This article is part of a series we are writing on getting started biking for transportation. Articles include:
- Taking the Plunge
- Picking a bike for everyday transportation
- Putting it all together: The accessories you need to successfully bike for transportation
- Locking Your Bike: Will your bike (and wheels for that matter) still be there when you return?
- Biking Safely in Traffic Video
- Tips for biking with kids
- Fixing a flat (coming soon)
- Basic maintenance of your bike (coming soon)
If you bike for transportation, sooner or later you are going to be a victim of theft. This is something you need to psychologically prepare yourself for. You are going places and you’ll need to leave your bike behind when you get there. No mater how many precautions you take, if a thief wants your bike bad enough he will overcome your defenses. (I recommend reading this post by BikeSnobNYC for more on coping emotionally with bike theft.)
You can however make your bike less attractive to steal, either physically or time consuming, which will greatly increase the likelihood of your bike still being there when you return.
I’ve put together this guide to best procedures so that you can put off the sadness and disappointment of coming back to an empty rack. I hope this helps.
Point of personal privilege
Before I start, I just want to say that I think bicycle thieves rate in my mind somewhere between John Edwards and parents of child movie stars. We’re not talking about instigators of genocide here, but we are talking about people taking advantage of innocent victims. People who ride bikes for transportation are usually people who don’t have an enormous amount of money and have developed a bond (or at least a fondness) for their metal steed. Stealing someone’s form of transportation is pretty crappy, and I hope bike thieves are sent to the same ring of hell as oil executives, sub-prime lenders, and Carrot Top.
OK, now that I got that out of my system, let’s proceed.
How much is your bike worth to you?
I ask this question because there are really two ways to go about dealing with the possibility of theft and how you answer this question will determine how laissez faire you are with bicycle security.
The first option is to get the cheapest, garage sale bike you can find, the uglier the better, and just not worry about theft. Leave it where ever you want and lock if you feel like it, or don’t. If it disappears, you just go get another. You are also protecting the rest of us by giving thieves easier pickin’s (though if you did your job on the cheap and ugly front it may not be very desirable.) The main problem with this approach is that you are riding an ugly, cheap bike that probably doesn’t fit you very well and is a bear to ride. I think life is too short to ride a bike like this.
The second option is to get a quality bike that fits you well and you’ll love to ride. If you go this option (please do!), you are going to want to make it look like Ft. Knox to the thief: more trouble than it’s worth. Oh, and don’t leave your $8000 track bike outside while you go to an ATM. Riding fixed gear doesn’t require years of training to pedal, and your story may not have a happy ending.
(There is a third option, which is not letting your bike out of your site. This is not very practical unless you have a folding bike.)
In bike security, the quick release is your enemy
Victim of the Quickrelease. Don
Quick release skewers are great for riding. They provide an ease way to adjust and remove common parts on your bike without any tool other than your hand. Unfortunately, they also make remove by thieves very easy as well.
Common locations for quick release skewers are your wheels, seat post, some fenders and racks, and possibly handle bar stem. These are all expensive parts of the bike to replace, sometimes costing more than your bike was purchased for.
On seat posts or bar stems, replace the quick release with hex bolts. You can also replace the quick release on your with bolt skewers. Keep in mind these are deterrents for the causal thief as hex and crescent wrenches aren’t exactly top secret technology.
Put your lock through any other parts (wheels, for example) or take them with you (maybe your seat post & saddle.)
Standard U-Lock
Picking a lock
Unless you are going the cheap bike route, avoid thin cable locks. While light & small to carry, these can be easily cut with bolt cutters. Go for U-locks or heavy chain locks. Most locks are available as key models, but you can get combination models with a little searching. U-locks should come with mounting equipment to mount the lock on your bike while you are riding it.
If you have an older lock that accepts a circular key, throw it away and get a new lock. These locks were found to be easily foiled with a Bic pen many years ago and should not be trusted. (That’s right, you read Bic pen.)
Avoid locks that take circle keys!
Many better locks come with a limited guarantee that will pay to replace stolen bikes if the lock is foiled. You do have to register you lock to take advantage of this and return the foiled lock with its key. Just make sure you read all the fine print.
Finding the right location
The right location is not necessarily where the bike racks are. Though well meaning, some buildings install racks at the back, in building coves, or down alleys. You want to find a place where there is pedestrian traffic if you can or where you can see it from time to time. You don’t want a place where someone will have the privacy to take their time stealing your bike.
If racks aren’t available or aren’t in a good place, find something bolted to the ground that you can easily put your lock around. Street signs are my favorite but make sure the signs are tall (at least 6 feet) so your bike with lock can’t be lifted off from the top. Parking meters can work as well with U-locks as when closed they are too small to be lifted above the meter. I’ve used a tree in a pinch, but that was less than ideal.
