The Pedalshift Project 244: Preventing Theft on Your Bike Tour

Avoid catastrophe and think about preventing theft before your next bike tour. On this episode some thoughts and tips on keeping your bike and gear safe.

Pedalshift Project 244: preventing Theft on Your Bike Tour

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Preventing Theft on Your Bike Tour

Hat tip to listener Dimitri for the show idea… email me with episode ideas…

Check out my prior episode on locks (Pedalshift 066)

This is also on my mind as I get ready to roll on the microcamper adventure. Look for a full review of how that works out in early July.

Things to think about

Bike theft

– in camp

– at a hotel or other roofed public accommodation

– from your vehicle

Gear theft

– in camp

– at stops when it’s unattended

Bike theft – all about locks

I tend not to tour in spots that have high security needs, so the locks I use in DC don’t tend to come with me. Still, I like to have the peace of mind to lock up outside grocery stores and other spots when I’m leaving my bike outside.

Some people are good with just cable locks on tour… I used to be ok with them, but I think they’re SO easily defeatable with simple tools that I prefer something more secure.

No lock is foolproof… all can be defeated. The trick is to find the right risk management.

New folding lock styles are interesting. I used to like my Inbike folding lock as a touring lock option. Only downside is TSA sees it as a multitool every time so you should pull it out of your carry on separately or risk the (often lengthy) wait. I found it to be a little difficult to use at times and don’t reach for this often anymore.

Back in ep 066 I spoke about testing the cinch Ottolock. I think this is a good upgrade from a cable lock, but no substitue for a good U lock. On tour though, I think it’s a great compromise considering I’m rarely away from my bike long.

Speaking of… know where you’re going to be! San Francisco and Portland are notorious for bike theft so I bring a u-lock and frankly double lock. Or bring the Brompton and bring it inside.

In camp – I do lock habitually, but it’s probably not always necessary.

In roofed lodging – first choice always is to bring it in the room. If the hotel doesn’t let you or it’s impossible, ask for secure storage (inside if possible). And lock the thing tight as a drum.

What about on or in a vehicle? Huge target if you are going to be away from the vehicle and something I’m extra aware of with this trip. Thule makes a leash that has a hockey puck on one end that you can loop around your rack or your bike and close the puck end inside the trunk. Certainly defeatable but not quickly since it has two steel strands in it.

I won’t be leaving my Brompton unattended ever, but for overnights when we’re in the vehicle with the privacy shades up I’m locking it to itself folded, leashing it to the trunk AND covering it with a tarp. If I sleep through that, they deserve the bike. This is not a challenge.

Gear theft

Only thing I ever got stolen was frankly my own fault… I left a battery charging unattended at Sunset Bay SP in Oregon and it walked.

Not saying you can’t do that (it’s usually safe because lots of people charge stuff in bathrooms) but sooner or later someone’s going to walk with your power bank

Beyond that… I’ve grown comfortable with leaving my loaded bike locked but the bags hanging on it at grocery stores, cafes, etc.

Don’t underestimate the degree to which people think they’re being watched

I carry all important things on me always (wallet, phone, usually computer if I have it… which is way less often these days)

Cable lock for bags? Sure. I don’t but it’s not an awful idea.

Again, know your location

Camp? Hotels?

I always bring gear in with me. All of it.

Always needed? No.

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this spring’s DC to Cincinnatti bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Sunfields has a new album available NOW, AND Jason has a new solo album coming this year, AND his first solo album is now streaming on Spotify, including America, the Pedalshift theme. Go listen!

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May 20, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 243: Exploring Assateague by Bike

Exploring Assateague Island National Seashore and Chincoteague, VA by Brompton. I spent a few summers as a kid in this area, and even though it’s grown up from a sleepy hidden gem into a more robust tourist destination, that comes with better bike infrastructure too. Can we bike all the way to the beach?

Exploring Assateague by Bike

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 243: Exploring Assateague by Bike (mp3).

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Exploring Assateague and Chincoteague, VA by Brompton

Music

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May 13, 2021

Best of Pedalshift 139: Dealing with Loose Dogs on Tour

What’s the most controversial subject in bike touring? No not bike helmets… no, not earbuds… it’s how to deal with loose dogs on bike tour! On this episode, I give my two cents on how to deal with an angry canine that interrupts your pedaling.

