How do you lock your recumbent?

Question

I have a pair of recumbents and I have difficulties locking them safely when I have to park them in the street for long period of time. The conventional wisdom is to use a U-lock to attach the frame to a strong fixed point. With a recumbent this is very difficult because:

1. the width of the seat will move the frame away from fixed points,
2. the frame itself sometimes has no closed loop like the diamond frame of upright bicycles.

On my Nazca Pionneer there is a small closed loop on the rear stays so I manage to secure it with a foldable lock. This is weaker than a U-lock but it is the best I came up with. But on my Challenge Seiran SL, which has no secure point, I am still looking for a safe way to lock it.

How do you manage this?

Answer 1

Have you tried one of these?

http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222381361/144/Abus-Bordo-85cm-Granit-X.html?gclid=COPRr6H2prQCFQtxQgodRSYA5g

Feed it through the wheel, through the chain, and back over your frame. No self respecting thief would take the time to try and untangle it without being caught.

Answer 2

You could get some Pitlocks or other secured skewers, and then use a standard U-Lock/Folding lock on your rear stays. I'm not sure if Pitlocks fit a recumbant properly or if you want to trust your entire bike to them (rather than just the wheels) but it would probably be OK. Also, you could use a U-Lock between the seat and the front fork (possibly with some security bolts instead of standard allen key bolts). Something in that position would probably be quite difficult to remove.