Your bike is precious to you. Just like jewels and diamonds, maybe, but whatever investment you made when you bought it, you and your bike surely have an emotional connection. Your bike has got you to here, there, and everywhere, it's got you up the steepest hill and along the longest valley, you’ve been to work on it, you've done the pub run on it, and some of you have even been joined by the family on their own precious bikes, on their own special journeys.
So it's quite important that you don't let some nasty creep steal away those memories.
Bike locked with cable and D lock
Now we're not going to say that by implementing the advice that follows your bike will never get stolen, but if you do take our advice, and make stealing your bike as difficult as possible, then you can at least take comfort that if it does get stolen that nasty creep must have really wanted it.
Of course the first thing you can do to protect your bike is not take it outside at all. But it’s not much fun just looking at it hanging on the wall or stood on the TV stand in the living room.
So do take it out for a ride, but get yourself a ‘Sold Secure’ Gold rated lock to put off the opportunist and slow down the professionals. They are generally considered the most difficult to break. Maybe add a chain or decent cable lock too, so any thief has to use more than one set of tools to get their job done.
Now you've got your locks, but what about all the unlocked bits on your bike? A good quality cable through the wheels can help stop them being stolen, or you can get locking skewers for Quick Release wheels that need a tool to release them (of course you'll need to carry the tool with you in case you get a puncture.) It's the same for the seatpost too, or swap a Quick Release seat clamp for a bolted one.
Always lock your bike to something immovable, like a decent bike stand. A thief in a van is entirely happy to pick up a bike just locked to itself, throw it in the van and get rid of the locks back home later. And locking it down a dark alley, or round a quiet corner of the office or supermarket will also give a thief time to chop off the locks undisturbed - lock it in public view instead.
And if it’s an e-bike, remove the battery if you’re away for some time, and the control panel if you can, and if it’s a heavy cargo bike, maybe even think about quick release pedals to thwart a quick getaway.
Finally, if you’re bike commuting, or bike retailing, or bike recreating, ask your employer, supermarket or leisure centre to think about how many more people will get there by bike if they spend a few quid on secure parking. And then think about what they could do with the land where those car parking spaces used to be that they don’t need any more…
We stock a range of locks, and we’re full of good ideas. Come and see us or give us a call if you’d like a chat about keeping your precious bike safe and sound.
