Hello!
I will be biking through NYC this fall as part of my Northern Half of the Atlantic Coast bike tour. I very much want to walk along the High Line, but I'm concerned about theft while away from my bike.
Bikes are not allowed on the High Line, so there are bike racks at several entrances. I'll be coming through fully loaded with panniers and bags. I feel somewhat confident that I can secure my bike, but how do I secure panniers and bags? I'll of course remove and carry with me critical items (wallet, phone), but would probably need to leave panniers, bags and accessories on the bike. I would likely be there at a low traffic time- Monday morning(?), and probably be away from my bike an hour or two. Outside of normal bag closures and mounting, any suggestions on how to secure my bags? Or am I overthinking this? Will people just leave my bike and bags alone, if it's locked to a bike rack with a sturdy lock? I think the High Line is a fairly popular tourist attraction, would that mean more eyes=safer, or does it mean more opportunists for thieves?
I'd like to think I'm an experienced solo bike traveler, and have tried to reduce the chance of theft as much as possible- When away from the bike, take critical items with me, close and secure all bags, remove removable accessories and stow, lock with an appropriate lock, try to stay within eyesight of bike, minimize time away from bike. My past tours have been mostly rural areas, with just passing through urban areas, or when staying overnight in urban areas, leaving bags and bike at lodging. This will be the first time I'll be leaving my fully-loaded bike in such a big city!
