Tag Archives: biking toronto

cyclists! sh*t happens when you don’t lock your bike properly

01 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in bike

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Bike theft in Toronto is ridiculously high, as I noted last week when I mentioned the Toronto Star article that stated pedestrians and onlookers fail to notice or report a bike being stolen in plain view in broad daylight.

I also mentioned how important it is to lock your bike to a fixed object, preferably a bike stand, or bad things may happen to your bike. Witness what happened when a terrible Toronto thief tried to steal my bike last week after I locked my bike to a bike stand that was not bolted to the sidewalk.

Attempted bike theft looks like an ugly mess, no? My heart sunk when I approached the scene of the crime after the Hedly concert at the Air Canada Centre, because I knew these four “don’ts,” but I still did:

  • I knew not to lock it in that dark corner between two deserted office towers.
  • I knew the area across Union Station was blocked from traffic and pedestrians by construction, so there was minimal visibility.
  • I’d thought about finding a post-and-ring stand in a more visible spot, but my friend insisted our bikes would be safe (aside: peer pressure sucks!).
  • I knew to lock my bike to the closed part of the stand, but the open end is easier to lock up to, so that’s what I did. Dumb, I know. You don’t need to say it.

So, filled with dread at the thought that someone stole my bike, a lot of “I shouldn’t haves” and “you should have known betters” ran through my head.

Because, believe it or not, that wasn’t the first time I’d locked my lovely hybrid to a movable object. Two summers ago, I locked my bike to a temporary fence at the free Metric concert outside Toronto’s Union Station, steps from this most recent crime scene, and my bike was taken. Yes, I’m that stupid. I did it twice!

You can see in the photo below that my bike survived my first round of cycling stupidity. My beloved Kryptonite New York lock is securely locking it to my friend Katie’s bike, which is locked to the barricade, which is nowhere near where we had locked our bikes!

That’s right! Immediately after the Metric concert, while Katie and I were obliviously sipping coffee at a café down the street, the nice people at Sidan Traffic Control (the company that sets up barricades for street events throughout Toronto) tore down the barricades and took them – with our bikes still attached to them!!! – to a storage facility.

Of course, we knew nothing about that when we realized Front Street would be opened to traffic soon after the concert ended. We were simply panicked that the mysterious event organizers had cut our locks and abandoned our bikes. The horror I felt when I saw Front Street completely clear of barricades – and my bike! – made me want to cry. I mean, I love my bike. She’s my baby – my first bike as a full-grown Cyclist with a capital C.

But all my years as a fact checker paid off. The researcher in me pushed the panic aside and sussed out the situation. We asked someone who was tearing down the stage what had happened to the bikes, and she told us Sidan had put everything in a truck, bikes included.

Skeptical that our bikes were OK, we went across the street to the The Fairmont Royal York hotel and asked the kind concierge to look up the phone number for Sidan, so we could leave them a message on the spot. I also emailed Sidan when I got home. (Fact checking has taught me to harass people till I get the information I need, and I’m rather good at it!)

Sean at Sidan emailed and called early the next day to say our bikes were safely stored in Toronto (rather than at their head office in Bolton, Ontario, a good 50 kilometres north). Fully aware that stupid cyclists like ourselves often lock bikes to their barricades, our Sidan angels had thought, “Oh, it happened again. Load the whole kit and kaboodle into the truck.” Phew! Best. News. Ever.

Heart soaring with relief, I arranged to pick up our bikes that day. Since Sidan closes early, Sean left the bikes – still locked to the barricade – hidden behind some shrubs. And that’s where we found our babies! I took the picture above as a reminder to never, ever lock my bike to a movable object again.

Obviously, I didn’t learn my lesson. But hopefully you did! Read about my 6 tips for locking your bike, and then do as I say, not as I do!

xoxo
jen

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And this is how to lock your bicycle to prevent bike theft!

For more on bike safety, check out…
How to Lock Your Bike to Prevent Bike Theft
Girly Gear to Light Up Your Ride
Use Your Knog(gin): Ride With a Bright Bike Light 
I Heart My TV Sucks Ride Your Bike Bumper Sticker
‘Cause I Love My Brain, I Want a Nutcase Helmet
Simi Mini Dots Nutcase Helmet Fit for Minnie Mouse
Ciao Bello to My New Public Bike Bell, Federico! 

awesome bike-chain bike stand in kensington market

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in bike, gear, photography

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Toronto’s Kensington Market and bikes go hand in hand. Cyclists famously overtake the Market’s one-way streets, casually going in the opposite direction, against traffic. I admit, I’m one of those directionally challenged cyclists who wish cars were banned from the Market.

