Seat Post Security

[Donnydid]

Hi Guys

Less than a month to my trip to Aus and as I plan to stuff a few things down my Seat Tube
I was wondering what form of security lock do you use on your bikes?
I have a Nomad MK2 and considered getting a Pitlock but they dont do a lock that will fit
the bolt system, so what do you have on yours?
And also what do you use to secure your saddle?

Cheers
Dave

[Vintagetourer]

I've toured a fair bit (always with Brooks saddles) and have never felt a need to secure the seatpost.

Contextual awareness has always been my main security technique, and adjusting the level and type of precautions accordingly. I don't see any advantage to stashing stuff, especially anything valuable within the bike.

If the situation requires it, have most of your valuables on you, or with you. Keep some small cash reserve or  second credit card elsewhere buried in a pannier. Splitting the stash increases the risk of losing some of it, but decreases the risk of losing all of it.

Record important numbers/docs on your phone in a hard to find file or as photos. Have most of your 'wealth' stored online, or as debit ie in a form least likely to be physically lost or stolen.

One trick I've never tried but sounds neat, is to fill Allen key bolt heads with wax. Stops opportunists apparently. Heat with a lighter/match/hot water when you want to clean them out.

Regards Graham
Canberra Australia

[mickeg]

I just use the bolts that came with the Nomad frame and on the seat clamp.  If you were really concerned, you can get a short small diameter steel cable and run the cable from the saddle to the frame, but that would only slow a thief from accomplishing his task.  I have one of those cables on my errand bike that has a quick release seatpost clamp instead of a bolt.

I had not thought of stashing money in my seatpost, I store spare spokes there.  Held in with a wine cork and some electrical tape wrapped around the cork to slightly increase its diameter.

I have been more worried about getting my leather saddle wet than worried about it being stolen.

[John Saxby]

Dave,

Atomic22 sells locks for seatposts & most other removable bits:  http://atomic22.com/

I tend to be sceptical about technical solutions for social problems, but don't like having my bike pinched either, so for my hubs I'm considering Atomic22's products. They're expensive, but have been well reviewed as effective and well-made. If you do a search for "Atomic22" on this Forum, you'll turn up quite a few references.

The "wax in the allen key heads" bodge sounds inexpensive & elegant. I guess one could be radical and make a semi-permanent seal with chewing gum, just so long as you have a quality reamer on your Swiss Army knife, & just so long as that's handy when you need to adjust your seatpost...  :-)

Good luck,

J.

[Donnydid]

Thanks for your thoughts on seat post security, some good ideas re the wax in the allen key head.
I would be using the seat post to store some spare spokes so thanks for your method Mickeg, looks
like I will have to go and buy a bottle of wine! Anyone recommend a good wine?.....purely for the
quality of the cork!
I guess I am very conscious about security as I live in a high crime area, I often see bikes parked
outside my local supermarket with their saddles missing, seat posts and sometimes all that's left is
a wheel!

I did look at the Atomic22 but they are very expensive, I think that even the postage came to £11.

Cheers
Dave

[Vintagetourer]

Any Australian red Dave. You may as well start training
(Though not many of them have corks these days.)

[peterfs]

Similar to the wax in the Allen nut method, I pack the Allen key holes with grease and put in a steel ball bearing. It's pretty secure and reduces the chance of loss to quick opertunistic thieves. I use a small magnet and pin to get the ball bearing out as its not too easily removed.

[Danneaux]

Starting about 32 years ago, I began casting my own plugs from RTV (Room-Temperature-Vulcanizing) silicone, using the bolt sockets as the molds and a light coating of Phil Wood grease as a mold release. The resulting plug is excavated after curing and reinserted inverted. Makes a very clean, professional-looking plug that can be removed by the owner using a thin pry (i.e. small, slim-bladed screwdriver) but proved opaque to the saddle thieves in the 10 years I was at Uni for my degrees. That was an especially high-crime area also, so perhaps this approach might be helpful to you as well. It also prevents rusting of the hex socket.

Best,

Dan.

[Vintagetourer]

You should put a Patent Pending note on that one Dan

Another security strategy is to carry a fairly grubby looking saddle cover made from light cordura or plastic. Even an opaque shower cap would do. The idea is to cover the blingy looking saddle when the bike is locked up in higher risk areas.

Or go further one step further like my student son whose saddle has been so badly damaged by cockatoos that it looks like it has been attacked with a machete. I offered to buy him a new saddle but he declined the offer saying that his ratty looking saddle makes his bike very unattractive to thieves. He's often left his bike locked overnight in the city and on campus. Mind you the rest of his bike, not only the saddle,  looks very well-used.

I know a few cyclists, including a couple of round the world tourers, who deliberately painted their excellent bikes to look very old and rundown to disguise the quality. Not something I would do, but it is an option Dave.

[Donnydid]

Thanks guys, a few interesting ideas to consider.
Enjoyed a bottle of Chateaux Chunder to get the cork, its a clever idea
and takes care of the spare spokes.
Now to get a shower cap or maybe a used Tesco carrier will do the business.

Cheers
Dave

[mickeg]

You should put a Patent Pending note on that one Dan

Another security strategy is to carry a fairly grubby looking saddle cover made from light cordura or plastic. Even an opaque shower cap would do. The idea is to cover the blingy looking saddle when the bike is locked up in higher risk areas.

Or go further one step further like my student son whose saddle has been so badly damaged by cockatoos that it looks like it has been attacked with a machete. I offered to buy him a new saddle but he declined the offer saying that his ratty looking saddle makes his bike very unattractive to thieves. He's often left his bike locked overnight in the city and on campus. Mind you the rest of his bike, not only the saddle,  looks very well-used.

I know a few cyclists, including a couple of round the world tourers, who deliberately painted their excellent bikes to look very old and rundown to disguise the quality. Not something I would do, but it is an option Dave.

The University that I attended was a high bike theft area.  A friend of mine bought a used bike that had more rust than paint, everything on it was very weathered.  It was not full size, it had 20 or maybe 24 inch wheels.  He blew a tire and had to put a new tire on it.  For two years he never even locked it, but once it had a new tire, it was something of value and was stolen in a couple days.

[Danneaux]

...once it had a new tire, it was something of value and was stolen in a couple days.

<nods> Sadly, this sounds about right, human (thievery) nature being what it is.

During that same era I was parking on-campus, I lost water bottle after waterbottle if I left them empty. When I left them about half full, I never lost a one. I'm guessing thieves figured what remained was about 90% backwash by then and left them alone for that reason. 

Best,

Dan.