I cannot make my mind up about this so looking for some ideas
I will hopefully be setting off again on tour in a week or so. My problem is locking the bike up. I have a really good d lock - boltcropper proof but it weighs over 2 kilos. I'll happily lock a bike up in the city with it and be confident it will still be there.
I have a cable and padlock combo that would be proof against attack with basic tools but a boltcropper would go thru it in seconds 700grammes
I will mainly be on campsites I think but will be doing some touristy things and obviously have to go into supermarkets and stuff along the way so need some form of lock. My tent is big enough to hide the bike in on campsites if I walk to somewhere so it can be both locked and hidden
What do others do? Serious heavy lock, lightweight token lock or something in the middle?
thoughts?
Ta
To some extent it depends on how stealable your bike is. I've just used a lightweight lock in the past, but that was touring on an old rigid mountain bike and not going near cities etc.
Where are you going? Somehwere like the Scottish Islands and I would use a thin cable. Use an old brake cable and crimp a loop on.
posh and expensive but doesn't really look it.
Where are you going?
heading for Bilbao via ireland, england and the netherlands ( But I have family there) In the highlands I just used the 700g cable and padlock I hope to be away for 3-4 months. No real fixed plan or route
We use an Oxford Revolver lock as a compromise. Heavier than the cable option but lighter than the D Lock.
Supermarkets:
Remove front wheel and drop in caddy, drop closed panniers in the caddy too, add saddle if it has a QR. Lock up remaining bike with any old flimsey lock to dissuade the unprepared thief. Go shopping. The prepared thief will have a bolt cutter and battery angle grinder so a big lock is pointless.
I always lock it somewhere public and try to get it all tight-up so you can't spin/lever the bike to bust the lock.
Main thing is time. I don't leave mine for any more than a few hours.
The big lock has saved my bike 3 times. Even a battery angle grinder would take a while to cut it. Boltcroppers won't cut it
Tricky this. I'm not sure I have an answer, but I think with your brief I'd be tempted to go for a nice light mini u-lock or one of those fabric LiteLok ones. Some ideas here:
https://thebestbikelock.com/best-bike-lock/lightweight-bike-locks/
I like the idea of the mini Abus one since it says it's also motorcycle gold rated. Not that the sold secure ratings are much guarantee but it's a start. Also has an ART rating. I'd couple that with absolute minimum time away from the bike unless it's in a good location. And tell your insurance company, ask them if you're covered abroad. They may require a gold rating.
The prepared thief will have a bolt cutter and battery angle grinder
Those things are only really usable if it's out of the way. If you lock right in front of a busy supermarket with a security guard it's going to have to be a pretty ballsy thief.
boltcropper on a cheapo lock takes 2 seconds. Thats the MO round here and they will take bikes from anywhere.
How rife is bike theft in rural france Edukator?
The prepared thief will have a bolt cutter and battery angle grinder
Those things are only really usable if it’s out of the way. If you lock right in front of a busy supermarket with a security guard it’s going to have to be a pretty ballsy thief.
I know you wont be riding in London, but still....
boltcropper on a cheapo lock takes 2 seconds
Yes, well aware of this, but the absolute first line in bike security is not leaving it in a city. If I were touring and I wanted to go into one I'd book into a campsite, leave my bike locked by the office, in their bike sheds, or ask them to keep it in their office; and I'd take public transport.
I bought a lighter d-lock for this purpose - about 500g. Not as secure but still looks the part and acts as a decent deterent. With a bike worth any kind of money, leaving it anywhere is a risk. Even with the best lock money can buy you could well return to find bits missing from it. On that basis, a decent but not too heavy lock, and only ever leave your bike where you feel it's safe.
Lightweight lock and a padlock through the brake rotor?
I would go for the cable lock, it's the best compromise between weight and security. Also, wrap yr bike in old tape/innertubes to make it look cack!
Also, wrap yr bike in old tape/innertubes to make it look cack!
According to you lot it already does 🙂 But the french cyclists I met thought it classy and it would break my heart to do so 🙂 I have done this in the past with a bike left all day in high crime areas
I've got one of them Litelocks. I like it. It takes a bit of a knack to close it because they're not as flexible as they look but are a decent size and strap along the top tube. Gold standard and not cheap, but neither was your bike.
1) Insurance.
2) Leave it at home and hire one.
Those things are only really usable if it’s out of the way. If you lock right in front of a busy supermarket with a security guard it’s going to have to be a pretty ballsy thief.
I fear you're overestimating the general public's desire to get involved.
Leave it at home and hire one.
4 month tour? cycling all the way? Bike custom built for this?
Hey, TJ, you passing through this way? Come say hi to some of the East Lancs contingent.
4 month tour? cycling all the way? Bike custom built for this?
I assumed you were hiring a motor.
That sounds epic. Start a blog.
