Trinity a safe place to lock a bike?

SeteSois · 31-08-2010 11:47PM #1

Title says it all, really: how safe is Trinity as somewhere to lock a bike? There's the security around and it closes overnight (not that I'd be planning to leave a bike there overnight) but still...

The immediate alternative is the pearse street garda station but I reckon that tends to be fairly full.

What are folks' experiences with this?

Craguls · 31-08-2010 11:51PM

SeteSois wrote: »

Title says it all, really: how safe is Trinity as somewhere to lock a bike? There's the security around and it closes overnight (not that I'd be planning to leave a bike there overnight) but still...

The immediate alternative is the pearse street garda station but I reckon that tends to be fairly full.

What are folks' experiences with this?

Are you a student? If so there's a locked bike yard behind botany bay which you can only access with a swipe card. Take the left after the phil and it's in the corner. Should be safe enough there provided you lock it up well.

phlegms · 31-08-2010 11:53PM

I was wondering this myself recently too.
I would say somewhere in front square might be good due to the number of folks constantly walking through there, also seems to be a hotspot for security guards. Equally the bike rack beside the wheelchair ramp outside the Berkeley might be worth a lash as it is in view of a camera and security desk inside the Berkeley itself.

phlegms · 31-08-2010 11:55PM

Craguls wrote: »

Are you a student? If so there's a locked bike yard behind botany bay which you can only access with a swipe card. Take the left after the phil and it's in the corner. Should be safe enough there provided you lock it up well.

Thought this was just a myth, you'll have to give me a tour one day.

Craguls · 01-09-2010 12:43AM

phlegms wrote: »

Thought this was just a myth, you'll have to give me a tour one day.

Only if we can get ice cream afterwords.

ED E · 01-09-2010 02:34AM

Drury Street car park is a good one too. Space for up to 100 bikes and its CCTV monitored and free. 7AM to 12:30AM I think.

Groinshot · 01-09-2010 11:33AM

Or ANY of the bike parks in college. i broke my foot and left my bike outside the hamilton for 2 months, and it was fine. Did you try serching before asking?

t0mm · 01-09-2010 12:26PM

Where you lock your bike is actually a pretty irrelevant question. I once came across a guy sawing his way through a lock on South William Street. Majority of people just walked right passed, when I, and then a Garda, asked him what he was doing he said he'd lost his keys and it was his own bike, the Garda didn't say another word. Just because there are people around does not mean your bike is any better off. Cheap cable locks can be cut with a one handed bolt cutter descretly in seconds. It's way, way worth your while to get a decent U-Lock, one of the Kryptonite Evolution or New York series would be what you're looking for. They're not cheap but shop around and you should be able to pick one up for €50/60, spending any less is a false economy, trust me.

Also it's worthwhile making your bike look as unattractive as possible. Put a plastic bag over the seat when you're not on it, rub dirt and grease on the shiney bits, and what I've always done, put brown package tape on the top and down tubes, leave it for a couple of days then peal it off, it should leave dirty brown marks which will work well as a deterent. Find a nice shiney looking bike, lock your dirty looking one up next to it with a decent lock, which one is a robber gonna nick?

SeteSois · 01-09-2010 04:52PM

t0mm wrote: »

Where you lock your bike is actually a pretty irrelevant question. I once came across a guy sawing his way through a lock on South William Street. Majority of people just walked right passed, when I, and then a Garda, asked him what he was doing he said he'd lost his keys and it was his own bike, the Garda didn't say another word. Just because there are people around does not mean your bike is any better off. Cheap cable locks can be cut with a one handed bolt cutter descretly in seconds. It's way, way worth your while to get a decent U-Lock, one of the Kryptonite Evolution or New York series would be what you're looking for. They're not cheap but shop around and you should be able to pick one up for €50/60, spending any less is a false economy, trust me.

Also it's worthwhile making your bike look as unattractive as possible. Put a plastic bag over the seat when you're not on it, rub dirt and grease on the shiney bits, and what I've always done, put brown package tape on the top and down tubes, leave it for a couple of days then peal it off, it should leave dirty brown marks which will work well as a deterent. Find a nice shiney looking bike, lock your dirty looking one up next to it with a decent lock, which one is a robber gonna nick?

Yep, all this done, had a fun old time applying sparkly pink stickers to my badly spraypainted pieceo****.:D
Have to get a good lock though, using an old motorbike one which weighs as much as the rest of my load.

I had a look around campus and people seem fairly relaxed with parking/locking, which I was unsure was a good or bad sign. Saw a fair few front wheels lying around too, which was certainly a bad sign.

