# locking bikes up in the slabs?



## texastraveler (Nov 25, 2019)

anyone know if there's a good place/method of locking a bike up in the slabs? usually i lock the seatpost down, put the front tire next to the rear and lock thru the tires and frame. are there any signs/trees/whatever i can put a U-lock to out there? also i was curious if anyone's had an issue with sand in their chain


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## Deleted member 20 (Nov 25, 2019)

I am a former bike messenger and unsure what style bike and length of ulock. My experience with locking bikes up is that it all depends where and for how long. This is not slab city specific. My fixed gear gets locked through the rear triangle and rear wheel to itself when nothing solid is available. I recognize that SC is a place that had its own culture and vibe. The plus side is that it's a small community and hopefully most neighbors don't shit where they eat and steal from each other. Haven spent time on Island communities I assume some parallels exist. On many islands things are never really stolen. The surplus of free items that get recycled is really high. Rarely items are sold, roadside free piles and dump piles of useful items are plentiful. Things like bikes and even island cars do not get locked. They are communal (based on need) in a sense while being owned by individuals. If an item is like locked than it is strictly off limits! As an island with only access by boat it's hard for anything to really be removed. One uses it and leaves it when done only to be used again and eventually makes it back to it's natural place of majority use. Like the yellow bike program at Burning Man it would be nice if more of this style of cooperation existed but totally get that you do not want your bike ending up in some unscrupulous tweakers possession for his/her next fix. Anything left unattended long enough will eventually probably dissapear.


I think it comes down to the same mentality about where one stashes there pack while traveling. It is always the best available options that presents itself. Often simply hiding in plain sight while staying near your person is the best solution in addition to locking to something solid.


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## texastraveler (Nov 25, 2019)

highwayman said:


> I am a former bike messenger and unsure what style bike and length of ulock. My experience with locking bikes up is that it all depends where and for how long. This is not slab city specific. My fixed gear gets locked through the rear triangle and rear wheel to itself when nothing solid is available. I recognize that SC is a place that had its own culture and vibe. The plus side is that it's a small community and hopefully most neighbors don't shit where they eat and steal from each other. Haven spent time on Island communities I assume some parallels exist. On many islands things are never really stolen. The surplus of free items that get recycled is really high. Rarely items are sold, roadside free piles and dump piles of useful items are plentiful. Things like bikes and even island cars do not get locked. They are communal (based on need) in a sense while being owned by individuals. If an item is like locked than it is strictly off limits! As an island with only access by boat it's hard for anything to really be removed. One uses it and leaves it when done only to be used again and eventually makes it back to it's natural place of majority use. Like the yellow bike program at Burning Man it would be nice if more of this style of cooperation existed but totally get that you do not want your bike ending up in some unscrupulous tweakers possession for his/her next fix. Anything left unattended long enough will eventually probably dissapear.
> 
> 
> I think it comes down to the same mentality about where one stashes there pack while traveling. It is always the best available options that presents itself. Often simply hiding in plain sight while staying near your person is the best solution in addition to locking to something solid.


i've got a schwinn 684 and lock it the same way you do with the exception of i remove the front wheel and lock it to the triangle and rear wheel. i'm not concernes about the long term residents but it'll be peak tourist time. really i'm just wondering if there's a permanent structure that i can lock it to that won't be too far away. i could lock it to the canal fence but that's a bit out of sight


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## croc (Nov 25, 2019)

I severely doubt there is any possible way to lock up ur bike in the slabs without it being at least picked for parts. The tweakers out there are relentless.
Best to keep it with u or at a trusted camp that doesn't get left unattended.


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## texastraveler (Nov 26, 2019)

Juan Derlust said:


> @croc - *relentless tweakers* is kinda redundant, but yeah


turbo tweakers?


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## VikingAdventurer (Nov 26, 2019)

I find it comical that most of the folks commenting on this post about Slabs don't even live here.

Are you planning on abandoning your bike for a week, or just locking it up for a few hours?

If you are only going to be away from it for a few hours, my advice would be to find a camp that your get along with (I know the opinion of The Library is very low on here right now, but there are plenty of other camps), and ask if you can lock it to a post or something inside their camp.


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## croc (Nov 26, 2019)

VikingAdventurer said:


> I find it comical that most of the folks commenting on this post about Slabs don't even live here.
> 
> Are you planning on abandoning your bike for a week, or just locking it up for a few hours?
> 
> If you are only going to be away from it for a few hours, my advice would be to find a camp that your get along with (I know the opinion of The Library is very low on here right now, but there are plenty of other camps), and ask if you can lock it to a post or something inside their camp.


I'm basing my reply on the fact that the library is never left unattended for the specific reason of tweakers stealing shit. Yall have directly told me this.


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## texastraveler (Nov 27, 2019)

VikingAdventurer said:


> I find it comical that most of the folks commenting on this post about Slabs don't even live here.
> 
> Are you planning on abandoning your bike for a week, or just locking it up for a few hours?
> 
> If you are only going to be away from it for a few hours, my advice would be to find a camp that your get along with (I know the opinion of The Library is very low on here right now, but there are plenty of other camps), and ask if you can lock it to a post or something inside their camp.


depends, i plan on staying a while and riding it into palm springs when i need shit, so it'll spend maybe a day or two locked up. i don't know either matt or corn so i'm not interested in all that drama. thanks for the help!


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