Where's the best place to park your bike?

Dave F.

Hi All

When in town, I prefer to leave it lock in a public place with as much pedestrian traffic as possible.

My belief is that if i leave it in a secluded spot it allows thieves more time & gives them more confidence by not being disturbed.

Has any studies been done on this?

At my work we have external bike racks with solid fencing around them but it's easy to see the bikes form the road so offers no protection. It only allows the thieves to do their 'work' in peace. We've had two nick in the past fortnight.

Cheers
Dave F.

Clever Pun

somewhere near cctv cameras I guess

A - W

Buy a foldable and sit it by your desk? . :oops:

Sorry had to get that out of the way.

No mates that live close by? Work close by? Somewhere else you could leave it?

Mine is left in a locked portacabin otherwise it'd be chained to the nearest immoveable object.

t4tomo

Should be covered by you works insurance though if its on their premises.

I use a Bromton and it lives in my office, away from the weather & the theives

thatlondon

Locked in a bank vault
Chained to two hungry Dobermans
Surrounded by land mines
With the Army and a couple of angry bouncers outside.

Get your self a couple of bloody good and heavy locks, if you have bike rack then I guess you can leave them when your bike is not there. If they want your bike bad enough they will take it. Just make it more difficult to steal than another bike.

Random Vince

i'm currently at work at my uni's radio station,

the bike is about 3ft away from me.

secretsam

Ideally, in a secure lock-up that is insured

In reality - somewhere public, next to something far more desirable with a much worse lock

tardington

SecretSam wrote:

Ideally, in a secure lock-up that is insured

In reality - somewhere public, next to something far more desirable with a much worse lock

EXCELLENT! :twisted: I always try and put mine next to something fancy 8)

Other than that, in the street, outside a newsagents or something similar. If on the high street, outside an 'outdoor shop' is best - hill climbers have a a brilliant set of morals, and will chase thieves down the road with their crampons and ice axes, I'm not kidding :shock:

fossyant

Proper locks mate..... 2 x gold standard jobbies on mine - 1 chain type, 1 D lock.... if the buggers get it, then they are pro's....

Can't get it up to my office as the stairs are too tight - might be ok for my road bikes, but not a heavy mud guarded MTB !

neslon

when I get to work, my bike is carried up 3 flights of stairs, inside my lab then locked in my office at the back. Its been fine there. However, last weekend, the family went to the lakes for some splashing about in Grizedale Forest (massive fun, if you haven't been there). On the way home, we stopped in Keswick, Public car park, broad daylight & went for lunch. When we got back to the car, some scrote had tried to get the missus bike off the roof rack. Fortunately, the Thule locks kept it on. Morale? Public is not enough, lock it or lose it.

Drfabulous0

Inside, end of!

marchant

At home, the bike's indoors and at work in a very public place. When it's parked at work it's locked to the far side of some railings (awkward to get at), keyhole down (to be difficult to see) and next to a couple of more accesssible bikes that may as well be tied up with string for all the security the locks provide (combination locks from Poundland :roll: ).

somewhere near cctv cameras I guess

I have little faith in CCTV cameras to be honest; it does rely on it being pointed in the right direction and the possibility that someone is actually watching. I've seen enough front wheels locked up minus bike inside a 30 metre radius of the cameras at work for comfort. My employers have a "we take no reponsibility... " attitude too.

DavidTQ

Mine gets kept indoors tied to the passageway ceiling at home and inside at the bottom of the steps to my office at work (when the mood takes me it finds itself sat in my office as well)

Ive got a cheap hybrid that in theory should get used for trips to the shops or town or whatever as its quite disposeable, but in reality I generally jog rather than go to the hassle of dragging the hybrid out of the cellar and would rather walk than leave my road bike somewhere I consider risky.

Chriscommuter

Here?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/3340 ... 02782a.jpg

Sorry :oops:

peanut

bedroom definitly

I wouldn't take my `best bike' to work I'd build a scrappy bike for that. Even if you lock it up really securely the thievin barstewards will unbolt your bits and leggit.
Its no use relying on CCTV either because they are very reluctant to wade through hours of video . And it can only be someone who is authorized to look at the video now due to stringent Data protection laws :roll:

I'd build a bike out of sound but scrappy, scruffy bits with a rusty or hand painted frame that looked rubbish but went like the wind . A Ninja bike lol

Plax

I'm lucky that at work it is a secure site, so no public can gain access, in fact you can't if you forget your pass. Security has to phone your manager who has to come and collect you and you get a good tongue lashing. So leaving my bike at work is fine.
I have wondered about leaving it in a public place. Sometimes at lunch time I get the urge to cycle to the Post Office but then I can't be bothered trying to think of where to lock it to. I only have a cheap combination lock (with an accessory pack I was given), so can probably be cut with a good pair of pliers.
I have thought about getting something like a D lock, but are they too heavy? Any reccomendations for a decent light weight lock?[/quote]

Bassjunkieuk

Here?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/3340 ... 02782a.jpg

Sorry Embarassed

Not quite the sort of "rack" you can park a bike in but nonetheless did brighten up this rather dull afternoon :-)

I tend to leave mine chained up to the nearest immovable object, be that some railings or a bike rack :-) Luckily I have a crappy old bike that I picked up off Freecycle so it's not really worth stealing!!

Liz72

I met my friend in Covent Garden last week, perhaps one of the busiest places in London. She locked her Brompton on the cycle racks provided. We both said, 'Surely the bike will be fine here'. Surounded by shops & cctv.

30 mins later after a coffee around the corner, the Brompton had gone.

She will be getting another bike and never leaving it locked up anywhere again.