I'm currently at Oak Park Mall waiting for my friends to arrive. There are a lot of annoying and/or bad things here.
* This place is crawling with emo kids.
* Malls are just evil.
* The whole mall is a "No Skateboarding, Rollerblading or Bicycling" zone.
* Bike theft is probably more prone here than in the secure garage at work.
I have no legal way to remedy the first two problems, so I'll tolerate them for now.
I know the "No Bicycling" thing is meant to keep the "gnarly dudes" at bay, and that I'd probably be able to talk my way out of any trouble with the rent-a-cops here, since this is my primary vehicle.
On with the big problem. Locking up in a somewhat hostile environment.
Tactic:
1) Take the front wheel off and set it next to the rear wheel.
2) Thread Ye Big olde ghetto tube-wrapped chain and lock through the main triangle, rear triangle and spokes of both wheels, then around a stationary object such as a natural gas pipe.
3) Thread cheapish cable lock through the wheels and frame, and around another stationary object.
4) Thread a really cheap thin cable lock through the rear rack, seat rails, and bottle cages.
I'm pretty sure my bike will be there when I go back outside.
Friday, July 06, 2007
How does a security guy lock up?
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9 comments:
The pack of cigarettes is a nice touch in the last photo. I don't see what stationary object you have it chained to, though.
The "gas pipe" suggestion gives me an idea for a post to CommuteByBike -- Guerrilla Bicycle Parking for when bike racks aren't available. I'll have to take photos for this one. I usually use handicap parking signs. With U locks, parking meters also work well where available.
You can see the gas pipes sticking out of the ground (really low and weird shaped) in this photo of my war-riding wireless rig. OR, thank goodness for 5+ megapixels in my cheapo camera, I was able to zoom in on the gas pipes in the first photo.
Tough neighborhood. You could probably slip the security guard a fiver to watch your bike.
I guess I would prefer to park my bike inside if it was possible.
Hope these people don't get angry when they can´t steal your bike. :-)
Last time I went to this event, I brought my road bike into the Mall's food court, and I was given the impression that it wasn't welcome, although I wasn't specifically asked to leave.
It is somewhat hard to enforce the "no bicycles" rule when there's a guy kickin' it in the food court with a shiny new road bike, though. This location is well hidden.
Forgive my rural lived in Maine too long mentality, but what the Hell is an "emo" kid?
From the looks of things, you have as many security concerns addressed as possible. Again, my self inflicted exile to the woods of Maine causes me to be suprised that bike security anywhere has come down to using as many locks as you can carry. When I attended college in Baltimore in the early 70's, my only transportation was my bike. I never locked it. It was never stolen. That was then. This is now.
Maybe I should move my shop to the city. My lock sales would definitely pick up.
Haha... Emo is a genre of music that kind of borrows some elements of punk, but then adds an unhealthy dose of Emotion - Emo. The emotions most commonly expressed are Depression, Angst, and broken-heartedness. In other words, it's usually pretty whiny.
The most zealous followers of this style of music -- are not surprisingly -- whiny, for the most part. They also have a unique sense of fashion that's easy to spot.
Aha! I get it now. Morrisey might be considered one of their idols? Or is he now just another old fart has been?
You nailed it! In fact, many people blame him for Emo, or call him the father of Emo, depending on which side of the fence you hail from.
I blame him. :P
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