Jnr has moved this year and is talking of getting himself a cheap rat bike to get around the city, but it has a reputation as being a bike theft hotspot.

Anyone got any suggestions on the right kind of lock/chain/cable combination to improve the chances that he won’t have to walk home?

As ratty-looking a bike as possible! I have one we were going to leave at cbg station for my son. Rust on the handlebar, a lovely shade of 1970s beige and totally unfashionable – my aim was for it to be un-nickable 🙂

And a brace of OnGuard Brutes – if you look around you can buy them for less than thirty pounds a go. Bit heavy and rattly, but I suppose it depends how far he’s travelling with them.

Probably best to only ride something you wouldn’t be too upset about loosing in a lot of Cambridge.

I always went with the biggest D-lock abus would sell me but was still very particular about where the bike got left and what it was locked too. It always lived inside the house with me when I was home. Never had that one nicked but have on more than one occasion come back to find a fairly large number of parts missing.

Now that battery powered angle grinders are more of a thing I’d be less confident in doing that well and would put even more focus on where I was leaving it.

I only ever park mine in the car park at work, which has cctv and limited access.
Not 100% secure but likely a bit safer than most places in Cambridge

Lock Picking Lawyer recommended a big fat chain, on the basis that a chain is harder to get through with an angle grinder.

But I have a Kryptonite “mini” D-lock and not had a problem in the 20 years I’ve been using it in and around Cambridge.

Having a tatty bike helps a lot.

Old bike literally off the scrap heap. One gear, basket, park it on a bike pile outside any college, shop, pub, workplace, venue etc.
If it looks like it’s worth locking to something it will get nicked.
Cheap lock and old school sit up and beg bikes work on the flat relatively small distances across town.
Think sub £20 cheap not sub £200 cheap. N.B. a £20 bike costs £100 in Cambridge so buy elsewhere and take it there. Think bike from a skip as your quality resource.

Owl bikes for replacements when the inevitable happens.

My kid is going to Cambridge humblebrag? 😉

I used to use the bike-park under park street carpark, however, it’s just a big hole in the ground now 🙁

I think a cable for the front wheel and then something solid like the above chainlock is a good approach, plus lock it to something solid.

Not just locks for securing it, make sure the wheels are on with nut and bolt, and the seatpost is held the same way and not a QR. Also tell him never to leave lights on the bike.

If the wheels are QR, maybe a good idea to buy the security QR’s. I’ve used those before and it adds a level of comfort knowing they cant be removed without a special allen key.

what college?

I lost 2 in 4 years.

Raleigh hardtail, got done by the “find someone has locked their bike to yours, so you decide to come back in the morning for it” trick.

Carrera hybrid, taken from the supposedly locked college shed, someone must have left it open. Returned by police the following lunchtime, which I’m actually pretty impressed with.

~£10 flexible cable combination lock

Lived in Cambridge pretty much all my life and never had a bike stolen – just have a tatty town bike and a semi-decent D-lock.

Just make sure the bike is nothing special and it will get left alone. Most cheap bikes are taken by drunk students looking for a ride home who just take unlocked bikes or attempt to pull / kick a cheap lock until it fails.

Nice bikes are stolen my pros who just cut through whatever lock you have with a hydraulic cutter or 18v disc cutter.

The station car park is hot spot as people think that having CCTV means it is safe, but you can rock up there with an angle grinder, grind away for hours stealing hundreds of bikes and no one bats an eyelid. The staff might offer you a cup of tea if you’re there too long. They are, however, unable to provide CCTV footage to the police for GDPR WCBA reasons.

A double locking d lock with a minimum 16mm shackle is as good as it gets. Mine is a kryptonite m18 and has saved my bike 3 times

A double locking d lock with a minimum 16mm shackle is as good as it gets. Mine is a kryptonite m18 and has saved my bike 3 times

on your current tour or in the badlands of Edinburgh?

No bike is immune from getting nicked there. Even the rustiest rat bike is free transport for the inebriated. Something old, heavy, cheap and unattractive will have a reasonable chance of staying put with a modest lock and you won’t be too upset if it eventually goes missing.

(Oh, as per the above: no quick release anything.)

The badlands of Edinburgh.

My kid is going to Cambridge humblebrag? 😉

The humble brag is that he got through his first year and is going for Year 2!

He’s in Hufflepuff I mean Pembroke

Confirmed my thoughts about a shitty budget bike and a chain costing twice as much, thanks everyone

New York FAGH Mini and something like an Abus Bordo. The FAGH can easily take down Russian Tanks – I believe the ‘locals’ have been lobbing them at the Russian tanks.

For a student bike forget about replacing QR skewers. If it has QR skewers then find a cheaper bike. The town centre colleges literally have bike piles 3 deep on the pavement outside. Raleigh pioneer is the poshest bike needed and then only if v. old and rusty.
And don’t park it within easy carrying distance of the river on a evening. Too tempting for the drunk to lob it in.

I disagree that it’s just drunk people, have a look on stolen bikes in Cambridge on Facebook you can even find out the names of the criminals and still nothing is done by the plod.
There appears to be a mix of bikes being stolen as a job and bikes being stolen to feed a drug habit.

I agree in terms of what to buy just something crap and a couple of d locks, never ever park in the train station parking they just unscrew the bike racks. Even town centre bike racks are a no go as they can just pretend they are unlocking.

They have those voi bikes that I guess are opened with an app?

The humble brag is that he got through his first year and is going for Year 2!

Well done to him, I’ve worked with a number of Cambridge grads now and they’ve all been good people to work with. Despite living here for years and working in tech I never got even close to being smart enough to go to a Cambridge college!

As for the bike theft, just expect it as part of the student experience.