Locking Bikes up at Stations, how secure is it?

[43021HST]

Quite often I take the bus to Reading Station, which is about 2 to 3 miles from my house, sometimes I cant afford it and have been tempted to cycle to the Station. I have heard some horror stories about bikes being locked up, supposedly securely at Stations which has put me off. But I'm seriously curious about this as, it would be handy not to have to cough up £4 every time I need to get to the station.

I would need to leave my bike at Reading for 8 - 12 hours.

 

[OliverS]

Quite often I take the bus to Reading Station, which is about 2 to 3 miles from my house, sometimes I cant afford it and have been tempted to cycle to the Station. I have heard some horror stories about bikes being locked up, supposedly securely at Stations which has put me off. But I'm seriously curious about this as, it would be handy not to have to cough up £4 every time I need to get to the station.

I would need to leave my bike at Reading for 8 - 12 hours.

Get a crap bike... I have a old ladies bike (complete with very useful basket) which I got from freecycle and I used to leave locked up at Dorking overnight (I work in Dorking). Never had a problem. However years ago I had a saddle stolen from a bike at Colchester, so it isn't just the bike that you have to look out for.

Another trick I have heard of is to wrap an old plastic bag around the seatpost, it makes the bike look crap and hence make it less likely to be stolen.

Finally be aware that if you have quick release wheels you need to lock both wheels.

 

[Yew]

G
Another trick I have heard of is to wrap an old plastic bag around the seatpost, it makes the bike look crap and hence make it less likely to be stolen.

And keeps your seat from getting wet!

 

[tony_mac]

Obviously, you need to plan it in advance - but would plusbus help?
£3 per day, £2 with railcard.

I must admit, the cycle racks at Reading don't look particularly secure, but they are well-used.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/sjp/RDG/plan.html

 

[oversteer]

It all depends on your bike really .. if you have an expensive "brand" bike then a cheapo bike from the local small ads / police auctions would be a wise investment.

Make sure nothing is nickable off it, lights/pump etc.

It's well worth getting a chain to link both front and back wheels via your lock - most bike parking at my local station is a loop on the shed wall that you stick a wheel into, so you'll want to secure the other end too.

Don't forget wet weather gear - waterproofs and overshoes.

 

[142094]

I would have thought most stations would be safe for nikes during the day but seeing someone easily steal a locked up one in broad daylight in a large city recently has made me a bit skeptical.

 

[brianthegiant]

(more or less a repeat of a post I made in Gathurstys thread)

Choose a location which is well lit, covered by reliable CCTV and ideally within the part of the station which is locked overnight if this is possible.
Be sure to get a good lock. As a rule of thumb our security recommend the lock cost should be at least 10% the bike value. Thin locks under a tenner are worthless.
Also either ensure all removable parts are locked (wheels and saddle) or replace the quick release skewers with ones requiring a tool.

For local tips I would strongly encourage you to contact your local cycling campaign, they're generally very knowledgeable about which locations etc are more prone to thefts.
In your case: www.readingcyclecampaign.org.uk

hope this helps, Brian

 

[ex-railwayman]

As well as the excellent suggestions already posted, an old colleague of mine used to cycle to work and after securing his bike, he used to detach his handlebars and let it swing loosely by the side of his bike making it look as though it had been tampered with already, it was never knicked in over the 10 years I knew him. Try and see if you can make your bike look unpinchable if you understand my meaning, removing the seat won't stop culprits these days, but, removing the handlebars has an adverse effect......

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[bAzTNM]

Most of the time, it should be safe all locked up in a busy station. Surely if some scumbag thief is playing around with bolt-cutters somebody would say something?

 

[michael769]

Most of the time, it should be safe all locked up in a busy station. Surely if some scumbag thief is playing around with bolt-cutters somebody would say something?

Or would they offer to help the poor soul whose lock has jammed?

 

[ng1980]

Locking Bikes up at Stations, how secure is it?

Depends on a number of factors, but:

When I lived in southeast London in 2003-2005, for a couple of years I used to keep my bike near my flat unlocked (outside in an unsecured public area) and never was it stolen or vandalised.

... until I rode it and locked it up at the train station when I was running late one day. Someone tried to nick it by forcing the D lock, but all they did was damage it. The D lock was so badly damaged so I couldn't unlock it, and various parts had been taken off. For the next 6-9 months, I kept looking so see what was the next part taken or the next bit to be vandalised, until eventually the whole thing dissappeared!

It was only a cheap bike, never mind! And I did find it amusing to spot the latest part to be stolen or vandalised whenever I was at the station!

 

[142094]

Most of the time, it should be safe all locked up in a busy station. Surely if some scumbag thief is playing around with bolt-cutters somebody would say something?

In the example I was referring to I did just that and shouted at the person - he then walked to a bike across the road and stole that one instead.

 

[bAzTNM]

Went to Bowling today in Scotland from Bellgrove Station in Scotland. Had to park my cycle at Bellgrove, I wish I hadn't now due to the fact some clown had stuck a tack in the front wheel by the time I came back. Watch out if you park it at Bellgrove in Glasgow, Scotland.

 

[Ferret]

Quite often I take the bus to Reading Station, which is about 2 to 3 miles from my house, sometimes I cant afford it and have been tempted to cycle to the Station. I have heard some horror stories about bikes being locked up, supposedly securely at Stations which has put me off. But I'm seriously curious about this as, it would be handy not to have to cough up £4 every time I need to get to the station.

I would need to leave my bike at Reading for 8 - 12 hours.

There'll always be a risk of some swine pinching it. I did hear a tale of a poor lad chaining his bike to a wooden post near Melton Mowbray on a day when the 20s ran only for somebody to remove the post from the ground and scarper with the bike! If it's not nailed down.........

 

[radamfi]

In the Netherlands they have manned secure cycle parking at most main stations open from first to last train, charged around £1 a day or you can get a season ticket for about £90 a year.

http://www.ns.nl/reizigers/reisinfo...bromfiets-stallen-op-het-station-wat-kost-dat

 

[WestCoast]

In the Netherlands they have manned secure cycle parking at most main stations open from first to last train, charged around £1 a day or you can get a season ticket for about £90 a year.

http://www.ns.nl/reizigers/reisinfo...bromfiets-stallen-op-het-station-wat-kost-dat

May I refer you to Leeds Station CyclePoint, a concept brought over to the UK by Abellio/NS as part of the Northern franchise.

 

[radamfi]

Southern have opened or are about to open a bike shed in Haywards Heath which looks like a similar concept.