Locking bike and valuables
 

I am looking into a solo RTW and since I have had my bike stolen off the streets once, want to make sure I do the right thing. I am using soft luggage.

Here are some thoughts open for commentary/advice:

I read in my threads the advantages of a bike cover; I have one but it is a small Aerostitch one, covers mostly the top half of the bike, and not even sure it would cover luggage that was left on bike while shopping at the street market.

I could pack a 1/2" braided cable and small u-lock so the bike is attached to something, if hotel does not have covered/secure parking

I don't think a Packsafe will work when using the Giant Loop Great Basin luggage; maybe a small deterent

I also have a small 3/8" braided steel cable I could use to "secure" the luggage on the bike.

Open for debate.

Alain

For securing the bike to something immovable e.g. a pole, I use a length of 12mm high tensile chain (which i "borrowed" from work. Its only a meter long, enough to go through the frame and around something solid. Yes it heavy, but I believe its worth it, and I really doubt you would cut through it with a pair of bolt cutters. for pad locks - Assa Abloy Lockwood with Boron Steel shanks. They are pretty cheap and Boron is supposed to be uncuttable with bolt cutters. some people will argue against this (as not all locks are made equally). But in my own experience (using the Assa Abloy Lockwood's) the teeth on the bolt cutters shatter first. Ignore "hardened" or "special alloy" etc - Boron is the only way to go. You can also buy boron steel cables, but i prefer the high tensile chain.

First step: get a bigger cover. It should enclose your bike entirely with all baggage in place and riding gear piled on top (for dayhiking opportunities). It doesn't hurt if in a pinch it will also cover you (stationary, not riding!).

After that, address chains, cables, locks, armored luggage, alarms, immobilizers and locators. Try not to take all of these at once.

Mark

MOTRAX KAYBUL 'WIRE'

Motrax Kaybul Wire

I've used these for years...

It looks MEGA thick. However, it's hollow and is actually very llight. It's pvc coated wire weave. It's too big for bolt croppers.

It doesn't rattle like a chain on your bike either.

It comes in a few different lengths.



Update...

It's looking like they're no longer available but I reckon you'll find something like it or even one second hand.

Something like this... http://www.getgeared.co.uk/OXFORD_Ba...ck_25mm_x_1-5m

I think a proper chain is way too heavy and noisy for travel...

A bike cover is definately a good idea too. On my way to Capetown my and my travel partners DRZ400's were parked in Barcelona outside the hostel. Mine had a cover, his did not.

In the morning, a few easily removed items had been easily removed.... Mine was untouched. Out of sight, out of mind...

And don't buy a £100 Kevlar cover with "BMW" stamped on it etc. You want something old and ratty. Spray it with oil paint and dirt. Make it look like it could only be covering a piece of old crap.

This is one of the best things you can do. I know it might sound stupid, but they really do make your bike seem invisible. Mine covers the whole bike, just about covering panniers too. It has no logos on it, looks cheap and crap (it is, really) BUT makes the bike look like it's a few miles short of the scrap heap (which it isn't!).

I also try to chain mine to something fairly immovable, to put people off further. For my peace of mind, I have a tracker fitted. Won't help prevent it getting nicked, but should help me get it back ASAP!

Make everything look old and dirty, not out of the ordinary and undesirable. Most theft is unplanned. Someone walks past, catches his eyes on something and then make a split second decision. So the trick is to not catch his eyes. Clean or smart looking luggage, shiny bike, something like a tank bag that aren't common locally. Using a bike cover turns an interesting shape into a silhouette which conjures a different reaction.

We had our 2 bikes parked facing a main city centre street in the Almaty (Kazakhstan's and central asias biggest city) for a week or 2 covered by an army poncho which was our ground sheet. The ends of the bike stick out but you couldn't tell it wasn't a clapped out russian bike or cheap chinese junk.

If theft is planned nothing will help and it's gone no matter what.

I see your problem with the pack safe and using the giant loop. Don't know if you are into fishing at all - but you could get a 10m length of 250lb stainless wire, some crimps and good plyers. and make your own pack safe product that will fit around your luggage. Just a thought as you could make it as big or small as you want. if you do go down this path 49 strand wire i find is better than 7 strand. 7 strand it easier to work with, but its stiffer. 49 strand is more supple and is actually harder to cut with plyers because the strands compress in each other and end up messy more than cutting through them.

Hi Alain,

I'm planning a solo RTW trip with the Giant Loop Great Basin too on my R12GSA. To secure the bag to the bike I have removed my pillion seat, which requires the key to remove it, and replaced it with an Alum. plate that attaches into the same mechanism. The plan is to insert a plate in the base of the bag that bolts to the seat plate. That way it needs the key to remove the bag.

This still doesn't secure the zip and contents, so I am trying to find travel suitcase zipper tabs that allow a padlock to feed through the tabs. I am also anticipating the zip failing eventually and looking at using the 3M heavy velcro used for attaching helmet cams etc., to supplement the zip for closure.

I will also be carrying a 49L Ortlieb waterproof bag with a 12L Pacsafe portable safe inside for electrical goods. This can be cabled and padlocked to the bike in a way that secures the Ortlieb bag also. I carry that bag virtually empty so I can put my riding gear inside when I stop and walk in comfy clothes. 95% of my gear will be in the Giant Loop.

