<p>The only solution I know of is to buy a bike that is so obviously cheap that thieves won't bother stealing it. My son has had a piece-of-junk bike at college for a year now, and nobody has touched it.</p>
<p>A good bike is way more likely to be stolen than a cheap one. And one that's locked has a better chance of not being stolen. However, my D's cheap ugly bike was stolen (while locked) after two years of being just fine--and her 'new' Craigslist bike is fine after the next year. Just don't spend a lot of money unless you're going to stay with the bike at all times.</p>
<p>At UC Davis (Davis = Biketown, USA) I bought a nice, mid-price 10-speed and then proceeded to de-sexy it by adding clunky plastic fenders, tacky handle bar tape that soon hung in tatters, etc. In four years of grad school nobody ever touched it. And the fenders were also nice for keeping the mud stripe off my back when it rained.</p>
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you might also want to read this article about picking a bike lock with a bic pen
<a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...tml?source=rss%5B/url%5D%5B/QUOTe%5DI">http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...tml?source=rss
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I</a> was waiting for someone to post this. I tried it out on my Kryponite lock that was supposedly unbeatable and got it open in a few seconds. </p>
<p>Some google searching will give you some good tips for locking up a bike and making it too much of a pain to get. </p>
<p>Also ask around for when the police do their property auction. Plenty of stolen bikes wind up at those.</p>
<p>dt123, instead of stolen, I'd say it was borrowed! ;-)</p>
<p>dt123, I had a bike like that in college, too, although I did lock it. It was stolen after about 3 years, but I found it back in place a few days later with a flat tire. At least they were considerate enough to return it.</p>
<p>My son's good mountain bike was stolen his FIRST DAY of freshman year! He accidentally locked the front wheel to the bike rack, and, as a good mtn bike, it was a front release bike (ie the wheel is easily removed). So, when he came out the next morning, the wheel was all that was left...
He bought a cheapie bike from Target. That lasted most of the year but was stolen in the spring. Also locked up (correctly). So, no more bike purchases. </p>
<p>Yes, if you can, have the frame engraved with an ID # (if the bike doesnt already have a registration #) and write it down. As was mentioned above, some schools hold engraving/registration days held by the campus police. If so, DO IT. If we had an ID # we could have tracked his bike down at a pawn shop. Those great pawn shop bikes that hsmomstef speaks of are probably bikes stolen from other students.</p>
<p>My S had two bikes stolen while he was at Harvard -- one near the dorms. Since that was relatively new and purchased with American Express, he was able to replace it. Second one was stolen from Somerville porch of a friend's.
After that, he used craigslist to buy a bike. Don't take a new or good bike to school is what he learned.</p>
<p>This is soo sad to me that people are stealing bikes of all things.</p>
<p>I had a bike stolen when I was (a majorly part time) Community College student in Miami and I cried and cried because it was basically like the closest thing I had to a car at the time. </p>
<p>One thing I have learned is that you do not have to necessarily get a chain and lock meant for a bicycle. Just a little FYI, if your child does not mind, get a big junkyard dog caliber type of chain with a big Brinks lock meant for locking up fences and trailer hitches and whathaveyou. No one will even think of stealing a bike locked up like that.</p>
<p>brand new fancy bike stolen from my dad from a locked shed in our backyard the day after it was brought home. bikes get stolen, esp. because it provides the getaway vehicle right there. a used bike is a good idea</p>
<p>Cheap bikes get stolen too. It's a pain getting one replaced that you like, especially if you are used to the one you had. S's campus is perfect for bike riding, dorm to classes. But according to the campus police, the theft rate is high, and it includes the cheap bikes. S's cheapie was stolen, had no time to replace it, campus is outlying from any shops, and then trying to find another cheapie that felt right did not go well. Did he learn from that? Nope. Brought a good bike to campus this year and I am just waiting for it to be stolen. He does have a big lock and chain on it like Merlinjones was suggesting. We'll see if this works.</p>