Originally podcast October 18, 2018.

Best of Pedalshift 139: Dealing with Loose Dogs on Tour

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May 6, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 242: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience

We are live baby live for the first live show of 2021… an update on the LACROSSE! plus summer touring and ask me anything!

The Pedalshift Project 242: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 242: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience (mp3).

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“Pedalshift was filmed before a live studio audience”

Music

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April 29, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 241: The Microcamper Project – Part 2

Can a person (me) who is barely competent with tools build out a very strangely shaped 4-door sedan (“it’s not a sedan… it’s a LACROSSE!!”) into a comfortable sleeping pod slash microcamper? Join me on a journey into good intentions, lack of patience, mostly level and somewhat square woodworking , and the birth of a micorcamper built for bike touring. Probably. Maybe.

The Pedalshift Project 241: The Microcamper Project - Part 2

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 241: The Microcamper Project – Part 2 (mp3).

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The Pedalshift Microcamper Project

Check out Pedalshift 240 for the reason for all of this
I promised pics… sorry/you’re welcome:

And oh hey… Live show! 4/30 fri 9pm ET! Topics and more TBA but I’m sure a segment will be on the microcamper as touring enhancer. Click here for the details. Programming note, this live show will be rebroadcast as the pod on May 6th, which will knock the best of out of its usual first Thursday perch to the second Thursday in May which is May 13th.
SAVE THE DATE… Pedalshift Live Friday April 30, 9pm ET, 6pm PT

Music

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April 22, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 240: The Microcamper Project – Part 1

Needs (really, wants) meet opportunity for a new project that scratches an itch and might have bike touring utility: welcome to the Pedalshift microcamper build! On this episode, I cover the background on the project, how it relates to bike touring, and more.

The Pedalshift Project 240: The Microcamper Project - Part 1

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 240: The Microcamper Project – Part 1 (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
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The Pedalshift Microcamper Project

What prompted this?

Vaxxed
Made a list of things I want to do
Several items got ticked off if I could:
- visit family and friends on the west coast
- do it with Kimberly and the dogs (the latter can’t fly easily and we’ve determined we can’t travel together, but without them)
- avoid taking all of that as vacation time (I want to save that for another thing on the list… a longer tour this year)
Leveraging remote work one more grand time
All of this need met the opportunity: my folks bought a new car and offered this one to me for an unrelated reason that is, for the moment, postponed.
The car is… a source of humor. It’s not a great fit for me. Or anyone. It has an enormous blind spot that is part of its odd design. It should not normally be parallel parked. But it has, on second look, a LOT of positives. Like enormous trunk space.
Lightbulb…. this can be made into a microcamper

Ok, ok so back up here… how is this being used again?

The near term: we’re going on a big work/play adventure to the west coast.
Work remotely by day, visit family and friends by nights and weekends
The vehicle maxes its value in allowing us to get places by driving in shifts and as a glamping option for mid-trip
We will not be staying in it more than a handful of days (we got great Airbnbs – remember we are remote working!) but it will facilitate the entire venture
Allows us to travel as a unit and enjoy everything along the way

So, um bike touring angle?

Bike is coming with and there will absolutely be touring-adjacent adventures
This is (as I mentioned earlier) a beta test for whether something like this can be useful for remote touring/bikepacking loops.

What’s the plan?

I’m not going to share the specifics of our travel on the pod, but I will note a few things
Pod will continue during the trip, so some of the adventures will end up on it
One major destination is Burlington Campground on the Avenue of the Giants. No remote work will be happening there!
This will be a full month plus.

How the hell is this going to work?

I’ll be sharing more details on this aspect in the next episode, but here’s the plan
This is not a high-end buildout. It’s more function over form… remember this is a beta test.
That said, there are some needs we have: comfort is top of the list, but we also need power, privacy and storage.
I’ve already removed the rear seats and much of the trim
I’ll sound dampen the bare metal
I’ll run some 12V and USB lines for charging devices, fans and lighting
The biggest hurdle is building a level platform that is sturdy and the lowest possible profile over the transition between the rear cabin and the trunk. The more vertical room there, the better likelihood two side-sleepers can call this a win.
Some back of the napkin measurements show I can repurpose a perfectly fine, but on-my-list-to replace memory foam mattress. It will need to be cut to a very odd shape, but if it works it will be plenty of space.
Beneath the platform and mattress is a fair amount of storage. We’ll also have two roller suitcases that will be in the trunk section while driving and in the front seats when sleeping.
I’m also going to make blackout shades for all windows, giving us privacy and stealth. I also got a magnetic bug screen for the moonroof that will be perfect for facilitating airflow on the less-than-cool nights. We’ll also have USB fans to circulate air.

