7 anti-theft life hacks for your bike

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

Tips to help you find your bike where you left it.

1. Use U-lock or hardened chain

The various cables sold in stores, including AliExpress, are absolutely not suitable for bicycles. Such locks can be easily and quickly cut with a bolt cutter, which can be bought at any hardware store for 400-600 rubles.

If you plan to leave your bike unattended, then choose a U-lock or a hardened chain with a lock.

The lock should fix not only the frame, but also the wheel.

If your choice fell on a hardened chain, then remember: over time, it can pretty much peel the paint on the bike. To transport the chain, place it in your bike bag or backpack. Alternatively, pre-stick reinforced tape to the points of contact of the chain with the frame.

2. Park next to other bicycles

Give the thief a choice. If there are bicycles on cables next to your U-lock bike, then he will most likely prefer the more affordable option.

3. Disguise the bike as bike trash

We are not talking about the need to specially apply traces of rust and chips to the bike, as some car owners do. If you buy a bike, then take it with the most unassuming frame, and bring the filling to the perfection you need. An inexperienced thief is unlikely to delve into what level of switches you have and how much you paid for a plug.

4. Make tuning

We're not talking about a bike kit with baskets, grips with tassels, flags and other accessories. Paint it in some noticeable non-standard color, completely covering the name of the company and the model.

It will become almost impossible to resell such a bike from hands without additional costs for repainting. Although the likelihood of its disassembly into details for further sale is not excluded.

5. Take the saddle with you

Modern bike models allow you to quickly remove the saddle. Buckle your bike and place the seat in your backpack.

So the hapless thief will not be able to escape from the crime scene on your own two-wheeled friend. And a cyclist riding over a bare seatpost will raise questions from passers-by and other cyclists.

6. Do not store your bike in the stairwell

If you regularly leave your iron horse in the driveway, the thief will have time to study your schedule, prepare well, and get your bike out of the way without a vigilant grandmother noticing. Better to use the proven methods of storing your bike in the apartment.

7. Be vigilant

Having a bike seat won't stop thieves

Do not hope that if you have a child, the bike and seat will not be stolen. A bicycle with a bicycle seat without a child inside, of course, is quite a noticeable thing, but not so rare. A thief can throw his backpack into the bike seat and thereby remove questions about where the child is.

By the way, many models of bicycle seats with a seatpost mount (for example, the famous Hamax) can be removed with the push of a button. The lock from the bike seat remains on the bar, and the thief gets an expensive chair that can be quickly disposed of. If you see an advertisement for the sale of a used armchair without fasteners, then most likely it is stolen.

They don't steal abroad - it's a myth

Stay alert when cycling abroad. Your bike can also be stolen there, albeit less likely than it will happen here. Only in this case, you will also lose your main vehicle.

One hundred percent anti-theft protection

Unfortunately, there is no remote way to save the bike. Both the installation of a siren and an attempt to leave the bike under CCTV cameras do not guarantee that there will be no one willing to take your two-wheeled friend away.

If your bike is dear to you (in every sense), then do not leave it unattended.

What anti-theft methods do you use? Share your experience in the comments!