One other thing: if you have to leave your bike somewhere over several days, try to move it to a slightly different location each day. Nothing says “Steal Me” like a bike left in the same place for days on end.
Locking up
Now that you’ve found your spot, be sure your lock goes completely around the secure object and through the frame. If you are using quick release skewers or will be gone for a while with bolted skewers, make sure the lock goes through your wheels as well. If your lock isn’t big enough to go through all these things, take you front wheel off and place it next to your back wheel then place the lock through the wheels and frame. Take anything you can’t bear to lose with you like lights, saddle bag, pump, and saddle/seatpost.
Now, before you leave, take a look at your bike and put yourself in the mind of a bike thief (a shower or mind bath may be necessary afterwards.) Does the lock go around the stationary, secure object? Does the lock go through your frame and wheels? If there any obvious weakness to your locking job? Things look secure? Good. Time to stop staring at your bike (unless you are into that kind of thing.)
What to do if your bike gets stolen?
First, before this happens, make sure you take a picture of your bike and note the brand, model, color, and serial number (usually etched somewhere on the down tube or under the bottom bracket.) To aid in recovery, you can also tape identifying information in water proof ink inside your steering tube. This will foil thieves who file off serial numbers. If you are a student or staff at the University of Texas, take advantage of the UTPD bike registry.
Once your bike is stolen, call the police and give them the identifying information. If the bike means a lot to you, post information on bike message boards and keep an eye on Craig’s list and e-Bay.
Most renters and homeowners policies will cover stolen bikes, but the replacement cost of you bike might be below your deductible which is another good reason to take advantage of the lock warranty.
Examples of good and bad locking jobs
I’ve taken pictures of bikes locked at my office to show you examples of good and not so good locking jobs and how to make them better.
Rating: Poor
Thin chain lock around front wheel and frame. Rear wheel is quick release and ready for the quick taking. The chain lock could easily be cut with bolt cutters.
Rating: Good
Use of the U-lock on both the frame and front and back wheel is very secure. That water bottle and frame pump may take a walk though.
Rating: Poor
Only the frame is locked leaving both wheels vulnerable to theft.
Rating: Good
There is a rear wheel lock installed and a U-lock through the frame. The front wheel still needs to be secure, but since it is not a quick release, the thief would probably pass on it unless he had a wrench.
on Aug 19th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Thank you for this series of articles.
I’m enjoying your blog immensely. Good stuff!
on Aug 20th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Great series!
I just happened to start a blog on bikes-as-transportation myself.
on Aug 31st, 2008 at 8:52 am
You say the theif is a guy (implied by using he) I have SEEN a female steal my 10 speed full suspension before.
on Aug 31st, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Izzie,
Good point! Thieves come in all stripes.
I don’t care for the convention of saying “he or she” in my writing when referring to a hypothetical person. I was not meaning to say thieves are only men.
on Sep 3rd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
If you pass a U-lock around the rear wheel inside the rear triangle, then you have locked the frame as well, as the rear wheel can’t pass through the rear triangle, and cutting the rim is very difficult when it is under tension from the spokes.
In most cases this makes it easier to lock the (removed) front wheel with the same U-lock…especially on a bike with longish chain stays where the rear wheel is a long way from the seat post.
on Sep 8th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I like using a U-Lock and a 5′ non-coiled cable. Though it’s more weight, it greatly increases options locking. Normally the U-lock goes through frame & rear wheel with the cable securing front wheel. If I’m somewhere with no thin poles I can use the cable around a phone pole or tree.
Also I run the U-lock around the rear rim & seatstays. It seems to work better there.
on Sep 18th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I’ve noticed that downtown Austin has many bike racks that are well designed for proper locking, unlike the racks in most cities.
The most secure method for locking a bike is to put a beefy u-lock around the rear wheel, just behind the seat tube, and around a steel pole that is set in concrete, such as a traditional parking meter. The Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini u-lock is ideal, as it provides less open space for leverage attacks than some other models.
I put a “light” u-lock or beefy cable lock around the front wheel and the frame. I park as close to shiny new Cannondales as possible, so a crook as a good alternative to MY bike.
And, if the bike will be out of my sight for more than about fifteen minutes, I ride a nicely tuned, but VERY ugly beater bike that is twenty years old, but looks sixty years old.
on Nov 8th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
What about securing panniers? Sometimes you don’t have a bag to carry in, other times the bag is not big enough for the tools/pump/jacket/random junk in the pannier. wrap a cable lock around it and through the frame/rack/wheel and hope for the best?
on Nov 9th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Hi . Over here in Europe sometimes the Thief Locks his Bike to yours with his own Lock giving the Impression he has made a mistake by Accident. You come along and see what has happened and decide to go off thinking your Bike is safely secured possibly leaving it to the next Day when you know he has come and retrieved his Bike and no harm done.
