Locks for a solo Trans-Am camping tour?

[crichman]

I've toured and camped, but not solo.  Without that second set of eyes I wonder if there's a need for a mini U-lock instead of my traditional (and mostly symbolic) 3/16" featherweight cable and tiny padlock.  I'm planning an E-W ride starting near the end of May.

Are there any places in particular on the Trans-Am where I might want that heavier lock?

My recumbent and I might land in Missoula in time for the Montana Bike Celebration.  I always worry about bike thefts where there are a lot of bikes...

Charlie

[LongTallEandM]

I suggest bringing a medium weight cable (not the curly kind) and padlock for maximum flexibility. Most times (e.g. park campgrounds) you want your bike next to your tent, and that means locking to a picnic table or tree. Odd as it seemed in the comfort of our living room "pre-trip", we seldom locked our loaded bikes in small town America while we were in restaurants or stores along the TransAm, though this was partly because we used Click Stand Brake Bands ($2 for 3 at Cyclosource), making it confusing and frustrating for opportunist thiefS to roll our heavy loaded bikes away.  There were a handful of places (mostly in the bigger cities and college towns) where we were glad to have a more substantial cable lock. If you feel compelled, you can always buy a Mini U-lock in a bigger town if you feel uncomfortable without it.

[johnsondasw]

I always lock mine with a medium cable and one of those little skinny ones.  Another deterrent it to remove the front wheel and lock it with everything else so it looks like a complicated mess.  I do that in places that feel sketchy.  It keeps your bike from looking like the "low hanging fruit". 

[staehpj1]

I've toured and camped, but not solo.  Without that second set of eyes I wonder if there's a need for a mini U-lock instead of my traditional (and mostly symbolic) 3/16" featherweight cable and tiny padlock.  I'm planning an E-W ride starting near the end of May.

There definitely are a few places where risk of theft is higher on the TA.  My way of handling that was just to be more careful in those places rather than going with more lock.  In bigger more bike friendly towns (Eugene, Missoula, etc.) rather than taking a big heavy lock, I just don't leave my bike unattended.  I take my bike inside stores and am more likely to stay with hosts or get a room when in these towns.  I am a bit of a weight weenie so even a 2 pound mini u-lock is something I really want to avoid and some of the serious locks are a lot heavier than that.   If you don't mind the extra weight a mini u-lock might be an OK choice.

On the other hand...  If you are worried enough to carry a 2 to 4.5 pound lock, are you willing to leave all your gear on the bike.  If not maybe just not leaving your bike and gear unattended in higher risk places is a better answer.

Another factor might be how expensive your gear is and how risk tolerant you are.  I try to use a bike and gear that I can afford to replace and accept that at some point in my touring career it could possibly all go missing.  On a long tour like the TA I could replace everything and continue on, maybe with a few days delay.

[indyfabz]

As hinted at, a mini u-lock (or any u-lock really) without a cable will likely be useless in a campground if you plan to lock the bike to something.

I am not much of a weight weenie. I am also not someone who thinks there is a low risk of theft in most instances. Accordingly, and at most, I take a medium thickness cable with a built in combo lock. (Don't want to keep track of a key.)  I did a week long tour across PA without a lock. Back in 2000 I did a seven week tour out west without one. I never use my lock in camp unless I am somewhere where the general public has easy access (e.g. city park). As mentioned, you can often ask to bring your bike inside places like grocery stores. I have never been refused.

Am I going to leave my bike unlocked outside the Missoula public library. Of course not. Am I going to leave my bike unlocked while I sleep at a nearly empty BLM campground that's down a gravel road, a mile away from the nearest paved road. Most likely.

[John Nelson]

I agree with everything Pete said. Rather than take a heavy lock for just a couple of places you might need it, just protect your bike better in those places. Take it inside with you whenever you go inside.

[DarrenBnYYC]

Another idea is to find an aluminum u-lock, which appears the same as a regular u-lock and provides a strong visual deterrent, but doesn't weigh much more than some cable locks.

