Lock your bikes!

[gyre]

It's all you've got sometimes.
If your bike matters, use a hoop lock through the frame and rear wheel.
If that won't work, use chain and a good lock.
There are some other tricks possible.
Locking front steering is a nice trick for ride a ways.

[Elliot]

There are some other tricks possible.
Locking front steering is a nice trick for ride a ways.

(Note to self: Remember to bring Bait Bikes to ePlaya Meet-n-Greet on Wednesday evening.)

[unjonharley]

You can now put a hand gun in your pocket.. If some one is about (or you think they are) steal your bike.. It's OK to shoot them.. You must yell "hey you, What are you doing here" then shoot.. This precedence was set last week.. Just claim a Goe. Zimmerman moment and your home free.. They will even give your gun back..

[DoctorIknow]

.....Just claim a Goe. Zimmerman moment and your home free.. They will even give your gun back..

Too bad for Zim that ebay doesn't allow sale of arms.

I suppose he can license his name to Kel Tec... a limited edition of his gun would be a best seller.... (I'm afraid to even look on google to see if it is already a done deal.)

[trilobyte]

martiansky - to answer your question, yes absolutely. In my opinion, 99% of bicycle theft on the playa is mostly lazy or non-sober people who are just looking to get from point A to point B easily, or have mistaken the bike for theirs (or a campmate's). Make your bike non-ridable, and they'll move on or realize the mistake.

I usually lock my trike up that way, or maybe looping through the frame/wheels of a campmate's bike as well as mine. The size of the trike isn't always convenient for bike racks, or I don't want to park deep in a crowded spot, so I just go that route and it's worked fine for me.

[Elliot]

Locking front steering is a nice trick for ride a ways.

Amusingly (mildly), I repaired a child's tricycle this morning, and it has a steering lock! (Well, it had one.) Not a lock actually, but a latch. Fancy-looking tricycle made in Germany. I guess Pater und Mutter might want to render the silly thing unrideable at nap time.

[gyre]

Interesting, Elliot.
Remember the make?

A lot of euro bikes have built in locks in the rear fork, but I'm told they are flawed.

[DoctorIknow]

Despite mixed feelings about WalMart, I find their bike selection amazing... saw a beautiful, saddle-bagged, 3 speed (Shimano internal hub) big fat tired cruiser bike there for $94. Try buying even new tires, new tubes, new chain and a new seat for a $5 garage sale clunker for that price...

Anyway, they also have a $4.95 lock with a four letter combination, and as said many times in this thread, most bikes are probably only taken because they are unlocked: the "borrower" or thief only scans all the parked bikes looking for the ones with no locks, in which case a cheapo lock will most likely be fine.

Forget combination locks, and be suspect of key locks...your mind may forget the former and lose the latter.

[Dr. Pyro]

Forget combination locks, and be suspect of key locks...your mind may forget the former and lose the latter.

That's why I always write the combo on the back of my lock so I'll never worry about forgetting it!

[gyre]

You can now put a hand gun in your pocket.. If some one is about (or you think they are) steal your bike.. It's OK to shoot them.. You must yell "hey you, What are you doing here" then shoot.. This precedence was set last week.. Just claim a Goe. Zimmerman moment and your home free.. They will even give your gun back..

I hope you're joking, though to read some of the anti-gun nut propaganda, you might think anything happened.
I hope you know nothing like that happened at all.

It is legal in Texas to shoot a thief at night without warning, and without any risk to person.
Nowhere else.
He did do something wrong though.
He let an assailant make contact with him, and you fire before that.
So, rushed from behind?
Too soft hearted?

Lots of criminal activity related though.
Politicians everywhere attempting to obstruct and pervert justice, now calling to subvert double jeopardy law.
NBC caught deliberately editing tapes and lying about it.
The prosecution caught concealing 75% of the evidence from the defense (that we know of so far).
So a lot of people should be going to jail.
A disgraceful sham.
A lot of people owe him and the rest of the world an apology, starting with the president.

A lot of good came out of it though.
The lynch mob mentality of many people has been publicly displayed, and involving a non-white citizen too.
I see my city isn't the only one with rabid racism toward anyone not black or the correct shade of black.

And Trayvon put carry permits in the hands of millions of responsible citizens, black and white, in the free states.
Thanks for that.

[gyre]

Forget combination locks, and be suspect of key locks...your mind may forget the former and lose the latter.

That's why I always write the combo on the back of my lock so I'll never worry about forgetting it!

Whether you do it or not, that's still funny.

[Elliot]

... saw a beautiful, saddle-bagged, 3 speed (Shimano internal hub) big fat tired cruiser bike there for $94. Try buying even new tires, new tubes, new chain and a new seat for a $5 garage sale clunker for that price...

Be aware, though, that most of these components are of pathetic quality. Even the Shimano components are suspect, as Walmart has been known to simply buy the rights to use reputable names on lesser products.

[Elliot]

Interesting, Elliot.
Remember the make?

A lot of euro bikes have built in locks in the rear fork, but I'm told they are flawed.

Gyre, this is a small child's tricycle.

Frame locks on the rear "fork" are indeed common over there. Some bicycles come with it from the factory. I bought a bolt-on one in Norway in April, so you will be able to see one on the Playa.

[gyre]

They look good, but locksmiths criticize the execution.
I'm not sure why.
There are some dutch versions that aren't hard to get.
Supposed to be news exposes showing how easy they are to remove.
I love the idea of a built in.

[The Hustler]

I got to wondering.....scary as it is.....
If you ride out where theres nothing to lock your bike to, is it deterent enough to just run a cable through the wheels and frame(or if theres 2 bikes lock them together)if you walk away from it for awhile?

That's called freelocking and on the playa it should be OK. It keeps someone from riding it away, however, they can still carry it. I can't imagine anyone actually carrying a free-locked bike away in Black Rock City.

Just make sure you leave your bike where you can find it, like a landmark or lantern post, and not in the middle of the playa.

[Savannah]

I got to wondering.....scary as it is.....
If you ride out where theres nothing to lock your bike to, is it deterent enough to just run a cable through the wheels and frame(or if theres 2 bikes lock them together)if you walk away from it for awhile?

That's called freelocking and on the playa it should be OK. It keeps someone from riding it away, however, they can still carry it. I can't imagine anyone actually carrying a free-locked bike away in Black Rock City.

Just make sure you leave your bike where you can find it, like a landmark or lantern post, and not in the middle of the playa.

I didn't know there was a word for that! Awesome. I do it all the time, although I do know it's technically still more vulnerable to leave a bike that way than to actually lock it to something.

Still--it reduces the chances quite a bit. Most people who steal bikes just want a ride home to their camp and will then abandon the evidence. If they have to carry it, there's no point.

You'd (probably) have to have an awfully nice bike for someone to carry it away locked.

[gyre]

And a good lock is light.
I use a heavier grade hoop lock through the rear frame and wheel.
First time I stopped, someone tried to steal it.

Even if they do, the heavier lock is work to get off.