I use the shoulder strap from the Ortlieb bag to carry my tank bag around when stepping away from the bike for a meal or sightsee.

Like you I have read widely about the beneficial use of a bike cover and use one that covers bike and gear completely and can be padlocked at the bottom.

I figure that if they really want my gear they will get it but making it a little more difficult will prevent impulsive theft a bit.

The typical pad lock is merely "secured" by a brass wedge inside it locking the steel u bolt. When this sits on a hard surface the body of the lock acts as a lever which when struck with a rock or something easily breaks that wedge.

Adding locks to zippers tells me there is something worth taking and will only result in your bag slashed. So then you're left with no bag to use once you replace the stolen items.

I hear ya. I feel the same about the Pacsafe mesh over everything - looks like something worth taking. At the end of the day they can slash my Big Loop and get everything anyway so I guess it's a balance between making it a little more difficult, doing nothing or going hard cases and heavy cables.

That may be true for cheap pad locks bought at the hardware store. any decent pad lock from a lock smith will not be broken with a rock i promise you. Good locks are made to not be broken. I have previously been a fire fighter and myself, along with 4 others spent 45 minutes breaking through a boron padlock on a farmers gate with an axe, on the way to a fire. the lock didnt actually give out until we had split the brass down the middle literally in half, which as i say took 4 men 45 minutes. This was a 10mm boron shanked lock and a 10mm high tensile chain holding it on - (I suggested removing the hinge off the gate, but i was out voted :P) Doesn't really relate if we are talking about locking up a bag, as the bag can be slashed yes, but if you want to secure the actual bike, don't underestimate a good pad lock and chain.

Good luck getting a 10mm lock through the zippers. ;p

Off course the bigger the lock the more force is required. Most hotels in India when I went through there only had a hasp & staple for you to put you're own lock through. I always travel with the best lock the biggest lock smith in town has available. It wasn't 10mm but the typical size you'd put on a door which is bigger than appropriate for any luggage. Off course I lost my key. It took 1 blow with a rock. I think they were practised. As with everything, if you hit it right ... sort of thing. Like a nail and hammer.

Point is, pad locks give a false sense of security. House locks are rated by time in delay of entry and those rated times are ridiculously short, like seconds. The diameter of the u bolt its irrelevant. It's the locking onto it that's the weak link.

Brass its not that strong and the wedge only engages the u bolt on one side. I prefer the system in the cable locks. I've seen 4 bearing balls to lock a steel pin with a groove in it. Much better design but somehow I can't find it in a padlock.

All these lock solutions seem to point to a different way...

How about a bunch of dirty soiled undies on top of the luggage?

Or an empty gun holster?

:)


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Yes I said it was pointless if we are locking up a bag, as the bag can be just cut. I was talking about securing the actual bike. I really don't know what you mean by a padlock it a false sense of security? yes a crappy cheap or poorly made padlock can be broken with a hammer. so can a cheap anything. Yes steel is stronger than brass - However as i mentioned myself and 3 others spent 45 minutes smashing a brass lock with an axe. After 45 minutes, our axe was stuffed, the gate was bent and one of us had a blister the size of a 50c piece where a bit of hot metal flew off and lodged in his arm. I am over 100kg (just ;) ) and would like to think I can swing an axe pretty hard. This was a $50 lock from Lockwood. I'd like to meet a thief who would spend 45 minutes trying to cut through a lock with an axe and not be heard. You also say the wedge only engages the bolt on one side, also not always true (true for cheapo locks yes), see picture. this is A $40-$50 lock which peeled the teeth off my bolt cutters when i lost the key and it was stuck on my boat trailer. You might be able to get through it with a $300-$400 set of 36-48inch cutters, maybe. But then again a $60 battery powered angle grinder will cut through anything, but it wont be quiet.

Yes you are right that the shank diameter isnt that important. It's more important what its made from. when traveling I take a AssaAbloy with boron shanks and when im locking stuff up at home its an Abus Rock and 16mm high tensile chain. Also no point buy a amazing lock if its stuck on a rubbish chain, both have to be as strong as each other.

Cable locks can be good - But again, if you pay peanuts, you get a monkey. a $15 cable lock will break with a hammer, a $200 one won't, same story with pad locks. Difference is a good quality pad lock is a shite bit cheaper than a good quality cable lock, then then you have to buy the chain :D Nothing is 100% proof, but if you can stop people doing it quietly, either with cutters or a hack saw then its a big win. I dont know many thieves, but im sure most wouldnt want to use an axe, oxy cutter or angle grinder.

While my bike security is heavy to carry i prefer it to anything else as i know i can walk away and feel confident it will be there when i return. Horses for courses really.

I always take a pacsafe.

However, on the bike, I hardly use it. I've never had anyone try to steal my luggage. My valuables are in my tank bag which comes with me.

They can have my sweaty old boxers...

It comes into it's own in hostels and airports though...

It's not going to stop a tenacious thief but it sure is a good deterrant and will certainly stop a 'chancer'...