Except he is keeping an Eye out for you to come by and go off Home, then comes along and undoes his own Bike and cuts your Lock off at his Leisure in the Evening time and nobody is around and walks off with the two Bikes. So get a Hacksaw and cut his Lock off.
on Nov 10th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Jack, that is incredibly crafty. I can’t say I’ve heard of that happening over here, but of course I haven’t talked to too many police about the matter, either.
on Nov 10th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Yes it does unfortunately, A lot of People have a Great Bike for Leisure and Touring at Weekends and a Scrappy Beater Bike for Commuting. They generally get a Cheap secondhand but fairly decent Bike for Commuting and when in the City and leaving it for Hours. The Tea Leaves go for the Expensive Flashy Road Bikes like Cervelo, Cannondale, and leave the Ordinary City Bikes alone. It is not a good Idea to leave your Bike in the City Centre at Weekends after Dark,even if they do not Rob it sometimes they Bend the Wheels for Fun.
on Dec 10th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
I like the advice you provided on how to secure a bicycle.
I do take exception though with your photo of good poles for bike locking — “Pole 1 – Pole 2 – Pole 3″. The Pole 3 photo does show a pole that provides a secure fixed object for a bike, but a better photo should be used. The pole is very close to a fire hydrant and thus is not an ideal location to park a bicycle. While the spout directs toward the street, a bicycle locked at this pole would likely interfere with quick, emergency access to the hydrant for firefighters.
If you have an opportunity to update the photo with a pole not adjacent to a fire hydrant, then I suggest updating the photo.
Picky, picky, picky… but it’s _demonstration_ photo for where to lock up a bike.
on Dec 10th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
What if your bike catches on fire?
on Jan 11th, 2009 at 7:32 am
[...] part of our Getting Started guide, I wrote an article on how to prevent the theft of your bike. While most of the article was about best practices in bike locking, I did mention the perfectly [...]
on Jan 16th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
[...] give Dan a shout if you see any suspicious characters riding a Bianchi Valle. In the meantime, check out our article on securing your bike so this doesn’t happen to you. (Step one, take a picture of your bike so you don’t have [...]
on Jan 26th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
[...] course, you can always read up on our article about how to lock your bike so hopefully this won’t happen to you and you won’t have an entertaining story of [...]
on Feb 4th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
[...] is good news, but you still need to lock your bike properly. addthis_url = [...]
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Email yourself and archive or set to drafts a photo and complete details of your bike. Set it up to cc: police, lbs, stolen registry… You can notify at once from nearest computer or web phone. You may not remember a lot of small details in the heat of the moment. Google notes is great for storing serial #’s.
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Spray a small dab of clearcoat on bb, hubs, stem, seatpost…and put your thumbprint in it. Only you know it is there. Great for parts w/ no #’s. It isn’t disfiguring. A lot of bikes are parted – out. Often locally. When they say “prove it” you can.
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Both good suggestions, 3sushis.
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 5:09 am
After having several components pinched off my bike and getting really fed up with replacing things, a friend recommended a product which secures you wheels, seat post etc. I have fitted the 3 pack products to my bike and I can honestly say that to date nothing has been stolen from my bike and it gives me the piece of mind to know that my bike will be in one piece when I get back to it. The system is really really easy to install and the key is great (I registered for a replacement key online at http://www.pinheadcomponents.com just in case I misplaced the original one). After previously using countless U locks to secure my bike…..I can honestly say that this is one of the best products I have seen out there.
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Cool product, Rachel. Thanks!
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Some really good ideas here! But would like to suggest one more, registry @ BikeRegistry.com . No charge public registry, very comprehensive search capabilities. Also have a really good deal on high quality Locking Skewers.
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Good mention, Jerome. I was looking for that when I wrote this article, but I don’t think it was up yet. We’ll try to do a post in the near future.
on Jan 14th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Elliott, thanks for Austin on Two Wheels and all the great information. I have found a light weight way to carry a U-lock is to hang it on the back of the saddle with the lock passing over the seat rails. The lock hangs down and doesn’t move or cause trouble. I have never seen this before, but it works for me. This method leaves frame tubes for bottles.
on Jan 14th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Thanks for the tip, Mike.
on Jul 14th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
As a newbie in the bike community, I’ve found your blog to be immensely useful; Frankly, the best advice for beginners I’ve found online anywhere. I’m super excited about getting on the bike and cruising around Austin. Keep up the good work!