How to protect your bike from theft: 9 simple tips

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you don't care about the safety of your bike, it may soon have another owner.

1. Choose the right parking space

The ideal option is to store your bike in the hallway, on the loggia or next to the workplace. Only in these cases you can not worry about its safety. If for any reason you need to leave your bike in other places, you should be very careful in choosing them.

Here is a list of places you don't need to park:

• crowded sidewalks in the city center;
• lively embankments;
• sites near metro stations;
• deserted courtyards;
• deserted alleys.

Most often, bicycles are stolen in crowded places, but leaving your personal transport on a deserted street is also risky. Here you need to observe the golden mean: park your bike where there are always people, but there are not very many of them.

When leaving your bike in a dedicated parking lot near a shopping mall, cinema, restaurant or other public place, take a look at how often other cyclists use it. Cases of thefts from bike parking are not uncommon.

2. Never leave your bike unsecured

Not everyone fulfills this seemingly simple condition for happy cycling.

Agree, the car owner does not leave the car open in the parking lot, even if he only needs to move away for a few minutes. Likewise, the owner of the bike should take it as a rule: if you want to leave your two-wheeled friend on the street, he should be fastened. There can be no exceptions here.

3. Use a secure bike lock

There are many types of bicycle locks today, but not all of them are equally reliable. Most cyclists use inexpensive and fairly thin cables with a key or combination lock, but such a cable is easy to bite - this lock does not provide the required level of security. It is advisable to use the cable as additional protection, but not as the main one.

A more suitable option is a chain lock. And although the chain weighs more than the cable (on average, a chain up to 1 m long weighs more than 1 kg), it is quite difficult to saw or cut it without attracting attention.

An alternative to the chain is the U-lock. It is not very convenient to carry it with you, but you can always find a way out of the situation. For example, there are folding locks, which are made of steel plates and when unfolded have the same dimensions as a U-lock. These plates are easy to fold, and such a lock does not take up much space.

Another type of reliable bicycle locks are wheel and saddle stoppers. It is better to choose them with non-standard bolts and nuts that are unscrewed with a special wrench. The likelihood that a thief will have just such a key is small.

And the last thing: use several locks at the same time - this will reduce the likelihood of theft.

4. Fasten your bike in two parts

Buying reliable locks is half the battle. It is important to properly fasten your bike when leaving it in the parking lot. So, you can attach a frame with a chain, and a wheel with a cable lock. Stealing a bike that is cleverly fastened is more difficult, and not all thieves will want to bother with it.

5. Install the bike alarm

The sound alarm with a remote control works on the principle of an automobile one: the sensor reacts to vibration or touch, a sound signal is triggered, and you can prevent theft.

A more advanced version is the feedback bike alarm. The notification comes to your smartphone, which is especially convenient.

6. Set the lowest gear

This method is not basic, but it is suitable as an additional one. Even if a thief steals your bike, he will not be able to quickly escape from the scene of the crime: it is not so easy to deal with gear changes on the fly. If you are nearby, you will have time to catch up with the attacker.

7. Decorate your bike

“The more noticeable the bike, the easier it is to find it, it’s better not to get involved,” - this is how the one who trades in theft of bicycles thinks. Therefore, do not be lazy to give your favorite vehicle a personality. You can paint the frame, attach LEDs to the wheels, or decorate the steering wheel. The main thing is that the bike is different from everyone else and attracts attention.

8. Don't give your bike to strangers

As a child, we were taught not to talk to strangers and not to give them any personal belongings. A similar rule applies in adulthood. It happens that a stranger comes up and praises the bike, and then asks for a little ride. The owner, having heard enough flattering reviews, goes to meet - and becomes a victim. So, keep your ears open when a stranger talks to you about a bike, and don't fall for provocation.

9. Remove the chain leaving the bike for a long time

This method is useful if you need to leave your bike in the parking lot for a long time: without a chain, it simply won't be able to leave. In order to remove the chain, you need to have the necessary tools at hand and have a certain skill.

Check list

So you've read everything and want to take real action to keep your bike safe from theft? Fine. Well, in order not to forget anything, we offer the most important of the above in the form of a short list.

1. Leave the bike where there are always people, but there are not very many of them.
2. Do not be too lazy to fasten your bike, even if you only need to move away for half a minute.
3. Use a secure bike lock, preferably two or more.
4. Remember, the more unusual the bike, the harder it is to sell it. Therefore, you can paint the frame, decorate the wheels, decorate the steering wheel and other details.
5. Remove the chain when leaving the bike in the parking lot for a long time.
6. Do not give your bike to strangers: thieves often rub themselves into trust, cunningly get a bike and ride it away.