How Not To Lock Your Bike

Seasoned boaters enjoy going to the boat ramp and watching other boaters try and back their trailer down the ramp.

Seasoned campers enjoy watching other campers dump their black and gray water tanks at the dumping station.

Seasoned bike commuters find similar entertainment in observing how people lock up their bikes.

When it comes to the various ways that people devise to secure their trusty steeds, I thought I had seen it all. (Note: When it comes to human beings, never - ever assume that you've seen it all!)

I pulled up to the bike rack early last week and this is how the bike next to mine was secured.

The owner of this bike had taken some blue tie wire and twisted the ends together. He cleverly (I use this term loosely) masqueraded the twisted joint with a bit of duct tape. He then looped the make shift cable through the spokes and the bike rack and secured it all with a lock.

Whether this bike could be stolen with minimal effort is not up for debate. The real question is, "what method of thwarting this security barrier should be employed?".

Take a small pair of wire cutters and cut the wire?
Tools needed = smallest, cheapest wire cutters available on the market
Time Required = 1 second

Undo the duct tape and untwist the wire?
Tools needed = none
Time required = 5 seconds

One final word of caution to any would be thief. While this bike was equipped with brake calipers, they did not sport the associated brake shoes. Steal at your own risk!