What are the chances of my bike getting stolen?

I have a 1976 Schwinn Suburban that I bought purposely for college. It’s old and rusty, but works great and was very inexpensive. I really like the vintage style of it, but isn’t worth that much money and originally I didn’t think anyone would be interested in stealing it because of the rust and age, but to me it looks really cool and has a lot of character, so I’m worried about it because I’ve been reading about beater bikes getting stolen even with a good U lock. I’m planning on going to either UC Irvine, UC Davis, Cal Poly, or maybe UCLA if I’m lucky!

Just get a beefy lock

A U-lock works the best and make sure you attach your bicycle frame with the lock to the bike rack. Not just the wheel since wheels get stolen very easily. The U- lock has saved my sons bike from getting stolen many times.

And register your bike w campus police.

Years ago, my bike got stolen (it wasn’t locked). I pretty much accepted that it was gone for good.Then a few months later I got a call from the police that they recovered my bike and contacted me bcs of the registration number on the bike. I couldn’t believe it.

UCD requires all bikes on campus be registered. You are cited with a ticket if it is not. I am sure most campuses have this requirement =;

I go to UCD. Make sure your bike is securely locked and you’ll be fine. If you only have one lock, get a sturdy U-Lock and make sure to lock both the wheel and the frame to the bike rack, as Gumbymom said. I personally also use a cable lock to lock the wheel not locked with my U-Lock, and made sure to replace the quick release on my seat with a bolt once I got into town. I’m a bit paranoid when it comes to something happening to my bike, though.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

Kryptonite lock for UC Davis (U type).

Absolutely agree with Phantom^^^. Bolt the seat. DD goes to Davis. Don’t forget the splash guard for rain or you will get the freshman stripe.