​Best Practices for Locking your Bike

If you are going to bike anywhere and leave your bike outside, you need the equipment and knowledge for proper locking so that your bike is there when you return.  While no bike security system is 100% effective, you want to do whatever you can to make stealing you bike harder than the next bike.  If your bike looks inconvenient to steal, there is a good chance a thief will look somewhere else.  Following are some practices to help stop or at least slow down thieves.

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A typical ulock

1. Where to lock – if you have a choice when locking your bike outside, lock it in a well-lit, high traffic area where there are other people around.  If you store your bike in a garage or porch take the same care you would if you were locking it outside.  That is because garages get broken into and thieves will climb multiple stories to steal a bike off a porch.  Also, a locked foyer in an apartment building does not hold much protection because if anyone but you can access where you keep your bike, thieves can too.      
2. What to lock to -  Lock to a stationary rack or poll that is at least thicker than your ulock.  That means no metal fences and no trees.  Make sure the pole is secure by giving it a little tug to make sure it is bolted to the pavement.  Polls that are intentionally lose by removal or cutting off of the bolts so that they can be lifted out are called a “sucker pole”--the thief lifts the pole and rolls the bike away.
3. Type of lock – while no lock is foolproof, in the city you need at least a newer ulock which has a hardened steel u-shaped bar attached to a shackle which unlocks with a flat key and a second ulock, chain or cable for the wheels.   Lock the ulock around the stationary rack, bike frame, and rear wheel.  A second ulock or cable should be used to lock the other wheel either to the rack, frame or the first ulock.  Ulocks themselves come in a variety of security levels and sizes.
4. Security level - some lock manufactures self rate their locks to indicate how secure they are and ulocks typically have a rating ranging from 9 to 4 out of a total of 10.  No lock can honestly be considered a 10 out of 10 because with enough time and effort anything can be foiled.   A higher security lock is  thicker, heavier, and costs more. 
   1. Size – Ulocks come in a variety of sizes from mini, that has a shackle long enough to cover only the frame and a thin rack, to standard, which will accommodate the frame, a wheel, and standard rack, to long shackle which can comfortably cover the frame, wheel and standard rack or even 2 bikes.  Again, the larger the lock the heavier it is and more expensive.
   2. Alternatives to ulocks -  There are other styles such as heavy hardened chains with padlocks design to be worn around the cyclist’s waist or shoulder and folding locks with hardened links.  These may be sufficient security in certain situations such as if you are on a group ride and locking with several other bikes or you are in a restaurant or coffee shop and your bike is in view at all times.  Locking with only a thin cable lock, whether keyed, combination, or cable and padlock is not recommended at any time because it can be cut with simple wire cutters within seconds.  ​

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4.  What to lock – the most important item to secure is the bike frame, the most valuable part of the bike.  Next in priority is the rear wheel, and then front wheel. Options for securing wheels include:

1. Remove the front wheel and secure it with the same lock used for the frame and rear wheel
2. Run a cable through both wheels 
3. Replace the quick release skewers with locking skewers

Regarding the saddle, if it has a quick release you should replace that with clamp that requires a tool to remove.  While it is nice to have a quick release on the seat post to be able to adjust the saddle anytime you want, if the same rider uses the bike, adjust the saddle height once and use a seat clamp.  

Helmet theft is relatively low so unless you have an expensive helmet it is common to run the helmet straps through the ulock or one of the cables.   If you would rather not risk helmet theft and do not like carrying around your helmet, there are collapsible helmets that ​take up one third of the space in your backpack or bag.   Bike specific backpacks often have a helmet bracket on the outside for hooking on your helmet without fumbling with straps or making room inside the pack.

Remove all lights, bike computers, navigation devices, and cell phones when leaving your bike because they do frequently get picked off the bike if a passer by sees them out in the open.  Most have a a bracket that stays on the bike and the capability to slide off the device to put in your pocket or bag and remounted when getting back on the bike.  

There is innovation in the bicycle lock industry as manufactures study how thieves breach their locks and make appropriate adjustments, so it is a good idea to upgrade your equipment every few years.   The latest innovation are locks with the ability to lock and unlock via bluetooth on your cell phone--no key required.   Stop and go fast and easy.   There has also been advances in GPS tracking of bikes to aid in recovery of a stolen bike. 

Don't be that person who says they would love to bike places but is afraid to leave their bike outside--get the right equipment and practice safe locking and enjoy eco friendly, fast and efficient, two-wheeled transportation.