism could get jammed, though, so I just use a cable combo lock. The mechanism is more forgiving, though it's not effective against someone with cable cutters. But you won't really be locking the bike to anything, just passing the cables through the wheels so it can't be ridden away.

[9ah]

cable and number/letter code.. If you lose the key on a key lock you'll have to get it clipped and you will no longer have a lock... back to square one. get a code/combo lock and jot the code somewhere (like the inside of your tent)

[BBadger]

A cable lock is nice for locking other people's bikes up with yours if you go out in a group. They tend to reach better around poles and other stuff too.

The locks I've seen with letters on them from Master Lock had letters made of plastic. Though I doubt someone on the playa would go through the trouble, someone could just snap them off and assign the tumblers to break into the lock. I returned the piece-of-shit and got my money back.

[Sic Pup]

I use a simple combo lock with heavy duty chain.

I bought a long length of 3/8" diameter chain and had the big box cut it in two along with a pair of like-"keyed" combos. One for the bike and the other for the catapult to keep it secure when I was away from camp

[Drawingablank]

A handy trick with those programmable locks is to use the beginning or ending digits of a phone number you use a lot (such as your own, work, mom, etc...).

[geospyder]

If you use a combo lock - scramble the dials every time you lock it - don't just move the last number.

Way too easy for a lazy thief to just turn the last dial