(Part 3) Top products from r/astoria

Not exactly an answer to your question, but I ordered this shaved ice machine from amazon yesterday and got it in today, and I have to say it's pretty amazing. It makes very fluffy shaved ice and it's incredibly refreshing. I definitely recommend this for future heat waves.

Don't lock your bike up outside over night.

If you absolutely have to make sure to use what's called an "insurance lock" in the EU. A lock from Medeco or ABUS that's meant for this sort of application will work, such as this or this lock. They can't easily be cut, can not be shimmed at all, and the people who are capable of picking a disc detainer or dual-axis cylinder aren't the type of people who are stealing bikes.

A lock is only as good as the chain it's binding. You want at a minimum what's called "Grade 70" chain, or the "Transport chain" in trucking. You'll want a couple feet of it at a 5/8" square link thickness, the one I linked is round and just an example of the grade you want. It's the alloy used to tie down loads to trucks. It's a high carbon alloy with a yellow zinc coating to make it easily recognizable to state troopers on the highway. When thiefs see that coating they move on to the next bike because they know their small manual bolt cutters are useless unless they're The Hulk... or cool with potentially bleeding out on the pavement. With that said, there are some crazy and crazy strong people out there who can get through even harder alloys than that with big enough bolt cutters. That's why you want to keep your chain short, tight and high. This way it's harder to rest the cutters on the ground and balance/leverage it under your foot. Don't buy your chain from a sporting goods store; more than likely those generic chains are not rated. Never use a cable chain to secure your bike, the ones with the plastic coating. With carbide hacksaw blade I can rip through one of those in seconds.

A chain is only as good as how you have it secured to your bike. Make sure you're wrapping it around the down-tube of your bike. Never the head tube, top tube, seat stays or chain stays. Also wrap it through the front wheel as well. Anyone can easily take your front wheel by undoing the front hub's quick release by hand. If it's held on with a threaded pin anyone can take it off with a simple wrench too. As I said before, short, tight & high.

How you secure your chain is only as good as what you're securing it to. If the post has an open top, like a parking reg sign, the bike can just be lifted over. Make sure what you're tying it to is securely lagged in to the ground and has a closed loop. If it's under a street light that's even better - but not to a street light. Never underestimate a thief's gangster in this town.

A few bits of advice:

1. Don't lock it outside overnight. Keep it in your apartment.
   
2. Buy used. I don't know where the hell you can find a bike of any quality for $15, but you can get some for less than $100. Look on Craigslist, beware scammers, and please don't buy a bike from a bike thief.
   
3. Get a decent U-lock. This one is pretty good. Use the included cable to loop around your front wheel. The cable is a bit short, but it's long enough to get the wheel. Unfortunately it is NOT long enough to get both the wheel and seatpost, at least not on my bike. If you're worried about that, get a 7' cable instead. All locks are breakable, of course, but a decent U-lock will thwart casual thieves and encourage the pros to move on to the next bike that's less secured.
   
4. Don't ride drunk. Combined with #1, that means don't ride it anywhere if you plan on drinking.
   
   I've been riding an old mountain bike I got for $70 off Craigslist for a few years. It looks its age but it rides like a champ. Yes, it's silly that my locks cost nearly as much as my bike, but I don't care. I'm a little paranoid.

Yeah I really like it, it's single speed though (but not fixed gear) which may turn some people off. But it's easier to take care of myself than a geared bike is.

In most cases you'll be fine leaving it outside during the day for a few hours. If you have lights, you'll probably want to get in the habit of taking them with you though when you lock it up.

When you do lock up, you're gonna want one of these Kryptonite locks to lock the frame to the post and the bendy chain thing to wrap around the wheel and the U-lock. You could also get these Pinhead locks to lock your tires in a set it and forget it sort of way. You can get these at most bike shops.

I don't know anything about bike alarms. The key to not getting your bike stolen is don't be lazy about it.

SABRE Pepper Spray - Advanced 3-In-1 Police Strength - Compact, Black Case & Quick Release Key Ring (Max Protection - 25 shots, up to 5x's more) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CMZYQQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_bTOYCR2ATv2mO

It's all fun and games until the Possum come a knockin' on the door.

I use this chalk. It works great. It has a fragrance though which might bother some people.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVUAGU/

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-Combination-Portable-5422D/dp/B00BOSMLGS/ref=asc_df_B00BOSMLGS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194861420852&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7015737066056710308&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9067609&hvtargid=pla-314066281842&psc=1