Are these locks overkill for a tour?

[bainbridge]

Hi

Like many beginners I took too much stuff on my first touring ride. These are the locks I took:

1. Full size Kryptonite D Lock
2. 6 foot Kryptonite wire whip

Now, with the D lock securing the frame and front wheel to an immovable object and the whip running through the wheels my bike would have instantly put off an opportunist and only a determined thief would have got my bike.

The thing is last time I rode up from Cornwall back home to Bristol & didn't really need to use it once! At one b&b it was behind a locked gate in their yard (locked up to a drainpipe just in case), in the next b&b the bike was stored in their old piggery with the door locked (I was ridiculed by the landlord for locking the bike to a steel shelving unit inside) and in the last b&b there was the option to bring it in to the little lodge where I was staying but to save having to possibly clear up any mud from bringing it inside the bike was locked to a cast iron table on the patio just outside the door. So I carted around what is a considerable proportion of my total carrying weight and found it wasn't really necessary.

Exactly a month from today I'm going riding again but this time much further: From Bristol to Harwich via Oxford and Harlow, then over to Holland on the ferry, then to Amsterdam, down to Arnhem, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bonn and possibly to Frankfurt if there is time. Then riding back again.

So a lock will be necessary at times but are the above 2 overkill?

They're really heavy

How about a strong padlock and just the wire whip?

Please comment or share your experience regarding locks and touring.

Thanks

[eileithyia]

Think i would consider the padlock and wire whip option, the u-lock alone might not be long enough for where you are locking up.
Most rural areas i would not be too concerned esp overnight b&b about theft, i think on tour most theft is opportunist not targeted, ie they do not know you are going to be there so have not come prepared to break in and nick a bike (if that makes sense). but for large cities i would certainly be more wary about where and how i locked my bike and how long it was left for....

[Heltor Chasca]

I don't really know what to say. Apart from also being new to touring, my trips have been long weekend camping trips and I also grew up in Afrika so I half expect to be a crime victim.

I would rather carry weight in the form of locks than stress about my bike getting nicked. I use a similar set up to you which is heavy.

Off topic but I'm interested in your trip from Bristol to Harwich. I'm off to the Netherlands in the Summer and if I had the time I would bike from near Bath to the ferry port....b

[simonhill]

When you see how quickly a pro can break a good lock you have to wonder if they are worth it at all except to keep insurance company happy!

I use a pretty standard combination cable lock. No keys to loose. Can easily be cut if you have the right tools but so can your locks. Even with my lock, I got so fed up with untangling it from under my saddle that I bought a short cheapo wire cable combi from a 100yen shop in Japan. I now use this for my quickie stops at 7-11s, etc.

Then again, I don't tour anywhere as dangerous as UK or N Europe!!


Whatever you do you must take care. You seem to have got it sussed ie locked in house, etc. Leaving in the open will always be a risk whatever lock you use.

Let care not weight be your guide.

[tatanab]

In northern France last year I met a young chap (late 20s) from London. On the campsite he secured his bike with a big D lock and a long wire loop. Never having lived in a high crime area I tied mine with a long cable lock (3/8" diameter) that I bought in 1975. He was horrified, but it comes down to assessment of risk. My cable lock is something like 6 feet long so I can get it around a tree or anything else like a park/pub bench.

[foxyrider]

On tour i use a short (30cm) 12mm cable lock and a 2m loop cable, wheels use security skewers, nothing is left in sight on the bike, overnight bags etc are in the tent / room. The bike will be locked to the nearest immovable object if camping, in bricks and mortar there is usually some form of secure storage.

If you are sensible in where you leave your bike and take sensible precautions you shouldn't have any issues

[bohrsatom]

We toured Europe (4 months) with a 300mm-shackle length D-lock and a couple of Kryptonite cables. The longer shackle was great as we could lock two bikes to a post with a single lock.

It weighed about 1.5Kg in total for everything which split between two wasn't too bad. Not ideal if you are alone - there are smaller D-locks (like the evolution mini) but you may have trouble using it in places where there's nothing obvious to lock your bike to. The two cables are great as you can thread them through each other to make a very long cable which we secured using a basic padlock.

Whether we needed all that extra armour is hard to say .For us it provided acceptable security at an acceptable weight but your definitions of acceptable will be different. Many people tour with just a simple cable and nothing goes wrong but I wouldn't lock up my bike with a cable in most UK towns so wasn't prepared to do that in Europe.

My view is even a lightweight D-lock is better than a cable so you don't need to go for "sold secure" gold, just hope that any potential thief considers your lock too much hassle and goes for the bike locked with a cable instead.

[jamesgilbert]

When camping I stand the bike up right next to the tent, literally touching the fabric, than just stick a cable round it that's long enough to go under the fly and be attached to the inner tent. It's totally insecure but there is no way anyone could take the bike without making a lot of noise, opening the tent zips, knocking over cooking pots, etc.

[Tangled Metal]

It's likely the locks aren't needed but TBH I'd worry without a decent lock option. Perhaps piece of mind plays a role in your decision to carry a heavier lock setup.

[raybo]

I only take a simple cable and a padlock on tour. I wrote an article explaining my choice, if you are interested.

In short, D-locks are made for urban areas and I don't ride much in urban areas. I, also, don't let my bike out of my sight.

[ANTONISH]

I only take a simple cable and a padlock on tour. I wrote an article explaining my choice, if you are interested.

In short, D-locks are made for urban areas and I don't ride much in urban areas. I, also, don't let my bike out of my sight.

I only take "an honest person's" cable lock with me. I suppose it depends on the area you are in.
I've mainly toured in rural France and never had a problem. It's good advice to keep your bike in sight - especially if you are somewhere like Calais where theft is definitely a possibility.
I've known cyclists having bikes stolen from cars parked outside hotels.

[Slowroad]

I don't always lock my bike when I'm camping but only because there isn't anything to lock it to! Townie worries... If you're staying in cities or going to use the bike to sight-see then a decent lock is essential of course.

[bainbridge]

Thanks for your replies everyone, raybo I read your article with interest.

The wire whip is 530g and the D lock is 970g, a whopping 1.5kg for the 2!

After considering the pros and cons I've decided to just take the whip. I've ordered one of those new Abus Titalium padlocks which is 30% lighter than a normal brass padlock and only weighs 85g. I figured there's no point in buying a super strong padlock when a set of bolt crops would cut the whip in seconds anyway.

Hopefully no determined thief will decide to target the bike, I'll just have to be very particular about where is is left locked up.