How to Keep Your Bike from Getting Stolen

Bikes are among the most commonly stolen items. They are, unfortunately, a petty thief's dream:

• easy to steal, since they are left unattended for long periods of time
• easy to sell (pawn shops, craigslist) and relatively valuable
• easy to get away with stealing -- most bike thefts are not reported and the police doesn't do much about the ones that are

Fortunately, it is possible to make your bike a far less desirable target for bike theft, if you make sure that the points above do not apply to your bike. You want your bike to be difficult and dangerous to both steal and sell, sending a potential thief a clear message that messing with YOUR bike is simply not worth the hassle.

There are four basic ways to steal a bike:

1. Steal an unlocked bike
2. Break the lock
3. Break whatever the bike is locked to
4. Steal parts off a bike

1. UNLOCKED BIKE

This is one of the most common ways bikes get stolen. An unlocked bike is a trigger for an opportunistic thief and a godsend gift to a professional one. Leaving a bike unlocked is an invitation to steal it.

Preventing this type of theft is very simple: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BIKE UNLOCKED. EVER. This includes:

• "Oh, but it's just for five minutes" Two *seconds* is all it takes to hop onto a bike and ride away. I've personally witnessed such bike thefts and trust me, they do happen, and they happen FAST.
• "Oh, but I can see it the whole time; I'm keeping an eye on it" Seeing your bike get snatched is hardly a consolation; if anything, it probably adds insult to injury. If your bike is just three seconds away from you, it can be stolen, since it takes two seconds to hop on it -- and once the thief is riding it, chances are you won't catch up to him on foot.
• "Oh, but it's on my property" What makes you think that someone who does not respect the concept of "your bike" would respect the concept of "your land"? Just because it's on your front porch or back yard, it's not immune to theft. In fact, if you have an expensive bike, you might want to consider keeping it locked indoors too -- thieves have been known to break into garages or even homes just to steal a bike, so consider using a bike lock to further secure it.

2. THE LOCK

There is a variety of bike locks of the market, offering different methods of securing your bike and different degrees of protection.

>>>Cable Locks<<<

Cost: $8-50
Tools required to break: bolt cutters
Time required to break: a few seconds to snip the cable
Advantages: light, inexpensive, easy to carry, flexible, can be wrapped about almost anything
Weaknesses: very easy to cut with a right tool, so won't deter a serious thief
Best uses: to deter a casual/opportunistic thief; as a secondary lock to secure wheels or saddle; as an "emergency" lock for quick errands

When buying a first lock, many people tend to favour cable locks for their versatility, affordability and light weight. The main downside, unfortunately, is that cable locks are not very secure. Even the burliest won't be able to withstand a boltcutter assault for very long. If you're in a quiet small town, and your main concern is teenagers going for joy rides, not professional thieves, then you can probably get away with using a cable lock. However, for a more serious protection, you want to look into a U-lock or a chain lock.

If you are buying a cable without a lock built in, lock it with a sturdy U-lock rather than a padlock -- most padlocks are cut by boltcutters even more easily than the cables themselves. Also, look for a word "weave" in the cable's name or description -- weaved cable is more difficult to cut than straight.

>>>U-Locks<<<

Cost: $20-150+
Tools required to break: car jack, length of pipe (for locks that have a protrusion on one end), Bic pen (old circular lock design - no longer in use since vulnerability has been exposed), power cutting tools
Time required to break: from 30 seconds to 10-15 minutes, depending on the lock and the tool
Advantages: sturdier than cable
Weaknesses: heavier, won't fit over some locking posts, can only secure the frame or frame + one wheel
Best uses: as a main lock in conjunction with another cable or U-lock to secure stealable parts and require thief to carry two types of tools to get your bike

U-locks are in general more secure than cable locks, though some of the cheaper or older designs are fairly vulnerable. A cheap flimsy U-lock can be pulled apart with a car jack. One with a keyhole part of the cross bar sticking out can be forced open with a pipe or a crow bar. A sturdier U-lock will run $55-60 or more, but the improved security is well worth the price.

A quality mini U-lock can be an excellent choice for your main lock: easy to transport and difficult to break. However, its small size definitely limits your locking options.

>>>Chain Locks<<<

Cost: $3-150+
Tools required to break: bare hands for the $3 ones, serious power tools for the top-of-the-line ones
Time required to break: from 30 seconds to 10-15 minutes, depending on the lock and the tool
Advantages: good ones sturdier than cable, more flexible and versatile than a U-lock
Weaknesses: good ones are heavy and bulky
Best uses: as a main lock if you don't mind lugging around a bit of extra weight

Cheapo chain locks are probably the most worthless type of lock -- I once broke one with my bare hands by repeatedly bending an aluminum link (and I am not that strong). Good chains are priced comparably to good U-locks (or slightly higher) and offer a comparable protection (or slightly better). They also are more flexible, so they can be secured to a greater variety of objects. Unfortunately, they are also the heaviest of the bunch, and can take up considerable amount of space. So if that is not a concern, go ahead and grab yourself one.

3. WHERE AND WHAT TO LOCK TO

The short answer is: something sturdy and solid. Make sure that whatever object you are locking to is not easy to break and that it's solidly set in the ground or some other immovable surface.

The location of your locking place is quite important as well. You want to lock your bike in a well-lit public place with lots of foot traffic. Not that anyone is necessarily is going to do anything to actually stop a theft in process as the YouTube video below, sadly, indicates -- but most thieves prefer to "work" in solitude. [Edit: As another Hubber, CyclingFitness, pointed out in the comments, locking your bike in front of a CCTV camera gives a thief another reason to steer clear of your steed.]

