# Locking bike on car's bike rack?



## alexplantman (May 1, 2006)

I have to figure out a way to prevent someone from walking away with my Rush while on the bike rack ..... i am taking a trip in the next few days and while I will try to be with the bike 24-7, realistically if I have to take a bathroom break while on the road or stop for a bite to eat, I am going to have to leave the bike on the car's rack   

I am thinking buying a long cable/lock and wrapping it arond the car's axle and bike's frame when I park.. that seems to be the only realistic option... It won't fit in my back seat (Mercedes E class), so am stuck 

Any ideas? WIll be traveling solo , so its not like someone can stay with the bike :madman:


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## wookalar (Jan 30, 2004)

The guys I ride with have Prophets and we always used to lock 4 bikes together with a long cable through the hitch rack when we'd be away from the bikes for meals. We've never had problems but we may have just been lucky. 

Usually we'd put the nicer bikes towards to vehicle and my GT LTS could be the furthest one out (least likely to get pinched). Of course we were using a Yakima rack that also locked the frames to the rack so the cable was more of a deterrent against someone ripping off the wheels.

It's sad to say but I think if a thief really wants your bike, they'll get it. 

Have you thought of pulling off the wheels and seat and trying to fit it in your car? I do that with mine at work and I put a blanket over it so nobody can see what's under it. I guess someone might think there's something worth stealing under the blanket...I hope they think I'm just messy....

Good luck.


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## skygod74 (May 3, 2006)

Many cars have a tow hook on the back that is welded onto the frame. Get a cable lock, thread it through the frame and rear wheel, and then lock the ends onto the metal loop under the car's frame. If the cable is long enough, you can thread it through the front wheel as well.


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## Fuelish (Dec 19, 2003)

skygod74 said:


> Many cars have a tow hook on the back that is welded onto the frame. Get a cable lock, thread it through the frame and rear wheel, and then lock the ends onto the metal loop under the car's frame. If the cable is long enough, you can thread it through the front wheel as well.


 that's what I've done - run a cable through the front wheel/frame/rack/tow hook and lock, and then use a u-lock to lock rear wheel/fframe to rack. So far, no probs, but as mentioned above - if a thief truly wants your bike, it will be theirs....sux, I know


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## Rm80Co (Apr 4, 2006)

art_vandelay said:


> ...
> 
> Have you thought of pulling off the wheels and seat and trying to fit it in your car? I do that with mine at work and I put a blanket over it so nobody can see what's under it. I guess someone might think there's something worth stealing under the blanket...I hope they think I'm just messy....
> 
> Good luck.


Q: Do you know what a thief thinks when they see something covered by a blanket in a car?
A: Ah, something to steal under a blanket, better break a window quickly.


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## bigsam (Jun 28, 2006)

You just need to deter crimes of opportunity. A cable lock would work. Remove all the pedals if you're really worried, nobody would be able to ride very far.


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## alexplantman (May 1, 2006)

Seems easy enough, as someone said, I am going to see if there is a tow hook on my car ..and just buy a long cable lock.... it is only for those quick times i need to stop somewhere...but I need something to deter theft...

thanks


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## unit (Nov 24, 2005)

*get about 400 feet of anchor chain like PeeWee Herman...*

seriously, all you can really do is send a message that "even if you take this bike, you have got a lot of work ahead of you removing the lock/chain from the bike without damaging it beyond use...so just move on to an easier target"

If someone really wants it they will either cut the shackle you chain it to, or steal the whole car (sounds like you have a high demand car too). My philosophy is to use a ridiculous chain that most people agree it would be way too hard to cut the chain off the bike and probably would result in destruction of the frame as much as the chain. I dont even chain my bike to the rack, I just chain it up so that it would be easy to take, but difficult to use once stollen....no one has taken one from me yet! And if they do, hopefully they will not damage the rack or vehicle in the process.


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## George2 (Nov 28, 2005)

I would recommend using the tow-hook to. Another thing is considering where and how you park your car. I don't have a rack, but a car is easily opened and who reacts to a car alarm (if any) these days? Ayway, I either the park the car in plain sigth and/or choose a position in, for instance a restaurant, where I can see it myself. Another trick is parking the car with the rear almost against a wall or fence, making it a lot harder to open the backdoor or get a bike from the rack, this also makes it harder to see that there are bikes in the car. A bike rack is hard to conceal though. On longer trips I do cover up the bikes with a blanket to make it even harder that they are there and to conceal the type and value. Maybe you can get a cover for the bikes on the racks as well? Man, I hate bike thieves :madmax:


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## wookalar (Jan 30, 2004)

Rm80Co said:


> Q: Do you know what a thief thinks when they see something covered by a blanket in a car?
> A: Ah, something to steal under a blanket, better break a window quickly.


O.k, skip the blanket and let me ask you this: how much easier do you think it would be for a thief to spot my bike on the outside of my car on a rack than if it were on the inside?

They'd have to actually walk by my car and look in versus being able to spot it a couple hundred yards away.

Say they do see it inside and break the window to get it, at least my alarm will go off. That might scare them away, it might not. If it does, I'm only out the cost of a new window...not a new bike. If it dosen't then I'll have to replace both.

