UKC

I’ve been mulling over how to integrate road biking with car camping.  For instance - drive to Langdale (or similar), camp for a couple of nights and get a couple of road rides in.  But there’s the challenge of how I keep my bike secure when I’m not using it, or not at the tent.  

My tent has a porch that is large enough for the bike and so it my car.  But leaving it in either seems incredibly risky.  I appreciate things are different if there is more than one of you.

Does anyone else out there do similar and do you have a way of stopping your bike getting nicked?

In reply to afx22:

If you have a car surely the simple answer is - in the car? I took my bike to France camping with me earlier this summer. If it wasn't being ridden, it was in the car. Take both the wheels out and bikes aren't very big. 

In reply to afx22:

I have a top box that fits a bike, when the front wheel is removed. The bike is then out of site and the box is lockable. Now that I have a van you can have the top box for free if you drive to Matlock to collect it. Let me know..... Jeff 

In reply to afx22:

Bike camping aka touring and leave the car behind.

In reply to afx22:

I have left my bike in my car (covered if possible), and in the tent when camping loads and so far have yet to get it nicked (I have had a bike nicked from my house and locked in urban areas several times so am no stranger to bike crime). Taking the wheels off and locking all together with a big D lock helps alleviate the worry a bit. Obviously depends on the area a bit, I certainly would think twice in parts of the Peak say, but Lakes/north Wales I wouldn't worry.

In reply to TobyA:

Maybe.  I was assuming I’d be super nervous if I popped the pub, went for a shower or so on.  I was trying get a feel for how much of a risk there is.  If lots of people do it and have never had an issue, then maybe it’s not such a big deal.

In reply to Jeff Ingman:

I really appreciate the offer.  The roof box thing had crossed my mind but storage space back at home is minimal to nil.

In reply to Brass Nipples:

There’s part of me that would love to get into that but it would mean a new bike, bags and so on.  I’m keen to use what I already have.

In reply to ebdon:

I was wondering if a massive lock and a cover would do the job.  Would leaving the bike and lock visible encourage or discourage potential thieves, I wonder?

In reply to afx22:

Keep the bike in your car, and get a good lock that's gold secure rating at least. Then make sure it's covered and if you can lock it to some part of that car if that's possible. I wouldn't have it in the porch of your tent. Enjoy the trip. 

In reply to afx22:

Inside the car is about as secure as it gets.  Generally campsites on the Lake District are in areas of pretty low crime anyway, so it's probably more secure there than in your shed or garage at home.

In reply to afx22:

Hopefully could keep the lock and bike covered. But as long as it's a decent lock and you could possibly lock it some part of your car you should be ok. Alternatively the camp site may have some kind of locked area you could put it in.

In reply to afx22:

One last thing ha, I recommend bike insurance, not just for the trip but in general. 

In reply to afx22:

In the car is the obvious answer.

My last couple of cars, I could get a bike in the boot (taking the wheels and seat post off) and not have to put the seats down, so no clue it was there. Current car, I need to put 1 seat down to get the forks in, but it's got tinted rear windows, so a dark rug over it helps hide it.

Failing that, just take a couple of large locks and chain to something solid - car wheel is good, or a handy tree.

In reply to afx22:

I'd lock in the car, preferably in the boot, but in summer bracken grows dense and tall and I sometimes just stash my bike in amongst or in woodland away from paths etc.

In reply to afx22:

You're overthinking this - leave it in your car. Cover it with something if it makes you feel better, or even lock it to one of the luggage loops/isofix mounts in your car if that helps you feel better. Also possible to reverse up to something solid like a wall or a tree, and make it impossible to get the bike out of the boot - pretty sure it won't fit through any of the windows or doors anyway. 

In reply to ianstevens:

Agreed. Just lock it in the car or to the car with a decent (not excessive) lock. That'll stop opportunist thieves. If a professional thief armed with bolt-cutters and angle grinder is after it then nothing realistic is going to stop them*. The main thing is use some reasonable security/insurance and then stop worrying about it.

* Also consider what damage the thieves might do to your car to get at the bike. I'd previously thought about  locking a bike to the alloy wheel on my car, but then thought about how easy (and annoying) it would be if they just took the angle grinder to the wheel.

In reply to afx22:

Thanks for all the comments.  It seems the consensus is to keep it in the car.

This is going to sound daft...  I hadn't even considered storing it in the boot with the rear seats up.  I always have the seats down it's normally full of bouldering pads.  When I put the road bike in, it fits without having to take the wheels out.  So the obvious solution is to take the wheels out and stick the seats up - doh!

In reply to afx22:

This is the same problem all campers face when taking something valuable away with them - what to do with it when you're not using it?? Leave it at the campsite where you might not be able to secure it very well or leave it in/on the car and hope your car doesn't get broken into. 

Most of the time I favour the campsite approach, if it looks a secure site. 

I've done loads of cycle touring around the uk and never had a problem leaving a touring bike on a camp site. If possible I'll lock it to something solid or chain everything together so it has to be carried away and put it right next to the tent. I'd probably be more worried with an expensive road bike though. 

In reply to afx22:

Yup. I lock mine to the rear seat locking bar (doesnt fit with seats up) to put off anyone opportunistic. As such I would feel less comfortable doing so at some locations eg close to trail centres where I would have a concern someone might decide to come looking but have camped several places in Lakes/Wales without being worried.

Actually spent last week at the NT site in langdale with my mountain bike. Felt comfortable leaving it unlocked whilst popping in the shop/toilets although it did go in the boot when I went to pub/walk.

In reply to afx22:my bike is insured with the house contents by the bank.  So fully insured if locked in the car or locked to something secure.  Some of the dedicated bike policies were more expensive and had unreasonable requirements, such as it would need to be locked to an immovable object whilst left in a locked house or garage. Also when away, it would only be insured for one 24hr period at a  campsite after which it would need to be moved to another site…🙄