I have ideas and you are doing this wrong!

Cool. So, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in watching van builds it’s that everyone has an opinion and there’s always a way to improve on things. This is a beta and I expect to learn a TON.

What’s up with next episode?

I’m going to document the build Tour Journals style.
I might not finish by then… so if this is interesting to you, I can extend to a third episode in May. If you want to go back to more directly related to bike touring topics… happy to do that. Email me your thoughts on that!

Music

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April 15, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 239: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 3

Part three on my two day trip from Hancock, MD to Paw Paw, WV and back focuses on the return trip and the little surprise that started it off.

The Pedalshift Project 239: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass - Part 3

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 239: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 3 (mp3).

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Pedalshift Tour Journals: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 3

A little background… the NPS is closing the tunnel… for real this time… to complete a massive descaling project on the downstream side of the Paw Paw tunnel. That means when it’s closed, the only way to continue on the towpath is to go up and over the mountain the tunnel goes through.

I had never done it. Until this trip.

Part 3 focuses on the return trip and the little surprise that started it off.

Housekeeping

Reminder… new music!

Brock Dittus – Most Important Thing

Sunfields new album Late Bloomers available now

Gonna do something a little different for the next two eps… building out a micro camper from a hand me down sedan that I’m going to (hypothetically) use for bike touring adventures. This is the beta version. The test. And oh are we gonna test it. More in a week!

SAVE THE DATE… Pedalshift Live Friday April 30, 9pm ET, 6pm PT

Music

The post The Pedalshift Project 239: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 3 appeared first on Pedalshift.

April 8, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 238: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 2

Part two on my two day trip from Hancock, MD to Paw Paw, WV and back focuses on how I handled the frigid night at camp and then the bypass trail itself, plus a fun discovery on the other side.

Pedalshift 238: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass Part 2

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 238: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 2 (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
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Pedalshift Tour Journals: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 2

I had never done it. Until this trip.

Part 2 focuses on how I handled the frigid night at camp and then the bypass trail itself, plus a fun discovery on the other side.

Housekeeping

Reminder… new music!

Brock Dittus – Most Important Thing

Sunfields new album Late Bloomers available now

Next week: Best of!

In one week: part three of Tour Journals: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass, PLUS…

SAVE THE DATE… Pedalshift Live Friday April 30, 9pm ET, 6pm PT

Music

The post The Pedalshift Project 238: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 2 appeared first on Pedalshift.

April 1, 2021

Best of Pedalshift 135: Lessons from the TransAmerica Trail

Pedalshift Beginners Series alum James Rosenberg checks in after his epic and successful 2018 ride across the United States on the TransAmerica Trail. We cover his favorite experiences, best and worst gear choices, and much more.

Originally podcast September 13, 2018.

Best of Pedalshift 135: Lessons from the TransAmerica Trail

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March 25, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 237: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 1

Part one on my two day trip from Hancock, MD to Paw Paw, WV and back, highlighting the Paw Paw Tunnel bypass trail.

Pedalshift 237: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass Part 1

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 237: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 1 (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
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Pedalshift Tour Journals: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass – Part 1

I had never done it. Until this trip.

Part 1 focuses on my ride to camp on the downstream side of the tunnel buuuut it’s a little more interesting than that. If you followed me on Insta you heard something happened(TM) Turns out I was recording, which is fun and awesome. HOWEVER the sound quality leading up to it was miserable. Like super bad. But I need you to hear how it went down, so bear with me here as we get rolling…

Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass Day 1 fender bender — Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass Day 1: catastrophic fender bender!

Housekeeping

Reminder… new music!

Brock Dittus – Most Important Thing

Sunfields new album Late Bloomers available now

Next week: Best of!

In two weeks: part two of Tour Journals: Paw Paw Tunnel Bypass, PLUS… some really good news if all goes as planned…

Music

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