Improve the security of your bike with our locking tips
Whether it’s your treasured old steed or a brand new ride, it’s always important to keep pesky thieves and opportunists at bay.
Wherever you are, it’s vital to remember that no matter how great your bike lock is, your bike is only as secure as the object you’re locking it to.
A fence or bollard pole might look tough enough, but a fence can be pulled apart and even more simple thieves can figure out how to lift a bike lock off a waist-high pole.
Lock your frame first
If you’ve only got one lock and you’re on the go, always lock your frame first. Putting a lock through the front or rear wheel will deter a thief, but it’s not difficult to remove a wheel and take the rest of your bike, leaving you with just a locked up wheel!
If your lock is long enough, put it through the frame and through the rear wheel before locking it around a secure and fixed object.
Location
Don’t just think about what you’re locking your bike to. Think about the area you’re leaving your bike in. Choose a well-lit and busy area, preferably with CCTV.
Busy areas make it tricky for thieves to get a good chance to steal your bike and CCTV is a great place to start should your ride go astray.
This is also vital for your own safety too. Don’t choose somewhere remote and poorly-lit to leave your bike if you will be returning alone or in the dark.
Remove accessories
Don’t leave easy pickings for opportunists. Remove your GPS, lights and even your seat post from your bike when you leave it in public.
Accessories are easy to pinch and removing the seat will make the bike less attractive to a potential thief.
Get two locks
If you can, two locks will always work better than one. If your bike is secured to an immovable object with more than one lock, that’s at least double the work for a thief determined enough to try and break your lock.
Chances are, the sight of a second lock will deter the thief from even bothering to steal your pride and joy.
At home
You might think your bikes are safe at home, yet this could be a weak spot in your defence against thieves.
Leaving and returning home with the same bike on a regular basis is an easy routine for thieve to catch on to. Once they know a nice bike is at your house, all they need to do is figure out when you’re not at home.
You can’t always be there to protect your bike, but the least you can do is make things very difficult.
If you can get a ground anchor to feed a lock through – the ground might be the most secure object you could lock your bike to!
But if that’s not possible, resort to making it as difficult as possible for a thief to walk away with your ride! Store your bikes indoors, in a garage or in a shed. Make sure the doors are securely locked but also use locks to keep your bike safe inside.
What tips do you have for keeping your bike safe? Let us know!
