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If you lock your bike to something that the thief can defeat (i.e. things made of wood) or to anything else they can remove it from by force (i.e. landscape items, fences with moving parts, aluminum railings, sign poles, etc.) thieves can break your bike free and ride off on it with your lock still intact and attached.

If you use a cable as a primary locking device, expect it to be cut off in mere seconds; they stink at providing security. We did a study of bike thefts at my college and over a year's time it showed that over 90% of the bikes reported stolen relied only on a cable lock; in some months is was 93-97%. When you realize that about another 4% of the stolen bikes had been left unlocked and unattended, it begins to make u-locks and heavy chains look pretty good.

Always use a u-lock or heavy case-hardened chain and case-hardened lock as a primary locking device (a cable makes a nice secondary device) and always make sure that it goes through at LEAST one wheel and the frame and is attached to a high quality steel bike rack that can't easily be broken or disassembled.

While any bike can be stolen with the suitable application of time, tools and force, thieves want to blend in and that means RIDING AWAY ON YOUR BIKE. Bike thieves aren't sophisticated in their methodology and if they can't ride it away, they're less likely to target your bike for theft. A u-lock through the frame AND wheels makes it un-rideable unless you can defeat the u-lock and that's downright uncommon (even more so with better u-locks). A bike with the front wheel removed and placed parallel to the rear wheel and then locked with a high-quality u-lock, to a good rack, is downright formidable.

Lastly, never place the "lock" portion of any locking device where it can be pinned to the ground and bashed into submission with a hammer. If it's suspended away from solid objects it can't be bashed without destroying the bike; once again, making your bike a less attractive target.

Oh yeah, for the guy who wonders if there's really a market for stolen front wheels; in my experience thieves take them to use on the nearby bike they just stole because it was only secured by its front wheel. They put your front wheel on the stolen bike's fork and ride it away. Again, they want to blend in and look natural. If your front wheel is stolen, look around, there's probably a lonely front wheel attached by a u-lock on a nearby rack.

by Brandt on Jul 24, 2012 11:13 am • link • report