Securing bikes when bikepacking/wild camping

Lock it or tie it to a tent pole. At least you'll know if someone's trying to nick it!

Depends on the location - out in the wilds I don't bother. ON campsites its a cable lock and padlock - and often tie one of the very thin guy ropes to the bike

Cable lock it to a handcuff attached around your ankle?

1.5m x 6mm cable with hard eyes at each end that might have come with a laptop. Takes a medium sized padlock and can be wrapped through the frame/wheel and around whatever fixed object is to hand, whether that be a lamppost for nipping into a shop or, indeed, my ankle. Secondary motion sensitive alarm padlock has also been deployed on occasion.

Solve this problem by buying one of those tents that use your wheels for the poles 😉

If I'm wild camping up a mountain / big hill - I normally just leave it.

Campsite, depends - if I'm planning on leaving it, I take D-lock, with a cable and ground anchors (screw two in to ground and use d lock to prevent movement, cable to secure bikes).

If the campsite is just a place to sleep, and I'm off in the morning - light cable lock

Wild camping - if I'd be worried about bike theft somewhere I wouldn't want to wild camp there.

Campsites - there's usually a fencepost or something ok to lock your bike to. Or just pop the wheels off and lock them to the bike in such a way it would be a pain to carry.

Knog Scout. Great bit of kit ( if you are an iPhone user)

I've got a Hiplok Cmobination lock that is really lightweight and small; wouldn't trust it for anthing more than a quick shop trip but its a visual deterrant at least. Aside from that i bring my front axle into the tent with me.

Movement sensitive alarm lock?
Got a disc one on my motorbike. Very loud.

None of the bikepackers/tourers at the site we were at last week at Loch Lomond locked their bikes.

I am not sure i will sleep well if i sont KNOW that my bike is secure

First you will never know, only believe.

Just get a cheap light cable lock to stop an opportunistic thief if at a campsite (what kind of sites are you staying at?) And if wild camping you don't need to worry

FYI

We’re going to France and want to be leaving bikes sometimes ,so I’ve decided to use the straps that we used to lock em to the motorhome - they’re long, lockable tie downs, with metal wire insert, long enough to do two bikes thru both wheels and they’re not that heavy.

See kanulock straps (*other makes available)

https://kanulock.eu/pages/kanulock-lockable-tie-downs

If yoyre interested I can weigh the one I have

If its not to far away, can you drop off your lock and stash it and pick it up at a later date?

None of this is really relevant to your situation, bur when we are camping in France I take the following precautions with an ebike and 4 mtbs:

They are kept out of sight inside a trailer. The trailer is locked to a tree (immovable object) with a Sold Secure Gold lock. I have Sold Secure Gold rated chain that is looped around the trailer axle and threaded inside the trailer. The bikes are locked up to the axle chain with an additional 2 chains and associated locks (all Sold Secure Gold rated). I have an another 100+dB wire alarm that is routed through everything, and hangs, with LEDs flashing, inside the trailer.

So far, so good. The total weight, not including the trailer, could well be 20kg. I see fancy bikes locked to a fence with a combination lock, or not even locked. Sadly, I hope thieves are lazy and go for the low hanging fruit. If not, I hope the insurance company will be happy.

None of the bikepackers/tourers at the site we were at last week at Loch Lomond locked their bikes.

Jeepers!  I would have my good lock there

Cheers,

I live near dartmoor, so it is very popular for wild camping. I have been out for evening/night rides before, and popular bits (like sheepstor) can sometimes look a bit like a campsite!!

I like the sound of an ultrasonic alarm. Will look at them. I had thought of a slim, small cable lock to fix to tent. Need to find some options now

In the past on long trips I used a 2m length of stainless rigging cable, very very thin with an eye at each end, and a small padlock. It weighs very little but is great for threading through various bits of kit, jackets, helmet etc. Surprisingly hard to cut without proper robbing tools

I think it came from a boat Chandler, was cheap.

As above, small cable lock does the job.
I have also tucked the front of bike (handlebars and wheel) into my tent porch. It would zip/make a noise to get it out.
Proper wild camping = fling it somewhere nearby as no-one is there anyway.

If you use a cable lock and padlock a I do in low risk situations you can make it harder to steal by putting the padlock thru the chainring as well as the eyes in the cable - this means that a simple cut of the cable they cannot just ride off - they have to break or open the padlock as well.

Remove your axle?

Like TJ said - they key is making it a proper ball ache.

If it only takes you a few seconds to lock it, its not properly locked. You need to do things like bike upside down, wheels removed, chain off, bikes locked together etc etc...

Whilst touring I once asked a neighbour who was balling all night in a campsite to be quieter - real weaned calf stuff.   Next morning all but a few of my pegs had gone. I must have got some sleep and did not notice.  Bike was unaffected but the pegging around the bike idea may not work.

Panic!

Add a bit of string and tie it to the bike. Tie the alarm to something in the tent.

Sorted

For my recent Ireland  cycle camping tour I got  a  movement detecting bike alarm  with a siren from Amazon.

This was because some friends got their bike stolen ona campsite near Edinburgh in may with their locks being cut whilst they slept.

If i was a iPhone user I would have got the Knong Scout alarm.

'The pegging around the bike idea may not work'. Wild camping indeed. 😀

Chain it to your nipple rings.

Wild camping – if I’d be worried about bike theft somewhere I wouldn’t want to wild camp there.

Very much this. I only lock them if I use a campsite.

I usually bike pack with a friend and we both have a hip lock that fits together to make a bigger lock and we lock them together.

I then (if I can be bothered) tie a guide rope to the bike on the basis a thief won't see if and when they pull it they will move the tent.

But to be honest if someone is stealing my bike do I want to stop them? Hopefully noise will scare them away but thieves carry knives or screw drivers and it's just not worth it.

Best tip I was given is just try and make your bikepacking bike look as crap as possible. Scratched, covered in tape or inner tube.

Mine is dependable cheap 10 speed deore. Not xtr or di2!