I posted here recently about living in LA with just an e-bike, and I'm getting closer to buying one. There's one thing I'm still worried about though: parking it when I'm out.

My apartment has gated parking, CCTV, and on-site staff, so I'm not too concerned about storing it at home.

But what do you guys do when you're out and need to leave your bike somewhere?

I'm talking about everything from stepping inside a building for just 1–3 minutes to pick something up or run a quick errand, to sitting down at a restaurant for 30–60 minutes.

I live near Little Tokyo and the Arts District, and I see enough bike theft around DTLA that I'm pretty hesitant to leave a new e-bike outside, even with a good lock.

When I lived in North Carolina, I used one of those orange Kryptonite locks for my previous e-bike. I'm definitely willing to invest in good security gear again, whether that's a high-quality U-lock, a second lock, or something else. I know no lock is completely theft-proof though, especially around here.

Do you lock your bike every single time, even if you're only going inside for a minute or two? Do you look for certain types of bike racks or parking spots? Only go to places where you can keep an eye on your bike? Ever ask restaurants or cafes if you can bring it inside?

I'm also curious whether anyone has had a bike stolen despite using expensive locks, and what you'd do differently.

I'd love to hear how people who ride around DTLA, Little Tokyo, and the Arts District handle this in everyday life, especially the really short stops. I don't want to buy an e-bike and then be too worried to stop anywhere with it lol.

My drop box was a whopping.5 miles. how far is the ride to your drop box?

safestreetsmap.com/cycling

I made this map with the idea of knowing how to get around the city in the safest way possible

What's on it:

- Every reported bike crash in California since 2021 (about 58k, 973 fatal), from the state's crash records. Tap one to see what the police report says happened

- Climbs with grades, profiles and GPX downloads

- Group rides for the next couple weeks, with the forecast

- Train and metro lines, with links to each agency's bike rules

- Shops, repair stations, water, restrooms