Pros & Cons of Locking Bike vs. Renting Secure Space

[ancosta]

I just brought my bike to Atlanta where I am living in a gated community in a nice area - except it is a hotspot for vehicle theft. I am told that at least 2 bikes have been stolen in the past year, one of which was locked to a concrete column. No idea what quality of lock or chain it was. I cased the grounds out and saw a beat up 80's UJM. Who knows how the crooks are getting in, perhaps it is an inside job.

The two practical options I have are to invest in a lock setup, or rent space in a storage facility.

Research suggests a GOOD lock, chain and masonry anchor setup will run me $300 - and I have to find a way to secure the anchor to the wall. My intention would be to use a short chain that runs through the forks at the triple, preventing the theif from simply removing a wheel and throwing the bike in their truck.

This will be a pain in the ass since there are no power outlets nearby so to secure the anchor I would have to rent a generator to run my hammer drill - or pay someone to do it. Since I am quite possibly only here for less than a year, this will be a 'sunk' cost. At that, there is no guarantee that a good lock, chain and anchor will prevent theft. I could get a longer chain and drape it around a concrete column, but unlike a wall anchor with a taught chain, it will give a theif the leverage needed to defeat the lock or chain.

Renting a drive-in storage bay nearby will run me about ~100/mo. This is money going out the window, and who knows if the bike will be stolen out of the bay.

With my work schedule I am relegated to riding weekeneds and perhaps a quick ride after work 1x a week. That said, if I had to pick up my bike at the storage place I might end up riding it LESS since it will be more work to get it.

A 4 year old SV is probably not a theif's dream and it has theft insurance on it.

Looking for ideas that strike a balance between practical and effective. I am super busy and time spent trying to deal with this is time I don't have to begin with. Thanks...!

[{PMS}fishy]

Theft insurance is the best you can do, there is no such thing as a bike that can't be stolen.

Its only an SV, so I don't know if you really want to invest in lojack, a paging alarm, floor anchors, and tons of locks and chains.

Just go find an R1 to park next to.

[burnham]

I use a disc lock (Xena I think) that has a built in alarm that goes off when the wheel is rolled. Maybe a couple of those?

[Jenni]

my family has a townhouse outside of georgia tech. we're lucky to have a garage & grandfathered in to having the biggest dog in the neighborhood. i have friends that literally walk their bike in their front doorway, a guy down the road that blocks his bike with his cars. however, these might not be options for you. if you're like me... any type of alarm would be useless. they go off every 20 minutes here (more often at night) that i just tune them out now. asshats around here do this for a living. if they really want it - they'll get it even if they have to confront you while you're dismounting it.

i'm interested also in the replies that come of this thread... it'll give me new ideas to think about.

[flintoid]

I have a motorcycle/moped lock that I put through my swing arm and rear wheel and attaches to a steel support of my back porch. It has a $2500 warranty recovery if it should be broken and something stolen form it's protection.


On my insurance plan I have a theft option with a $1000 deductible. So, if my bike is stolen, I can use part of the warranty on the lock to get a recovery on my bike. That's my plan anyways... I've never had to use it thankfully...


I have had someone try to steal my bike at night... wire cutters couldn't get through the steel cable of my lock, and it took them long enough for the punkasses to make enough noise to wake me up at night, so I was able to grab a baseball bat and coercively rid them of my back porch


I think the $75 lock was definately worth getting a shot on the small of an asshole's back with an aluminum easton. It felt pretty good. For me.

[ancosta]

This video sums it up: YouTube - Various Sold Secure and Thatcham chains chopped.

Self-storage = guaranteed loss (rent) of $1200 a year
Insurance = $500 deductible should the bike get stolen

It seems that I would have to have 2 bikes stolen in 1 year before self storage is a better option. This assumes that I will get what my bike is worth if it is stolen.

[GixerJockey]

Just go find an R1 to park next to.

Why? You'll just have to clean off all that nasty Yamaha Juju off of your SV afterwords...