In big cities, many of the residents, like myself, bicycle to work in an attempt to avoid both the crowded, stagnant air of the subways and the rage-filled traffic jammed streets as a car. Biking hits the sweet spots of holier-than-thou exercise AND commuting, whilst getting fresh air and not having to be stuck behind a line of cars. There are downsides, of course, the most disheartening being that moment when you come out of your apartment and see a blank space where you parked your bike the night before. That was me last year.
I parked the bike on a Friday night after work, and it wasn't there Saturday morning. I live in a a safe, somewhat snobby neighborhood, so my only concerns about locking my bike up outside overnight were weather-related. After going through all the stages of grief, filing a police report, scouring Craigslist and eBay in hopes of a stupid thief relisting the bike, I bought another used bike off of Craigslist. I made sure that the bike wasn't stolen. Throughout the whole process I did a lot of research on how to protect your bike from vile bike thieves.
Here's a short list:
- Lock your bike. Always, always, always. Never leave it outside unlocked, even if it's in your garage.
- Lock your bike securely. Follow Sheldon Brown's strategy on locking your bike properly. This involves a U-lock plus cable lock. In lock-breaking tests, the ones that held up the best were Kryptonite's New York U-lock and On Guard's highest level U-lock. Choose your balance between security and weight, as the best locks can get up to 4-5 lbs.
- Lock your bike TO something secure. Pass up street signs, as they can be removed from the bottom easily. Lock to thick, immovable objects when possible.
- Remove any tempting accessories from your bike when locking-- lights, etc. Replace quick releases with allen screws or other unique bolts that screwdrivers can't get into. I've even read about people filling their wrench holes with epoxy glue, just to make it that much harder for would-be thieves.
- Register your bike at the National Bike Registry and your local town or city police department. This will make it more likely (although still slim) that you can recover your bike if it's stolen.
- Bring your bike indoors. Don't lock your bike outside overnight, no matter where you are. No lock can stand up forever to a seasoned thief and an angle grinder. The key is to reduce the amount of time your bike could be exposed to theft.
Good Locking
Frame is secured to post, both front and back wheels are secured to bike and/or post with U-locks.
Both wheels are secured and frame is locked to rack.
You can alternatively take your front wheel off and lock it with the frame and back wheel to the post.
Bad Locking
Frame was only locked with the easily-cut cable. U-lock should have gone through post and frame.
Only helmet locked with U-Lock, and the bike isn't locked to the pole, only to itself!
The seat is locked which is great but cable locks on their own are too easy to be cut with bolt cutters.
