In order to prevent your bike from being stolen be sure you know how to properly lock your bike up. Here are seven tips on the best ways to lock your bike.
Frame it
Since most bicycles have removable parts, be sure to secure the frame of the bike to the immovable object. For example, do not lock the wheel of the bike since the rest of the bike can easily be removed from the wheel.
Up in the air and off the top tube
Try to keep the lock off the ground when securing your bike. If the lock is near the ground then the thief can smash the lock against the ground or use tools easily to break it. Additionally, avoid putting the lock on the top tube. If it is on the top tube the thief can use the frame to break the lock by lifting and twisting the bike. The best place for the lock is high up around the down tube or the seat tube.
Appearances can be everything
If the lock looks difficult to access or break the thief won’t want to go to the trouble. Try to position the lock so the keyhole faces downward which makes it harder to tamper with.
Fill up the space
If you are locking your bike with a U-Lock try to fill the extra space with the bike and the object you are locking it to. If there is extra space in the lock the thief can break it with a bottle jack.
Takes two
Depending on how safe you feel your neighborhood is, you may want to use two locks to secure your bike. It is not only harder to break it also looks harder to break which further deters thieves. Common combinations include the U-Lock with a cable, chain or another U-lock. For more specific strategies The Best Bike Lock blog provides more specific case by case scenarios that you can help match your situation to the best lock strategy you might need.
Bring your wheel
Removing your front wheel is another way to secure your bike. Since the front wheel is the easiest one to remove, it will improve the odds of losing parts of your bike (or you can save yourself the hassle and secure it with our Pitlocks).
The Sheldon Method
Sheldon Brown, bicycle enthusiast has a method of locking the lock by only securing the rear wheel and positioning the lock between the rear triangle of the frame. This allows the owner to use a smaller lock when securing the bike. This method makes it so the bike can’t be pulled through the rear triangle of the bike (since the lock gets in the way). The Best Bike Lock blog mentions that it might not be the best strategy for more expensive bikes since the thief could simply saw through the rear wheel, so this strategy is more for short periods of time.
Be sure to use these six techniques to secure your bike. In addition to the proper locking techniques, it is important to be smart about where you choose to lock your bike, read five tips about how to choose a secure spot.