I recently found a lightweight and conspicuous disc-lock device and blaze orange cable (looks heavier-duty than it is) that makes the bike unridable and is mostly a visual deterrence. I wouldn't use it for locking up my daily commuter, but it should do nicely for touring. As someone suggested above, I think the purpose of a bike lock is more to deter theft (i.e. make a thief move on to a different bike to steal) than it is to fully secure your bike.

[BikePacker]

Yep ..... I'd consider getting a little heavier lock and, meanwhile, I'd encourage you to consider keeping your cable along for the ride, as well.
Here is how come I personally love cables....  if the prospective thief knows that panniers are typically easily lift-off-able from the bike racks, he/she could be gone with one or more of my panniers in short order .... thus my paranoia has always been put at a little more rest with stringing a lockable cable.
Of course, the cable need not have a lock built in ... just use the other u-bolt or whatever you have chosen to lock up your cycle.
I have never experience a theft .... but the thought is so sobering .... not even so much about how much asset $ value that'd be lost or even all the time value invested in all the components brought together to enable a successful tour .... but because, subject to what was stolen, the theft could very well cause the termination of that particular tour.
- Wishing you a great tour.

[johnlemk]

I notice that you mentioned you ride a recumbent. My prejudice and experience is that bents are much less likely to be a target of thieves. The exception might be a tadpole trike, as they are getting pretty popular now. We do use a "latte lock" for our RANS Seavo/Volae Duo recumbent tandem, but in over 10,000 miles of riding we have never had a problem.

[Calum]

I generally put my panniers out of sight inside the tent when I'm camping, but I like the idea of being able to run the cable through the panniers if they're on the bike - or at least through the pannier that contains my tools and spares.  For those folks who already do this, what length of cable do you recommend (incl. enough length to run through both wheels)?

[johnlemk]

We use a Burley Nomad trailer to carry our gear, but almost all of its contents end up in the tent each night. Our tent is an REI half dome 4, so with the two of us, we have room. We have not done anything to secure the contents of the trailer during daytime stops. Might think about that more. We have only 900 miles experience with the Burley. We are planning an extended tour this year, and other cyclists have suggested we put an American flag on both sides of the trailer. Maybe that will help.

The tandem's wheel base is 80", so tough to run a cable over that distance. If I am feeling really paranoid, I have removed the front wheel and latte locked it to the bike frame, rear wheel, and frame of the trailer overnight.

I agree with DarrenBnYYC, I can't make theft impossible, I can only discourage it.

[John Nelson]

For those folks who already do this, what length of cable do you recommend (incl. enough length to run through both wheels)?

I carry a four-foot cable with an integrated lock, and a six-foot extension cable. That's enough to get through both wheels, the frame, all four panniers and around an immovable object (except a large tree).

[Calum]

Thanks John. I really like your solution, as it offers a lot of flexibility.

[Westinghouse]

While in a restaurant, keep your bike locked, and in sight through a window. When camped, try to lock to an immovable object, and visible through the front entrance of your tent.

[Goodaches]

This is a tough question. We lock our bikes even in campsites. At restaurants we lock our bikes in view of window. At stores one of us stays with bikes while the other shops. At hotels we bring bikes in to room with us. However, after riding the C&O Canal in to Washington DC no hotels would permit our bikes inside and offered no secure alternatives. One place did offer a bike parking shed inside their locked courtyard. The next day I watched the surveillance video and saw first hand how the thieves worked very hard to cut the lock on the courtyard gate, then made quick work of the locks on our bikes. To add insult to injury the DC Metro Police treated us like a nuisance for needing to report the theft. I've since found that bike theft is on the rise because thieves recognize the value of bikes (law enforcement apparently thinks they're cheap toys) and the risk of arrest or prosecution is very low. I found it interesting to read the prior replies on the lock topic and would like to see more people chime in on the security level vs weight choices that they've made in selecting a lock for touring. Some info I'm gathering looks like the lock system needs to weigh about 1/3 as much as the bike if it's expected to be any more than a slow down for a pro thief. I'm also looking for bike specific insurance. One company's website states requiring an appropriate lock. I emailed them to find out what criteria they have for "appropriate" - no reply. What locks have you found that are the most theft resistant for the pound? (Dang, for the pound - we weigh everything else in grams!)