Bicycle Security

Security Tips

• Lock it up, no matter how short a period of time you intend to be away for. Even if it is visible from where you are, you should remember that a person riding a bike is faster than another running after them!
• Lock to something immovable and solid.
• Leave it in a busy, public place where there is less opportunity for a thief to work unnoticed.
• If there are other bikes parked nearby, park yours next to one with inferior security! An opportunist will always take the easy option.
• Consider a range of locks, each catering for the different locations you will need to leave your cycle.
• Spend a suitable amount of money. You do get what you pay for. Police guidelines suggest that you spend approx 10% of the value of your bike on a lock to secure it.
• Don’t be fooled by cheap locks which look really beefy. Many cheap shackle locks can be broken with one blow of a brick or hammer. They may look the part, but you can guarantee that serious thieves know what they’re up against.
• Some insurance policies may stipulate the use of certain kinds/brands/models of lock to qualify for insurance so if you have your bike insured, make sure that the lock you buy won’t invalidate your insurance policy.

Security Accessories
Anchor Points
secured onto a wall or into the floor provide a fixed point to lock your bike to within a garage or shed. Bikes are commonly stolen from sheds and garages even though they have a lock on them, just not locked to anything!
Extension Cables
with open loop ends are available to extend virtually any form of bicycle lock but are most commonly used with Shackle Locks to allow the front wheel to be locked and for the bike to be locked to larger objects.
Locking Wheel Skewers
replace the quick release skewers fitted to many bike wheels to prevent the wheels being stolen.
Seat Leashes
are smaller diameter short lengths of cable which can be used to prevent your saddle and seat pin being stolen if your bike is fitted with a quick release seat binder bolt.
Disc Locks
like those used on motorbikes can be used as an immobiliser on bikes fitted with disc brakes although care should be taken to ensure that the disc lock is a suitable size for your disc. It’s not an ideal solution though, as most bicycle discs are relatively thin and could be easily bent or twisted by the disc lock.
Security Marking Systems
will not prevent your bike from being stolen, but with many owners being unable to prove that a stolen bike is actually theirs, it will improve the chances of it being returned to you if it is recovered. A thief may well find that a stolen bike which is security marked will be harder to sell on too. In some respects this means that if your bike is clearly identified as being security marked, it may reduce the chance of it being taken in favour of one which is not marked.
Electronic Tagging Devices
will not prevent your pride and joy from being stolen, however they will make it more likely that your bike will be recovered. Again, make sure that the bike is marked as being tagged to help reduce the risk of it being taken in the first place.