Locks O' Luck!

Getting Heavy - Locking in N.Y.C.

By Anne Alexander

"It's like an arms race out there," says Nathan Dean, manager of Bicycle Habitat's Lafayette St. store, about the escalating hardware bicyclists and bike thieves are using on New York City streets. "Both sides are getting more sophisticated," he says. Around 50,000 bikes are stolen in NYC each year, al- though only a small fraction are reported to the police.

Many bicyclists, especially first-time purchasers, don't realize what it takes to defend their bike. "They're overwhelmed when we pull out this big thing," Dean says, referring to the latest defense mechanism: a heavy jumble of case-hardened steel secured by a chunky Master lock. "Lugging around 10 pounds worth of locks isn't exactly what they had in mind."

That's because what they had in mind was pretty naive. Metro's 86th St. store manager Pat Kelly has heard them all:

1. I never leave my bike for more than a second.
2. I always park it in front of a doorman building.
3. No one would want to steal a junky bike like mine.
4. I've got a U-lock and they're the best.

It usually doesn't take long for the street to chew up these hopes, leading to paranoia about locking up at all. Indeed, from Larry & Jeffs, to Bicycle Habitat, to Metro to Toga, the ex- perts agree that taking your bike with you everywhere is the best protection. "Don't lock it; don't lose it."

A great motto, but not always feasible, which is why Kelly, Dean and other dealers stock the chains currently in vogue. "If you're going to lock it, lock it right," Kelly explains. "Customers complain about the weight but you don't buy a lock because it's convenient to carry." No, indeed, you buy it because this is New York and there's a war going on.

Save it: Engrave It

By Dan Sherr

Most NYC cyclists would just as soon stroll into a Cadillac showroom as walk into a police station house. Still, engraving your bike at your local precinct before it's stolen, and reporting a theft when it occurs, could help you get your bike back.

Each precinct's Crime Prevention Officer will give you an engraving tool to register your bike under Operation Identification. "I suggest marking your social security number in at least two different places," says Officer Michael Picciotto of lower Manhattan's First Precinct, "in a visible spot and an invisible spot" If the bike is recovered, even if the visible identification has been erased, the owner will know the secret location where he engraved his ID.

Picciotto feels that in some cases, the engraving itself can deter a thief. "The thief can't easily sell the bike with a number on it, so he has to deface the bike to erase it, or repaint it."

Identification can also help establish ownership. When an officer is asked to intervene in a bike theft, says Picciotto, if the owner has no way of proving the bike is his, "we have to voucher it." Ownership has to be decided by a judge in court.

Under Operation Identification, the bike owner's social security number, name, address, and phone are entered into the computer system in the Property Inquiry Department. If a stolen bike is returned to the police with a social security number engraved on it, the owner can be located and the bike returned.

As important to registering your bike is reporting its theft. This will enable the police to trace the bike to its owner in case it is recovered and has no ID. Even if the bike is not recovered, reporting its loss is the best way of telling the police how rampant bike theft has become in that precinct.

Locking Up: What Works, What Doesn't

By Pete Gardner with Dan Convissor

New York City's real bike experts - bicycle store managers, messengers and mechanics - are reaching these conclusions:

• U-locks' day in the sun is over.
• Cobra locks can be broken easily.
• U-locks and Cobras are effective only when combined with another lock of different design ("cross locking").
• Heavy, case-hardened locks and chains are now necessary for basic bicycle security on NYC streets.

All locks should be placed through the rear triangle of the bike frame and wheel, and then around a pole. With U-locks, this position minimizes the space to insert a lever to break the lock, though you should use a T-joint which you can get in a plumbing supply store. Cobras, cables and chains should be wrapped tight to eliminate slack and prevent the lock from being dragged to the ground to be cut or smashed.

Still, cables and chains can be broken by bolt cutters, and U-locks snapped by a lever. We recommend cross-locking -- using two different kinds of locks. This requires the thief to carry several different tools and makes the job take longer. While cross-locking is not an absolute guarantee, it can screen out the less professional and determined thieves.

Taking your front wheel with you can improve your odds. Most thieves expect to ride off on the bike they steal. Until thieves tote spare wheels as standard equipment, disabling your bike by carrying your wheel will be a helpful deterrent. The most popular lock among messengers today is a hardened steel chain with a heavy duty padlock. Several variations are available.