https://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html
Reports of the demise of this Web site are greatly exaggerated! We at
sheldonbrown.com thank Harris Cyclery for its support over the years.
Harris Cyclery has closed, but we keep going. Keep visiting the site
for new and updated articles, and news about possible new
affilations.
HArris Logo
[ ] [Search]
Lock Strategy
find us on FB Donate with PayPal button *
Sheldon Brown photo
by Sheldon "Belt And Suspenders" Brown
revised by John "Lock and Key" Allen
Spoke Divider
* Using Locks
* Street Security
* No Perfect Defense
* Links
The first issue in bicycle security against theft is what kind of
bicycle you are locking up. A bicycle that looks like a junker can
ride like a dream. An older frame with scratched and chipped paint
and nice but undistinguished-looking components is a good choice. Let
it get dirty. Sheldon's Mead Ranger is a good example. That's the
original paint, or what's left of it. This bicycle is really old.
(1916! -- maybe too old, it's collectible, but most thieves wouldn't
understand such subtleties. In any case, this isn't a daily
ride-to-work bike.)
Kryptonite lock used properly
Kryptonite Mini lock securing Sheldon's beloved 1916 Mead Ranger
Choosing and Using Locks
If you don't have secure parking at your workplace, or will be
locking your bicycle in unsecured areas, you should have a serious
lock, such as a Kryptonite. You need not carry it home every night
unless you also are locking the bicycle in high-crime areas on the
way home. The weight of a typical U-lock represents the difference
between a $400 bike and a $1000 bike.
People tend to buy big, clunky U-locks because they don't know how to
use them properly. A U-lock can go around the rear rim and tire,
somewhere inside the rear triangle of the frame without looping it
around the seat tube: the wheel cannot be pulled through the rear
triangle. A lock which passes around a rim makes the bicycle
unrideable even if the object it is locked to can be broken or
disassembled.
The best U-locks, if you must carry one on the bike, are the
smallest. The Kryptonite Mini is much smaller and lighter than the
more popular models, but just as secure. It may be even more secure,
because of the limited room to put an automotive jack inside it. It
also gives less purchase for leverage-based attacks. Have the keyway
of a U-lock facing downward so it isn't as easy to drill out.
Some people will object that felons might cut the rear rim and tire
to remove a lock. This just doesn't happen in the real world. It is
possible to cut the rim with a hacksaw, working from the outside to
the inside, but first, the tire must be removed or cut through. It
would be a lot of work to steal a frame without a usable rear wheel,
the most expensive part of a bike after the frame.
On the other hand, a slightly longer lock would fit around the rim,
and the chainstays or seatstays...or locking from the left side might
allow a smaller lock because the chain doesn't get in the way...you
might need a longer lock too, for when you can't get the bike as
close to a pole.
Lock the bicycle in one way or another, or at the very least disable
it, whenever it is out of your sight. Theft can occur at unexpected
times and places. John had his bicycle parked in the fenced-in back
yard of a friend's house when it a guest who left a Thanksgiving
dinner early rode away on it. A general invitation had been issued to
people who attended the same church. This person evidently did not
subscribe to the teachings of the church. A simple cable lock would
have prevented this theft, and there was one in the bicycle's touring
bag. Also lock your bicycle at home unless it is in a secured area.
Some workplaces have secure bicycle parking. You may be able to take
the bicycle inside your workplace, or there may be a secured parking
area. The bike cage shown in the photos below is next to the
parking-garage entrance at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in
Boston. The entrance is under video surveillance and the door has an
electrically-operated lock. Employees enter by swiping a smart card;
others must press a button to speak over an intercom with a guard who
releases the door. Still, lock the bicycle and remove valuable items.
Secure bicycle parking
Lacking this level of security, you can leave a heavy lock at work,
locked to whatever you normally lock your bike to. Carry a light
cable lock with you for quick errands or emergencies. It is easily
cut, but you are making a trade-off between security and convenience.
If you must lock your bike in an unsecured area, choose an area
exposed to public view if possible. You may be able to lock your bike
in a praking garage in view of the attendant.
If you use both the U-lock and the cable lock, you are more than
twice as safe as you would be with either of them alone. Either type
of lock can be defeated, but each requires a different large, bulky
tool which is useless against the other.
The cable lock will secure your front wheel to the frame and any
convenient object, and the U-lock will secure the rear wheel and
frame. If you have a quick-release seatpost bolt, replace it with an
Allen-head bolt, put a cheap saddle on your commute bike, and then
you won't worry.
The best cable locks have the lock built-in, rather than relying on a
padlock. The padlock is the weak link, easily cut with bolt cutters,
the tool of choice for most bike thieves. A new, sharp bolt cutter
will cut a cable too, but an old, worn-out one will only crush a
cable.
Lock to an object which would be difficult to cut or disassemble, and
where the bicycle can't be lifted over the top. Good, secure bicycle
racks are becoming common these days: "dishdrainer", wheel-bending
racks are seen less often. A thick signpost, cast-iron fencepost,
parking meter post etc. is good, as long as locking there is legal:
bicycles also may be removed by police and maintenance crews. Check
before locking: some posts can be lifted out of the ground, and
thieves have been known to cut bicycle racks, taping over the cuts to
hide them. If you are stuck with a dishdrainer rack, lock to the end
of it if you can. If one is in a secure area, back the bicycle in::
the rear wheel, unlike the front, will hold the bicycle steady. Lock
the rear wheel to the rack and the frame to the wheel for additional
security.
