I agree with Christian’s general message.
If the young man does end up taking the bike to college, make sure he locks it properly and redundantly.
Whenever I lock a Rivendell to a rack, I lock the heck out of it. I’m talking three U locks and a thick cable lock. It’s a pain, you have to find the right kind of rack to accommodate all the locks, and it means carrying an extra weight. The additional few seconds a thief would have to spend dealing with the locks might be enough deterrent.
Yes to Pitlocks, too. With a couple of extra keys.
There are no guarantees, even with the crazy number of locks I use. I’m not sure how else to integrate the bikes into daily life, though.
I had a bike stolen from my front lawn when I was a kid, and another one in college. It’s a horrible feeling no matter how cheap or fancy the bike is. The college experience taught me that you have to make it onerous for a thief, and you can’t ever be lax about it.
Also, be sure to insure the bike! As a college student his property might still be covered under his parents’ homeowners policy. My college bike was. Best to check to make sure.
Jim
On Aug 7, 2023, at 18:09, christian poppell <smov...@gmail.com> wrote:
TL;DR - I disagree... Clem College Cruiser FTW!
- Properly lock it up with multiple locks to a secure rack
- don't leave it in one spot outside more than a day, less if the spot sees high traffic
- Revert it to stock/cheap(but cheerful) configuration
- make it uGly to thieves, duct tape, spray paint (over the duct tape), stickers, used parts.
- understand the responsibility of caring for a bike on campus and the possibility that despite your sons best effort, it still could get stolen
- If the thought of losing this specifc clem is too much, get a used or new Clem that you don't have an emotional attachment to
Hey Leah, I'll be a voice of dissent, I rode a precious to me bicycle through college (Gainesville, FL), locking it up both outside at a dorm room. on errands to the store, and outside the architecture building where I spent most of my time. Later, it spent time locked up outside the Ashby BART station in Berkeley while it was at work. Most of the bike theft that happened on campus was due to bicycles being left in one spot too long. A thief will grab a wheel or a saddle and from there, the bike begins losing parts left and right, like a dead whale at the bottom of the ocean. The other thefts that happened were due to poor locks or incorrect locking. I think if the Clem were dressed down to less expensive parts and became less pretty it could work. Pitlocks, ball bearings glued into allen heads, and hose clamps all make great deterrents as does tape, stickers, and other adornments (helps save the paint too). Multiple quality U locks properly used should be enough deterrent to a casual thief. The question to your son would be if that kind of responsibility is something he is up for? One of the great things about going away to school is being immersed in the culture and having the flexibility to do new things with new people. Worrying about your bike being stolen can put a damper on those experiences. At the end of the day, if someone recognises the bike and wants to take it they will; even quality locks are easy to cut with the right tools. The good news is that the giant Clem is a very "cool" bike to most people. One additional solution is to get a pre owned or new Clem that you have less history with, won't sting as much if it does get nicked. Grant and Co. designed the Clem to be a bike one could do everything on and not be precious about. There's a metaphor here about loving something and letting it go and the freedom that comes when we separate ourselves from the items that we own but this is getting long. Christian Phoenix, AZ PS: The only things that happened to the bike while outside was people putting garbage in my basket (cups, wrappers) and someone unraveled half my bar tape which was fine because it was time for new tape anyway. On Monday, August 7, 2023 at 2:53:46 PM UTC-7 pi...@gmail.com wrote:
I went to college at Cal Berkeley. My first bike in the USA, a $50 walmart special, got stolen my first year while I was attending a lecture at Warren Hall. After that pain, I never had a bike stolen again, since I learned to lock the bike properly and bring it into my house/apartment overnight. I submit that the Clem should be the second bike your son rides in college.
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