A new way to lock your bikes in your bed

Ever since I've got the truck I've been struggling to find a way to have a somewhat strong way of locking the bikes in the bed. To allow for longer road trips with the bikes and an ability to leave them in the bed while I grab a beer or food, I got some of the low pro bed bars from @C4 Fabrication and coupled them with some tamper resistant bolts. Seems like a decent idea in my eyes and with a cab height bed rack and some adjustments made to the seat height, I can easily fit a RTT above them for a longer trip in the future. The last picture closeup shows the final setup with the tamper resistant bolt, lock washer, and washer. Cheers!

 

I think the idea of locking something up is that it's easy for the owner to unlock the item being locked but difficult for anyone else. You've succeeded in making it difficult for everyone. Including yourself.

 

Wouldn't be too bad if you carry a little electric screw shooter, like the ones that fit in the palm of your hand. Those look like really expensive bikes, and worth the hassle.

 

I just noticed you live in Stockton. Given that particular circumstance I'll overlook the impracticality of your method.

 

This setup really isn't meant for doing anything local and I never really get anywhere that far from the truck with the bikes in there as they do cost a pretty penny. The thought is for not much money invested that it can slow down someone enough until I get back to the truck, and worst case scenario they are insured.

 

OP, cool idea and thank you for sharing. As stated above, for practicality, can you make one of the screws a closed eye-hook where you may be able to add a lock to? Just a idea, but again thanks for sharing.

 

I have the Delta lockable mounts. You put a padlock through them and then I couple that with a cable.

 

I considered that but this seemed easy since I wanted the bars for other purposes already.

 

I use a steel cable lock, and I use a padlock to lock it to a D ring.

 

Those cable locks are hella easy to cut through for what it's worth. You'd be better off with a proper chain inside of a bike inner tube.

 

Agreed. It’s the thicker kind, 3/8” steel cable in rubber housing. But I think if someone was going through the trouble of cutting through that, someone would notice that something was off

 

3/8 is still pretty easy with basic gardening equipment. Living in Seattle, it was always interesting watching the (on) crack bike thieves and their arsenal

 

Haha I bet. I usually don’t leave my bike in my truck unless it’s in direct eye sight, lock is just to slow them down. The most secure way is to bring it home and then go get the post ride beers

 

Any security measure can be defeated. A good level of deterrence for the level of threat is usually appropriate, and we all have differing levels of threat based on location.

Thanks for sharing OP.

 

That has scratched up frame written all over it.

 

The bike thieves in my area all carry battery powered tools; they'd have those bikes in less than a minute--guaranteed.

I would recommend installing individual plate-reinforced d-rings in the bed; locking each bike to its own d-ring, using armored cables, and then running a separate heavier cable through all of the bikes, into a separate d-ring.

Nothing short of a Trunk Monkey will prevent them from taking the bikes.

 

If you have a bike that is of high value it may be worth looking into a personal articles insurance policy for it. It is a stand alone policy that covers replacement cost should the bike be stolen, lost or damaged. It even covers "mysterious disappearance." You can specify a deductible and coverage limits as needed (subject to an appraisal). Many people have these on jewelry and/ or firearms. The nice thing about the personal articles policy is that if you have to make a claim it won't go against your homeowners or auto policies. I am not sure if all states allow for such a policy but I know it is an option in NC.