I obviously haven't made enough ego boosting fuss about it. 🙂 East Lancs? High probability given I have pals in leigh and manchester and aim for the north sea ferry from Hull and will be getting a ferry from ireland to wales.
If there's two of you, then you can go with a lighter lock abd take it in turns to shop.
If your on your own you will have to leave it in areas your not familiar with. The lock has worked in the past. If a scoat nicks your bike the rides over.
Your riding on your own so not trying to keep up with anyone, take the proper lock and have piece of mind.
I believe tested on here at some point.
I have the non alarm version and it feels robust and better to transport than a DLock
How rife is bike theft in rural france Edukator?
So far so good. I'm pretty selective about where I leave a bike though. The worst places are where the thief can get a van close to, the best are where there's some distance to carry a bike without a front wheel past people and CCTV.
There's rural France and rural France. Lower risk in Lozère than the Gard and higher risk wherever there are tourists..
Plus don't clean your bike, we are 6 weeks into a tour. The bikes are bogging , avoids that's a nice flash looking bike there. 🤔
On campsites we sometimes chose a pitch next to an old couple with a caravan and a TV in the awning. Once you've had a chat with them it's like having a guard dog tied to you bike/kit. Campsite crime is surprisingly low in rural France, but if you are stupid enough to stay on les Prairies de la Mer you'll be sharing space with white trash from all over Europe.
East Lancs? High probability
Plus we have a Binners.
Make of that what you will.
Its 2kg but you would also be gutted if your bike was stolen as it's very special. Unless you are off somewhere super hilly I'd be temped to live with it for the piece of mind.
Hmmmm
the issue is my luggage for the tour of the highlands weighed 13 kg ish which is too much - and that was with a 700g lock. I can loose some weight in the waterproof and cold weather kit but a 2kg+ lock adds a good %. I did climb best part of 30 000 ft in 13 days in the highlands and want to go over the pyrenees and alps on this tour - and I love the massif central area in france. i was sooooo sloooow climbing
Ta for your thoughts
Buy a Tractive dog tracker (with long life battery) and then find a decent place to disguise it - a moulded insert underneath the mud guards would work well.
Still take a lock but the Tractive will help you to locate it if it gets nicked. Don’t bother with Apple AirTags - they broadcast their presence and a thief will have them off in no time.
You'll get quicker though.
Mini d lock and choose where you lock wisly. Mini d locks can be pretty secure and not too heavy but are more restrictive on how and where you can lock up.
We’ve gone for a lighter cable lock, and one of these alarms which can fit round your chain ring or disc rotor https://www.oxfordproducts.com/motorcycle/brands/oxford/security/disc_locks_and_padlocks/micro_xa5_disc_lock_yellowblack/ Was suggested by someone else on here. It’s incredibly loud and has given me a lot of peace of mind whilst in the tent. Yes won’t stop a determined thief but I do like it provides two different types of deterrent.
We've travelled Europe on bikes for years. We have Ortlieb panniers on a rack at the rear and I have the tent between them. In Summer the bags weigh under 10kgs with food and in Winter about 10kgs because I add an MRS stove and thicker sleeping bag. In Summer, on the occasions we feel like cooked food someone can make a profit feeding us. If in doubt chuck it out, you can always buy stuff on route but you'll be reluctant to bin stuff you realise is superfluous. Start with some really awful T-shirts, when they are falling off you use them to clean the bike and buy nice replacements.
I too have been touring for years. This is for an indefinite tour. there is very little I don't need and nothing I didn't use when on the two week test tour.
Im an old man - go to light and the camping is uncomfy. go too heavy and the riding is too hard. Its a difficult balance
I ain't going full on german or dutch style with 30 kgs 😉
You won't be taking a stool then. 😉
I find that I pack the same for a week or a couple of months. I dress for the worst conditions I'm likely to encounter then add a couple each of t-shirts, pants and socks.
Our trip last year was only three weeks with 19 days in the tent, one in a hotel when the Doubs floods drowned the campsite and one in a rented flat to visit Reims without the bikes.
Hiplok DX, supposedly best rated mini D lock, and 1.1kg.
I wouldn't be happy leaving for extended periods in a city (an angle grinder would need two cuts, but would get through it) but ok for an hour or so.
I also carry a small cable lock for rural shop visits.
Edukator - I have an armchair!
Actually a thermarest trekkerchair - under 200g
Proper D lock, it's a pain but I'd kick myself forever if the bike was nicked with anything else.
Last time in Netherlands we found dedicated bike parking with parking attendants on site which gave us a feeling of security and we happily did museums, and exploring on foot.
A 225g Karrimat type mat serves for all sitting/lying duties (wrapped around the tent on the rack for transport). How much does the trekkerchair and its mattress weigh?
I’d go for the D-lock as you have it.
The new Liteloks are OK. A little more versatile than a D-lock. But as heavy and not as easy as a D-lock to put on or take off.