I champion the idea of moving Kensington beyond Pedestrian Sundays (the last Sunday of the month, from May to October) to making the streets pedestrian-only boulevards every day, even if it meant I couldn’t bike those roads. As it stands, I usually can be found riding south on Augusta, staring down northbound drivers shaking their heads at me.

Yet I’ve never locked my bike to this awesome, artsy bike stand at Augusta and College, in the north end of the Market. Coolest. Bike stand. Ever. Really, the Kensington bike rack tops my beloved City of Toronto post-and-ring bike stands. Not only does it spell out “Kensington,” its namesake neighbourhood, but it also resembles a bike chain!

I mean, a Kensington Market bike-chain bike stand is as cool as a bike-chain grease-mark tattoo. OK, OK, only a bike geek would go gaga over a grease-mark tattoo, but you have to agree that Toronto’s coolest bike stand suits the artsy, crafty, hippy vibe of the hood that has a coffee shop that looks like this when it’s closed:

Kensington Market's Casa Acoreana Cafe, at the corner of Augusta and Baldwin, makes for an artsy backdrop for vintage bikes.

Kensington Market is also a haven for Toronto cyclists because it houses Bikes on Wheels (BOW). The cute boys of BOW are always helpful, whether I’m having problems with my brakes or I need air or those little metal caps that keep the brake cable ends from fraying… It’s no wonder I spontaneously plunked down $53 for the Topeak RaceRocket mini bike pump, when I already had a portable pump and was in the middle of a 120 kilometre ride to Oakville and back. Perhaps I was distracted by the boys, ahem, I mean the boys’ friendliness. Likely I was lured by the high-end but affordable bike gear. I couldn’t help myself. Gear whore, here!

Plus, Kensington is also home to Mike the Bike, a popular source for refurbished bikes, though I’ve never been able to find the storefront on Oxford Street near Spadina Road. Smart guy that Mike presumably is, he posts pics and deets of the bikes on his website, so people like me can find him online!

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Bike theft prevention is serious business.

For more on bike safety, check out…
How to Lock Your Bicycle Securely to Prevent Bike Theft
Girly Gear to Light Up Your Ride
Use Your Knog(gin): Ride With a Bright Bike Light 
I Heart My TV Sucks Ride Your Bike Bumper Sticker
‘Cause I Love My Brain, I Want a Nutcase Helmet
Simi Mini Dots Nutcase Helmet Fit for Minnie Mouse
Ring My Bell: Ciao Bello to My Public Bike Bell, Federico! 

how to lock your bicycle securely to prevent bike theft

25 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in bike, outdoors

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Stealing a bike in Toronto is a cinch, even in broad daylight, according to a recent Toronto Star article that proves bike theft in Toronto goes unreported – even unnoticed – in this city of cyclists and apathetic onlookers. Scary thought.

Cycling in Toronto is all about improving infrastructure, of course, but, sadly, it’s also about bike theft prevention. That’s why I try to lock my bike to a fixed object (one of the City of Toronto’s awesome post-and-ring bike stands), using one of the best bike locks on the market (the Kryptonite New York Standard U-lock), so I thought I was adept at outwitting bicycle thieves. I was wrong.

As was revealed to me the other night, bike theft in Toronto truly runs rampant: someone tried to steal my bike last week, after I’d stupidly locked it to a movable bike stand in a poorly lit, little trafficked corner, and the wannabe thief flipped over the stand and my bike (see photo above)! The thief (or thieves?) was likely trying to snake my bike along the stand and off the open end, but I’d locked my bike so tight, it wasn’t budging.

Lesson learned: If you lock your bike properly, it will deter thieves trying to steal it. And so, here are my 6 tips for locking your bike.

1. Buy the best bike lock you can afford.

Locks don’t prevent bike thieves from stealing bikes – locks deter thieves from stealing bikes. Thieves want to grab and go, so they won’t risk being seen by onlookers during the precious minutes it will take to pick a top-notch lock, so invest in the best.

The best is the Kryptonite New York Standard U-lock. I own two!!! Here’s why.

  • Makers of the world’s best bike locks, Kryptonite rates the New York Standard U-lock an 11 out of 12 on its bicycle security scale.
  • The 16 mm steel shackle is a tough nut to crack, even with bolt cutters.
  • The double deadbolt locking mechanism is pretty pickproof.
  • It’s the perfect size to snugly fit around a bike stand and a seat post and rear wheel. The Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini lock is too small and only fits around a stand and seat post. Depending on your bike, the Kryptonite New York MC lock may be too long, which will create a gap between your bike and the stand, inviting thieves to wedge a lever in the gap to pry the lock apart.
  • The lock is darn heavy and large. That’s what makes it cumbersome to carry, but that’s also what keeps thieves moving on to the next bike – a bike that is secured with a lock that’s much easier to cut through or pick than yours is.