I think my bike is more secure inside my car under a blanket than outside my car on a rack (even if it's locked).

Like I said before, if someone wants to steal a bike from a car (inside or out), they'll find a way to do it. The only 100% sure way to not get your bike stolen off/from inside your car is to never leave it on/in your car.

Anything else you do is only a deterrant, not a guarantee of security.


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## unit (Nov 24, 2005)

*hummmmmmmm*



art_vandelay said:


> O.k, skip the blanket and let me ask you this: how much easier do you think it would be for a thief to spot my bike on the outside of my car on a rack than if it were on the inside?
> 
> They'd have to actually walk by my car and look in versus being able to spot it a couple hundred yards away.
> 
> ...


I actually saw someone break a window out of a car and set off an alarm in a very busy parking lot one day...it was amazing to watch hundreds of people do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about someone breaking into this car.....I called the cops and they showed up in time to write a theft report.

If you think a thief is scared of your alarm, try setting it off some day and watch people react.....its like a horn honking in rush hour traffic...no effect at all.

If you think me or anyone else is going to risk our own safety to save your stuff in your car...You dont know your fellow neighbors very well.

Sorry its a fact! Alarms do almost nothing, thieves realize that they will be miles away before anyone does anything about a car alarm.

I bet if someone ever does break your window, you will be out the cost of the window, the bike, and anything else they cased before pulling the punch out.

The blanket is probably not a bad idea....but honestly, most thieves are not going to break a window for a bike....they typically bring about 50 bucks at a pawn shop. They will likely move on to that car next to yours that was just driving around showing off their loud stereo...you know the one with the 3 foot sticker in the back window? Those amps are much quicker to fence.

No, I am not a thief, but I know enough cops and ex-thieves to know that what many here are saying is correct...if they want it, they will get it. The less you realize how criminals behave the more likely you are to be a victim.


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## wookalar (Jan 30, 2004)

unit said:


> I actually saw someone break a window out of a car and set off an alarm in a very busy parking lot one day...it was amazing to watch hundreds of people do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about someone breaking into this car.....I called the cops and they showed up in time to write a theft report.
> 
> If you think a thief is scared of your alarm, try setting it off some day and watch people react.....its like a horn honking in rush hour traffic...no effect at all.
> 
> ...


I understand that most people don't pay attention to blaring alarms. It's pretty much become a part of the background noise in most cities.

Although, mine did scare someone off last summer that (I assume) was trying to get my stereo. I left the face plate on because I wasn't going to be away from my car that long (my bad). I returned to a ringing alarm, a broken window, and nothing missing from my car (including the stereo). I suppose the guy was a rookie. I also think my experience is the exception not the rule. I was lucky that time and I've been more careful since then.

I would never expect you or anyone else to risk their safety for my personal property and I don't think I implied that I would.

My point was that my bike (under a blanket or not) is less visible inside the car than on the outside. I think a bike on a rack in a parking lot is like the guy with the 3 foot Alpine sticker on his back window. You're advertising for would be thieves.

A car alarm is a deterrant. Probably a less effective one but a deterrant none the less.

I get your point and believe me, I understand that if a thief truly wants something on or in your car, they'll get it. I stated that in my first post.

It's sad that you can't trust people to respect your property these days. Truly sad.


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## skygod74 (May 3, 2006)

Fuelish said:


> that's what I've done - run a cable through the front wheel/frame/rack/tow hook and lock, and then use a u-lock to lock rear wheel/fframe to rack. So far, no probs, but as mentioned above - if a thief truly wants your bike, it will be theirs....sux, I know


It's worked for me so far, and yes, you are correct in that if someone wants the bike they'll take it. As another poster said, however, crimes of theft are crimes of opportunity. Depending on where you live, the average thief couldn't tell you the difference between a Trek, a Norco, or a Schwinn. What he can tell you is that the local pawn shop will offer him 5 or 10 or however much he can get from each bike he steals so he can buy drugs. Few thieves joyride bikes or rip them off for their components. Plenty of thieves, however, will pawn 'em for cash to get drugs or whatever addicition seems to be bothering them.

The key is to make a thief's life difficult in taking your stuff. After all, they too, should work for a living.


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## euroford (Sep 10, 2006)

car alarms are an effective deterent. despite people overall ignoring alarms, if you were a theif would really want a blaring siren going on while commiting your act? they tend to walk past cars with little blinking red lights.

but overall, i don't think they do much to protect bikes. i've never tried, but i bet i can wrench on my bike rack pretty hard without setting off the alarm.

i wouldn't bother with a cable lock, except to maybe thread through a front tire. i recently had a bianchi road bike stole while locked with a cable. caught the guy on camera, the lock didn't even slow him down. cut it -instantly-

so now around town, i use a kryp. evo u-lock and a kryp. nyc chain.

with my bike on my car rack, i lock one end of the nvc chain to a tow point under the car, thread the u-lock around the seatpost and through the rear wheel, and the chain through the u-lock. i slap a little cable around frame and through the front wheel. i also don't have QR's.

this is in chicago, so maybe you could get away with less, but trust me, getting a bike stolen -sucks- doing the locks right is by far worth the trouble.


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