Locking Bikes in Dublin

littlejp

Wasn't sure to post here or the Dublin forum but how safe is it to lock a nice new bike in the city centre.
I recently moved up and just got a new bike and am concerned about locking it outside.
Even with two locks some arsehole coould still decide to kick it.

Any experiences with having bikes robbed or vandalised? Are there any "safer" places to leave it or anywhere to avoid?

gzoladz

It is unsafe. The city centre is full of scumbags who will just ruin your bike.
If we were talking about Amsterdam, I'd say use not 2 but 4 good locks and you will be ok. But the knackers here will just destroy your bike if they can't steal it.
What I do is, just use my good bike when I know there will be a safe place to leave it. And I own also a crappy old bike when I go to town. Luckily never an issue, but I wouldn't care as it is a €50 bike.

Rob_l

not very safe at all OP a friend of mine lives beside a luas stop and daily bikes are stolen in front of people

Ghost Rider

Lock it outside one of the Garda stations e.g. the Bridewell, Store Street, Pearse Street. I bet no-one will try to rob it there.

Otherwise, conventional wisdom is that the best places to lock are the most visible. And whatever you can do to slow down a thief will help deter them e.g. use multiple, different-style locks; take your saddle with you; remove a pedal; remove a wheel; and so forth.

Locking it near a badly locked bike may mean a thief will go for that bike rather than yours; may seem callous but it could work.

littlejp wrote: »

Wasn't sure to post here or the Dublin forum but how safe is it to lock a nice new bike in the city centre.
I recently moved up and just got a new bike and am concerned about locking it outside.
Even with two locks some arsehole coould still decide to kick it.

Any experiences with having bikes robbed or vandalised? Are there any "safer" places to leave it or anywhere to avoid?

littlejp

cheers dudes. Luckily work has a really secure bike shelter. Don't think I'd be too comfortable locking it across from Cineworld. Outside Garda Stations is a pretty good idea. Couple of safe bike-parks would be sweet.

fish-head

Locking it is definitely better than not locking it, though unfortunately both can have the same result.

neilled

littlejp wrote: »

Wasn't sure to post here or the Dublin forum but how safe is it to lock a nice new bike in the city centre.
I recently moved up and just got a new bike and am concerned about locking it outside.
Even with two locks some arsehole coould still decide to kick it.

Any experiences with having bikes robbed or vandalised? Are there any "safer" places to leave it or anywhere to avoid?

Nowhere is safe. I had my trek vandalised when an attempt to steal it failed. Beware - anto and deco or anything ending in "o" are around and are prone to acts or ramdom violence against inanimate objects. It was secured with a Abus Granite X Plus D Lock and a Kryptoflex cable.

Outside garda stations seems to be logical enough although i've still spotted a few vandalised ones from time to time outside them. Best bet is to leave the bike in a secured parking location if at all possible.

Also you could use one of the following

1. Dawson Street Car Park (€15 euro for a key, daily access free)
2. Temple Bar Car Park (24 hr)
3. IFSC Car Park
4. Brown Thomas Car Park.

all have racks for 20 bikes.

littlejp

neilled wrote: »

1. Dawson Street Car Park (€15 euro for a key, daily access free)
2. Temple Bar Car Park (24 hr)
3. IFSC Car Park
4. Brown Thomas Car Park.

all have racks for 20 bikes.

good to know. Does the Temple Bar Car Park charge? Where is it exactly?

Ghost Rider

I never knew that. Good info. Cheers.

neilled wrote: »

Also you could use one of the following

1. Dawson Street Car Park (€15 euro for a key, daily access free)
2. Temple Bar Car Park (24 hr)
3. IFSC Car Park
4. Brown Thomas Car Park.

all have racks for 20 bikes.

neilled

none of the places i've listed charge, although the first one is a cage system, so if you don't have a key you need to go and request accesss every day. Getting the Key for €15 seems like a good idea. As i said all others are free of charge but some have limited opening times, cutting off at 12 at night.

blorg

The best thing to do in my experience is to have two bikes, a good bike and a cheap secondary that you don't really mind so much about. I did this in 2002-03 or so after having four Trek hybrids stolen in the space of two years. Have not had a problem since, with either good or secondary bikes.

Of course this is not an ideal plan if you are 15km away from the centre and bought your nice new bike for a more enjoyable commute. In that case I'd say indoor storage is the best bet.

Victor

littlejp wrote: »

good to know. Does the Temple Bar Car Park charge? Where is it exactly?

Over the Thunder Road Café.

littlejp

Victor wrote: »

Over the Thunder Road Café.

Thanks. Definitely gonna check that out.