Bike Locks

How to Choose a Bike Lock

Something's wrong. You come out from the darkened store to the bright sunlight. Something is out of place. Literally. Your bike is gone. All that's left is the gaping space it once occupied.

You'll spend the next few weeks looking at every bike you see, hoping against all hope that you'll find yours. Odds are you won't. Here's a look at how you can thwart those who's aim is to get their hands on your ride.

	Once you've marked you bike with a non-removable identifier, register or license it at your local law-enforcement office. Bike locks come in several styles. Plan on spending 10%-15% of the value of your bike on the design that suits your needs. Using a combination of locks discourages thieves. The best way to keep your bike safe is to lock it in a well-lit, public space next to other bikes.

• U-Lock—The most widely used in the cycling market, its horseshoe shape can limit leveraging—provided it's not oversized for the bike. The goal is to reduce the amount of space in which a thieve can insert a crowbar and leverage enough oomph to pop it apart. The bulky locking mechanism resists hammers, chisels and the like. Also known as D-locks or U-bars. Some, such as Kryptonite, offer warranty programs.
• Chain—Tough enough for high-crime areas, these locks use a specially designed chain link, which disallows leveraging and resists hacksaws or chisels. Be sure to invest in a padlock that's just as sturdy—thieves can easily cut through thin locks, no matter how sturdy the chain.
• Cable—Cable locks have seen the most strides in thieve-deterrent designs. Some now feature sliding sizing or an armored coating. Cables are versatile and adaptable, and a good choice to use in combination with another style of lock.
• O-Lock—The newest innovation in lock design, O-locks are built to fit a specific part of the bike. Modeled after the concept of wheel 'boots' placed on illegally parked cars, O-locks clamp around a certain area or combination of areas of the bike making leveraging impossible, hacksawing too time-consuming, and chisels or hammers ineffective.
• Bike Club—Modeled after the Car Club, the Bike Club follows the same principle. It's basically a bar that's wedged across the wheel and frame and locked in place. Hard to leverage or cut but if used improperly, across the spokes for example, the bike part itself can be cut away or the wheel removed.
• Cuff Locks—Just as the name implies, cuff locks can quickly attach your bike to a secure post. The middle hinge is specially built to resist tampering. Expect to see more of these in the future.

• Remove the front wheel of your bike or make sure your lock encircles the rim, not the spokes, of the wheel, as well as the bike frame.
• Lock your bike to a fixed object that cannot be easily broken, cut or removed. Some thieves go so far as to remove bolts from sign posts. Once you've locked your bike around a seemingly secure pole, the thief simply lifts the post out of the ground and slips off the lock.
• Position the key entry so it faces the ground.
• Position your lock as high above the ground as possible to make it harder for a thief to find leverage and to make the lock obvious to passersby.
• Remove unsecured bike parts, such as the seat.

• All locks can be broken. Your job is to present an illusion of above-average resistance, convincing a thief that stealing your bike will require too much effort.
• Use a maximum U-lock or chain lock in conjunction with a cable lock. Chances are a thief will see two locks and move on to another victim.
• Set up the U-lock around your front tire, frame and some fixed object.
• Then snake the cable through your rear wheel, saddle rails, frame and the U-lock. You may still walk away feeling wary, but you'll know that you did the best you could.

• Do mark your bike and take a photo of it for future identification. Then for free or a minimal fee, register or license your bike at the local law-enforcement office.
• Do choose a lock that offers theft-protection and then mail in the the paperwork. You'll sleep better.
• Do choose a lock that leaves as little space as possible between the lock and the bike. A small space means thieves can't use leverage to break off your lock.
• Do lock your bike to something solid in a visible place. Don't lock your bike through a chain-link fence—anyone with a set of wire cutters can easily snip the fence and steal your bike. Don't lock your bike to wooden railings—thieves can break them.
• Do use underground parking lots with ample video surveillance cameras—cameras are excellent deterrents.
• Don't park your bike in dark alleys. Do select highly visible locations such as busy streets or in front of stores. Thieves likely won't bother with your bike if it's locked out in the open.
• Don't lock your bike in the same spot each day. Thieves 'case' behaviour patterns and thrive on predictability. Do lock your bike in a different location each day.
• Do lock your bike next to other bikes where possible.
• Do keep an extra key to your lock in a safe place. If yours is a combination lock, keep the number in a secure place.
• Don't let your lock rust. A frozen lock is simply dead weight. Use a periodic squirt of WD-40 to keep your lock in as good working order as your bike.
• Do remember that an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure. The few moments is takes each to time to lock up your bike will save you the time and money it would take to replace your bike.