How to Lock a Bicycle Seat
Getting a new bike is always a great experience.
You finally have the bike you have always wanted, it looks great, and it rides even better.
It really is a great feeling.
To keep your bike safe and sound, you have a fantastic lock to match, something that is super tough, durable, cannot be picked or cut, and is convenient to use too.
You think that your bike is untouchable.
No thief is going to be able to mess with you!
Well, you would be wrong, because a thief is a thief and if they want to steal something, they will probably find a way.
One of the more vulnerable parts of any bicycle is the bike seat.
You might not think that a thief would want just a bike seat, but once again, thieves are thieves.
They’ll usually steal anything that they can sell, turn into something else, or use for any other nefarious purpose.
Bike seats often get stolen.
Now, back in the day when you needed a full wrench set to detach a bike seat, this might not have been such a huge issue, but newer bikes all come with easy-off seats that don’t require any tools to remove.
These often get stolen, whether the thief wants the seat for themselves, intends to sell it, or somebody is just messing with you.
This is what we are here for today.
We're going to discuss how to lock a bike seat so it doesn’t get stolen.
Replace the Easy-Off System
One thing that you can do to lock your bike seat into place, is to replace the easy-off system with a hex key system.
If a thief has a hex key, they can still get the bike seat, but not if you fill the socket with something that will prevent a hex key from fitting inside of it.
Some people choose to simply squirt some super glue or epoxy into the socket, which stops hex keys from getting in.
Some people glue or hammer a small ball bearing into the socket to lock the bike seat into place.
Yes, this means that you can no longer adjust the seat, but there are solvents out there to melt and remove super glue.
If you do want to adjust your seat, you can technically still do it, but it's more difficult.
It’s a technique that can be used to secure any bike component, but of course, it can be inconvenient if you need to make adjustments to anything.
A Secure Seat Clamp
Another method you can go with to lock your seat into place, so that no thief can steal it, is to use a secure seat clamp.
Instead of filling your hex key clamp with ball bearings and glue, you can upgrade the seat clamp to a better one.
There are select bike seat clamps out there which you can adjust using only a specific key.
That's the key that came with that specific bike seat clamp.
This is a great way to ensure that nobody can get your bike seat. You don't have to deal with removing super glue everytime you want to make an adjustment.
These clamps can be fairly expensive, but they are a good way to ensure that the only person who can mess with the bike seat is you.
You're the only person with the right key for the clamp.
Using a Cable Lock to Secure the Rails
Another thing you can do to make sure that nobody steals your bike seat is to use a cable lock to secure it.
Now, this is something that won't work with all bike seats.
Many modern bike seats don't come with rails directly underneath the seat. You'll need these for this method to work.
Many older bikes, as well as professional bikes, will have seats with shocks and rails integrated into them.
If you have one of these, you can simply thread a cable lock or extra wire lock that you might have got with your U lock through the rails, and then to a bike post, or whatever else you are locking your bike to.
However, this is something that won't work if you don't have a seat with rails.
Another factor to consider here is that you will need to lock your bike seat directly to a fixed bike post.
If a thief really wants the seat, they could technically cut it right off the seat post if you don't.
If All Else Fails, Take the Bike Seat With You
Alright, so you don’t have a bike seat with rails, you don’t want to purchase some fancy seat clamp, and you don’t want to deal with super glue.
The only option left for you is to simply take the bike seat with you.
Taking the bike seat off and bringing it along with you is a sure way to ensure that it doesn't get stolen.
However, of course, having to carry a bike seat around can be inconvenient.
It might be fine if you are in one place, but if you're on the move, carrying a bike seat in your hands or in your backpack is not going to be very fun.
Conclusion
When all is said and done, we would recommend you take a multifaceted approach and use a combination of these methods:
- Get yourself a secure seat clamp that can only be adjusted with a specific key.
- Super glue or epoxy the hex key shut if you can.
- Lock the rails of the seat to the bike post using a cable lock.
If all else fails, you might just want to take the bike seat with you.