The botany bay one sounds interesting, will have to have a look. Drury lane too.
Anyone used dawson st carpark? From looking around the forums it seems it might be packed out but that'd be a nice spot if it wasn't, 15quid for a key.

t0mm · 01-09-2010 07:40PM

Don't worry about car parks and Botany Bay. Only the entrance to BB on camera, and being secluded will give them more time to work at a cheap lock. I've parked my bike outside the Berkley or top of Dawson street for two years now and it hasn't been stolen. Also remove any quick releases on your wheels/seatpost. These are little levers with a bolt on the other end, you lift the lever and unscrew the bolt, someone could be gone with your wheel or saddle in seconds. Go into any bike shop and they can be replaced easily enough with Allen Key bolts.

theowen · 01-09-2010 07:43PM

Can you stick mopeds in with the bikes?

banshee_bones · 02-09-2010 11:45AM

I know a guy whose bike was stolen from outside museum building and thats fairly close to front square so I dunno how safe it is.

Groinshot · 02-09-2010 12:23PM

PLenty of people have their bikes stol;en from different places every day, there's nowhere secure to leave it really, except in plain sight of yu all day, so just pick a rack with loads of bikes and make sure your front wheel is locked to stop any passer by's taking a notion and it'll PROBABLY be fine.

ED E · 02-09-2010 01:04PM

Remember, no sh1tty aluminium racks. I know UCD have em, dont remember seeing them in Trinity but they may be there. A mini hacksaw is through them in 30 seconds flat and your bike is gone lock and all.

SeteSois · 02-09-2010 08:25PM

t0mm wrote: »

Don't worry about car parks and Botany Bay. Only the entrance to BB on camera, and being secluded will give them more time to work at a cheap lock. I've parked my bike outside the Berkley or top of Dawson street for two years now and it hasn't been stolen. Also remove any quick releases on your wheels/seatpost. These are little levers with a bolt on the other end, you lift the lever and unscrew the bolt, someone could be gone with your wheel or saddle in seconds. Go into any bike shop and they can be replaced easily enough with Allen Key bolts.

Quick releases are sorted but I wonder about this. I've heard enough stories about bikes being nicked in places with hundreds of people walking by that it seems you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Looks like the best you can do is...

Groinshot wrote: »

...it'll PROBABLY be fine.

Oh well. Two locks, a crappy looking bike and regular switching of where I leave it looks to be the best option. Cheers everyone for your advice.

TIMMAY! · 02-09-2010 08:49PM

Make sure and lock both wheeles. I had a bike I got for 130 which I locked up for a night in Trinity near the physics building. The next day the front wheel was gone and it cost me 50 to get a new one. Bit of a raw deal.

Groinshot · 02-09-2010 11:00PM

SeteSois wrote: »

Oh well. Two locks, a crappy looking bike and regular switching of where I leave it looks to be the best option. Cheers everyone for your advice.

Bingo. also, don';t leave your helmet attached to it or any of your lights clpped on, cos they deffo won't be there when you get back, no matter where you lock it

Victor · 02-09-2010 11:07PM

It seems they lose about 4 bikes a day. While that seems a lot, there are staff + 22000 students.

Mother Duck · 03-09-2010 03:21PM

I've had no problems leaving decent (~€1000) bikes around for the past few years.

The one time I went to Botany Bay, the gate was propped open with a brick, the card reader was dodgy (albeit as many of them are) and there was nothing locked up inside except a few wheels...may have just been a quiet day but I tend to avoid there.

Like many other posters said, just make sure to invest in a good lock (or two) and remove lights etc. I've one kryptonite mini D lock which I carry with me, and then have another older d-lock and cable that I leave in college all the time.

If it's valuable, put it somewhere where you will have a chance to check on it, and don't leave it there for more than a night.

The security do tend to be pretty good, in my experience. Before I was a student I still used to lock bikes in Trinity when I was in town, and tried to take my bike back past midnight one night ( I was just getting in and out through the gates as students were coming and going). As soon as I got to my bike, the van was on me. They wouldn't let me take it from the premises...it meant I had to walk home but I was happy in the knowledge that my bike was under such close surveillance

SilverBell · 04-09-2010 05:55PM

I've had a bike robbed here last year, but it had a crap lock. They just snipped it. And also someone robbed my saddle a few weeks ago. Dont forget your lights...they will disappear too.
The Security men dont give a shooogar about bike theft IMO.

Get a good lock, do both wheels. i'll echo all the other good advice given before too.

carberry · 13-09-2010 08:06PM

SeteSois wrote: »

.....badly spraypainted pieceo****.:D

........which weighs as much as the rest of my load.

got an insane amount of giggling out of those two lines there! :P

just read over this thread and as a new cycler, im going to be heeding to this info! thanks guys!

oppenheimer1 · 14-09-2010 07:15AM

Is Dublin Bikes an option for the OP? Save you having to worry about security.

Joe_Dull · 14-09-2010 11:47AM

Just read through this entire thread, terrified that my one lock might not be strong enough, that my saddle could easily be stolen and generally bricking it because I love my bike.

I then realised I will be taking the Dart in every day ... phew!

Trinity a safe place to lock a bike?

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