2. Buy a second locking device (yes, you DO need 2 locks!).

Proper bike theft prevention means making your bike as difficult to steal as possible. Which is why I always use 2 locking devices: a Kryptonite looped cable combined with my Kryptonite New York U-lock. (When I’m really paranoid about protecting my bike, I use both of my New York locks!)

Since a thief will always try to steal a bike that can easily be taken in seconds, rather than minutes, the trick to protection is using multiple locks. Don’t be lazy about this. Two locking devices are better than one.

3. Lock your bike to a fixed object.

Better yet, lock your bike to a fixed bike stand. Always. I will scour Toronto’s streets, looking for one of 16,000 post-and-ring stands to lock my bike to, because the stands are securely cemented to the sidewalk and I’m able to lock both the wheels and the frame to the pole. They are much sturdier than a wimpy sign post, which I only use when desperate during quick daytime stops.

Remember: a movable object can be moved, even if your bike is locked to it. See the first photo if you don’t believe me. But you do, so let’s move on, shall we?

4. Lock your bike wheels AND your bike frame to a bike stand.
The keyword here is bike: lock your bike to itself as well as a fixed stand. Double locking your bike means that if a thief steals your bike by breaking the bike stand, the thief will not be able to ride off with your bike if your wheels are locked to your frame. And it’d be mighty suspicious to carry a fully locked bike down the street, no?

Here are 5 steps for securely locking your bike with your U-lock and a looped cable (see photo above while following the instructions below).

  • Place your bike – gears facing out – against a fixed stand.
  • Loop one end of the cable through the front wheel and around the down tube and stand; thread one end of the cable through the other.
  • Don’t leave space for bolt cutters to fit in the gap. If you need to, wrap the cable twice around the seat post, the wheel or both.
  • Fit the U-lock around the bike stand, seat tube and rear wheel. (If you can only fit the U-lock around the bike stand and seat tube, so be it.)
  • Thread one U-lock end through the free cable loop, and lock the lock!

Alternative 1: Loop the cable through the front wheel and down tube twice, securing the U-lock to both looped ends.
Alternative 2: Secure the front wheel with another U-lock or a cable lock instead of a looped cable.

5. Pick a highly visible, well-lit area.
The easiest way to deter someone from stealing your bike? Lock your bike in a highly visible area, as the thief won’t want to be seen stealing. The best spot would be beside a street lamp on a busy sidewalk.

Look for a public place with these 4 must-haves.

  • Lots of pedestrian traffic.
  • Lots of stationary people (people lingering, sitting on a patio or by a window or on a bench – people who might notice your bike and that a stranger is eyeing or handling it).
  • Lots of vehicular traffic.
  • Lots of light, especially at night (streetlights are your friends).

The other night (see the first photo), I locked my bike in a place blocked off by a lot of construction, where there was little vehicular and pedestrian traffic, in a dark corner between two business towers that had closed for the night. And it was a movable stand. All “don’ts”!!! The only “do” I got right was locking my bike properly with 2 locking devices – that’s what saved my bike from being stolen. Nearby, however, were 3 other stands overflowing with bikes, which brings us to Tip 6: There’s safety in numbers. Or at least there should be.

6. Prevent theft by locking your bike with lots of other bikes.
This photo I took of bikes in Lucerne, Switzerland, shows how a bike stand to bike thieves is like a candy store to a kid. However, there actually is safety in numbers when it comes to protecting your bike from theft: if your bike is locked securely, it’s safer with a group of bikes that aren’t locked properly than it is parked by itself.

As I’ve stated all along, bike thieves want to make a quick getaway more than they want to steal an expensive bike. As obvious as that sounds, I used to think it was the other way around.

So remember: if there are tons of bikes in the vicinity, they’ll always try to steal the bike that is the easiest (read: quickest) to grab. Make sure that’s not your bike!

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For more on bike safety, check out…
Girly Gear to Light Up Your Ride
Use Your Knog(gin): Ride With a Bright Bike Light 
I Heart My TV Sucks Ride Your Bike Bumper Sticker
‘Cause I Love My Brain, I Want a Nutcase Helmet
Simi Mini Dots Nutcase Helmet Fit for Minnie Mouse
Ring My Bell: Ciao Bello to My Public Bike Bell, Federico!