Ideally, though, you don't want to leave your bike outside at all! Not only is it safer indoors, it is also sheltered from the elements, which means less wear and tear on your two-wheeled machine. Investigate the options, and see if you can bring your bike in with you -- especially overnight (that's when most thefts tend to happen). If you ride it to work, could you put it in your office? Or an unused janitor's room? Perhaps there is an underground parking garage with secure bike parking? At home, consider indoor storage as well. There are many options available for tucking a bike out of the way, even in a smallish space.

4. SECURE THE PARTS

While we tend to think of a bike as one unit, it is actually composed of many parts -- some of very considerable value, and worth stealing on their own. Make sure to secure all of these:

The Frame: The defining feature of any bike, the frame simply MUST be secured, preferably with a good U-lock or sturdy chain. That's one reason the so-called "wheel-bender" racks are bad: in addition to possibly damaging wheels should your bike be knocked over, they often allow attachment by a wheel only -- and the picture on the right shows you the potential consequences of that mistake...

The Wheels: Quick release wheels are especially vulnerable, but even a wheel that's attached with nuts and bolts can (though is less likely) to be stolen. Options to secure the wheels include:

• a U-lock or chain for one wheel and a frame; a cable through the other wheel
• a U-lock or chain for one wheel and a frame (locking to an object); a second U-lock for locking second wheel to the frame
• take off the front wheel, and lock both wheels and the frame with one long solid U-lock
• special skewers to replace quick releases. Some of these skewers (like the PitLocks) require a unique key, while others simply need an Allen (hexagonal) wrench. The former are fairly secure, the latter not so much -- anyone with an Allen key can get your wheels, so make sure you still secure them with some kind of a lock if you're leaving it unattended for longer than a few minutes

The Saddle and Seatpost: The seatpost can be attached to your bike with a quick release, an Allen bolt or a regular nut-and-bolt. The quick release is the easiest one to steal, but the other two only require common tools, so can also be potential theft targets. To make sure it does not get snatched, you can replace your quick release with an Allen bolt (still not all that secure, but at least now a tool is required to steal it), install a special skewer (like the one used for wheels), put a cable through the saddle rails (similar to cable through wheels) or, if you have a QR seatpost, just remove it and take it in with you.

Lights, Bike Computers, Pumps, Bags: Most accessories of this sort come with some kind of a quick release system, so it's best to remove and take them with you when you park your bike outside. If things are bolted on, you can leave them -- but realize that anyone with a multitool can strip your bike of all accessories in a matter of minutes.

Other Components: Almost anything can be stolen off your bike, unfortunately, with a simple set of tools: pedals, derailleurs, shifters, brakes. I've even heard stories of bike chains being stolen (all you need to do that is a simple tool called a chain breaker). It is possible to slow down a thief somewhat by filling the heads of Allen bolts with caulk or similar material, but realize that it will slow you down too if you need to fiddle with them for any reason, and that a determined thief can chip that off just as well as you, so the best solution is to not leave a bike full of expensive components anywhere overnight.

The second part of your theft-proofing strategy is making your bike appear less valuable and making it more of a hassle to offload. There are several ways in which you can do this, including

RIDE A "BEATER" BIKE

Consider riding an inexpensive bike whenever you are going to be leaving it outside in a high-crime area, especially overnight. Many cyclists have a "nice" bike that they take on long pleasure rides, and a "beater" bike for short utilitarian hops. A beater need not be a serious wreck -- it can simply be an older bike in good working order.

Not everyone is willing to do this, granted. You do want to enjoy your ride, and if riding an older clunkier bike does not appeal to you, you may be willing to ride a nice bike everywhere, lock it as well as you can, and accept the small but real risk of losing it.

MAKE YOUR GOOD BIKE LOOK LIKE A BEATER

Your bike does not have to be a beater, of course -- so long as it looks like one. Again, you may not be willing to go that route if your aesthetical sense rebels against uglifying your beautiful machine. If, however, you value function but not appearance, here are a few ideas on how you can make your bike appear less attractive:

• bad paintjob
• duct tape
• dirt (ride it through the puddles and only clean moving parts)
• removing brand names from components (makes them look like cheap no-name parts -- to an untrained eye, anyway)

Granted, these measures probably won't fool an experienced thief -- but even then they can still act as a deterrent, since an experienced thief he'll have more trouble convincing his buyers that the bike is indeed well-made.

MAKE YOUR BIKE LOOK UNIQUE

Instead of making your bike ugly, you can just make it weird. It can be a double-edged sword -- a beautiful eye-catching design will attract more attention, including attention from criminal low-lifes. However, a thief would be aware that a one-of-a-kind bike that stands out from the crowd is easier to find -- and thieves don't want to be found.

LOCK YOUR BIKE NEXT TO BETTER BIKES

If you make your bike appear less valuable than other bikes around it, it is less likely to be targeted. If it appears less valuable AND is better locked, it is almost guaranteed that the thief would go for a lower-hanging fruit.

REGISTER YOUR BIKE WITH THE POLICE

Many police departments offer you the option of registering your bike. Most bicycles have unique registration number engraved onto the frame. Having the bike's serial number and general description registered to your name may help in recovering your bike after it gets stolen. While it's unlikely that the police will take any time searching for your bike specifically, the police in a large city do typically recover many stolen bikes (which may be auctioned off if no owner can be found), and yours might be one of those.

Sometimes you can also get a sticker certifying that your bicycle has been registered with the local police. Displayed in a prominent place, it may act as a slight deterrent as well.