Bike Security whilst camping

[honesty]

The one time Ive been cycle camping I took an old and heavy (5kg!) 3 man tent that let me put my bike in the porch. This made me feel that my bike was safe. I am going camping in 2 weeks time and need a new tent. I was looking to take the weight penalty hit again and get another with a big enough porch to safely stash my bike whilst sleeping.

Am I being paranoid?

How do you secure your bike whilst camping? I'm only taking an Abus cable lock rather than a heavy D lock.

[Vorpal]

I lock my bike up, if possible. A D lock must have a lower weight penalty than the big tent porch? Of course the porch does have the advantage of keeping the bike under cover, as well.

The last few times I've been camping, it's been a family affair, so we'd never have gotten everything under cover. We just locked the bikes and trailer altogether.

[simonhill]

More information, might help.

Camping where? Type of site/wild? etc, etc?

[tatanab]

A cable lock through the frame and the captive end of one of my tent poles. Any disturbance would wake me - I hope. I've been cycle camping for 20 years and that is all I've done, other than locking to a tree etc instead of the tent using the same cable lock. Almost all of my camping is on small rural sites in France, so I would not anticipate a problem. If I used a site where you might expect ne'er do wells to be around, then at a very uncomfortable pinch I could get it inside the tent with me.

[northernrebel]

I carry a D lock & long cable then attach the bikes to the nearest tree/fence/sign - the cable is long enough to go round a reasonable size tree if needed. Most campsites don't feel like high risk areas, so I'm happy with leaving the bikes like this. We have a cheap & cheerful bike cover from a pound shop to stick over them - this can also double as a groundsheet for the porch - it's pretty light & flimsy & is ready for replacement after a 2 week tour, but keeps the bikes protected if it rains.

[honesty]

More information, might help.

Camping where? Type of site/wild? etc, etc?

Small campsites along the Pennine cycleway between 10 to 15 pitches. Got me thinking though I need to check my insurance to see what's covered.

[honesty]

Sort of answered my own question. Having checked with the underwriters of my home insurance policy my bike is only covered if locked to a stationary object. Locked and in a tent (or even locked to a tent) is not considered to fulfil this requirement. So my insurance would not cover if it were nicked from the tent anyway, so I'm buying the lighter tent with the smaller porch!

[trilathon]

i can recall on my first tours, pitching the tent with the bicycle enveloped by the porch of a tiny tent and some guys cunningly wrapped through the frame and pegged out... a sort of spiders web trap door approach. Quite what I was thinking I don't know as often I was in the middle of nowhere in Spain/France the high Pyrenees.

In 20 years of touring in Europe I've never had any problems ( except for a fox in Edinburgh that ran off with my shoe at 4 am ! ) or resorted to such measures again, but then I'm usually in low population density inaccessible rural places. I've camped in many major cities in Europe without a problem though the cycle is always locked with a few 5 euro kids locks.

If I'm visiting a museum or something I make sure I arrive early in the morning before most folk are about or I ask a security/official chap for help/ advice. ( often people help me out )

Only once have I heard of a bicycle tourist being targeted and everything stolen whilst on tour and the chap had left it unlocked outside in central Amsterdam, no doubt a little intoxicated by the...erm heady 'sights.'

[Tangled Metal]

We're off to Netherlands so wondering what locks to take. We usually lock bikes together with a cable lock if in rural area in small, family sites. Might lock against a fence but let's be honest if the bike is worth nicking you'd nip through a chain link fence a bit too readily to make it worthwhile locking them.

A lot of our trips, lakes, peak district, Cornwall/Devon, Wales, Scotland, etc., we don't even lock them up. I've yet to get one nicked. Unfortunately! Stolen bike is currently the only way I can get a new bike purchase past the CFO!

[Psamathe]

No idea if it works or is sensible but I read somewhere "Fishing Line". Virtually invisible (at night anyway), pretty strong so tie to bike e.g. bottom of wheel and wrap other end round e.g. pillow and anybody making off with your bike will also try and take e.g. you pillow attached, which should wake most people up pretty quickly and cause thief to pause and wonder what is going on, maybe yank a few times (making completely sure you are awake) ...

Probably something makes it a bad idea and I've no experience of this but thought it an interesting idea.

Ian

[mercalia]

also what do people do at the York Festival in a weeks time? The pictures I have seen show an open field with nothing to lock your bike to. I would have thought if there are any bike thieves around this would be a good time to come?

[Paulatic]

Good question Mercalia, I'm going for the first time myself this year and was just pondering the very same question.

[Heltor Chasca]

I favour pitching next to a tree or fence post. Two locks: one 1.8m (I think) Abus cable lock which I 'tangle' the bike and wheels up. It's not fool proof, but a thief would need to make some serious racket to get the bike. I also leave the panniers on which are attached with little wire loops. I just want to make the bike look heavy and unwieldy. A thief wants a quick nick which is usually a mountain bike leant up against another camper's car. Sacrificial fodder.

I look forward to hearing about your trip.

[sabrutat]

The advantage of touring with a trailer is being able to unhook it and lock everything together with a 7' cable lock, making the entire rig incredibly unwieldy. It isn't going anywhere without a huge racket.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
If your not in a camp site, then I take the front wheel off and put it in the tent, between the fly and inner in a plastic bag.
Helps if your miles from a road, which I normally am, fancy carrying a bike with no front wheel.