Face the keyhole of your lock down, so water doesn't run into it.
Some locks have sliding covers for the combination dials or keyhole.
Securing a Bicycle on the Street
Let's take some advice from John's friend Bert Hill. Bert is shown
here locking his bicycle on the street in San Francisco. A bicycle he
lent me (John) is on the closer side of the signpost. We were about
to go into a restaurant for lunch.
Locking a bicycle on the street
Here are Bert's tips on securing bicycles on the street:
* Ride a bicycle which is less attractive to thieves than others
locked nearby -- same as Sheldon's advice. The old saddle on
Bert's bike, its torn cover wrapped in gaffer's tape, is no less
comfortable than it was when new. The bicycle Bert lent to me, on
the near side of the post, is less ugly, but still not a prime
target for thieves.
* Wrap the U of lock around the post so the crossbar is on the
bicycle side. This way, if someone locks a bicycle to the other
side of the post, you will still be able to get the key into your
lock.
* Lock the right side of the bicycle toward the signpost or rack,
making removal of drivetrain components more difficult. (Works
best with two bicycles locked head-to-tail, as shown).
* Hmm -- Bert has not locked the wheels. Why not? And Bert's
bicycles have quick-release wheels. An explanation follows.
Quick releases are great for quick wheel changes during races, and
for when a bicycle is boxed or bagged or transported in a car, but
are also great for thieves. Stories abound of wheel thefts, and of
thefts where one naive person locked the back wheel, another the
front wheel, a thief assembled parts from the two bicycles and rode
away.
Bert uses quick-release replacements. These defeat the purpose of the
quick releases for the user -- but also for thieves. Common brands
are Pinhead Locks and Pitlock. The set of parts shown below secures
both wheels, the seatpost and a clamp-on handlebar stem. The special
key shown at the lower right fits into recesses in the domed nuts.
The keys and nuts are made in over 1000 different patterns. Devices
are also made to secure nutted wheels and saddle clamps.
Quick-release replacements
Spoke Divider
Ezoic
Spoke Divider
No Perfect Defense
There is no perfect defense against thieves. In a high-crime
location, take extra steps to make your bicycle unattractive to
thieves. You can easily disable a bicycle so it can't be ridden away.
Taking the front wheel with you isn't much trouble if you are going
to be at work all day. A folding bicycle offers special opportunities
along these lines, as long as it can be locked securely.
Remove easily-removable items -- lights, bicycle computer, bags. An
easy-to-carry bag with a strap makes this more convenient. Some
bicycle bags have this feature, or you could use a small backpack.
Bert Hill describes how thieves work in teams of three: the first one
checks out bicycles in a rack to determine which is most appealing
and/or easy to steal, and what tools are needed. The second brings
the tools and cuts the bicycle loose, but does not take it. The third
one rides away on the bicycle. The one who inspects the bicycles may
arouse suspicion, but walks away. The one who cuts the lock doesn't
actually steal the bicycle, and can't be charged with that crime. The
one who takes the bicycle doesn't appear to be doing anything
unusual. If you see something, say something.
You may be well-advised to lock your bicycle at home, especially if
you must leave it in a public area such as an apartment-building
basement. Even if this is inside a locked perimeter, dozens, even
hundreds of people you don't know -- not only your neighbors but also
maintenance crews and who knows who else, will see your bicycle there
day after day.
If you use GPS applications such as RidewithGps or Strava, mask your
home location on GPS tracking applications. There are GPS devices
which can report on the location of your bicycle if it is stolen, but
they are expensive, and what would you do with the information?You
could report the location to police, but you probably don't want to
meet up with the thief yourself, unless with police assistance. A
police sting operation can make good use of thsi technology.
Also note, a bicycle with a single main tube poses a locking
challenge. Some folding bicycles have separable seatstays, and
locking the rear wheel will not secure the frame. You need to pay
extra attention to be sure that the lock passes through a part that
can't be separated. Or take advantage of the bike's folding and take
it in with you. Ask your employer to install secure, sheltered
bicycle parking at your workplace: a bicycle is as easily lost
through by sitting out in the weather every day, as by theft.
Kryptonite offers insurance in connection with its locks, at a
reasonable price (see link below). Homeowner's and renter's insurance
usually covers bicycles, but it won't pay for the inconvenience of
being without a bicycle, or recoup the entire loss.
The more expensive bicycles these days are sold on flash and spec
hype. Light weight in a bicycle counts for much less than you might
think because, after all, you are by far heavier than the bicycle.
The modest increase in performance between a $400 bicycle and a
$10,000 carbon-fiber wonder is important to racers -- but for daily
transportation, choose a reasonable balance between expense and
performance. Also, having more than one bicycle ready to ride is
convenient if you discover that the one you rode yesterday has a flat
tire, or if one is stolen. Keep a file of receipts, serial numbers
and photos of your bicycles, to make it easier to file a claim if
your bicycle is stolen, or to verify ownership if it is recovered.
John's Raleigh Twenty shown below would be very low on the priority
list for a thief.
John Allen's Raleigh Twenty, brush-painted with drippy marine enamel.
I left the bike here two days. I took the seat post and saddle with
me, along with
the touring bag. I took the hinge key too. The red arrow points to my
old Kryptonite lock, which secured the front wheel and the frame.
The rear wheel is hard to access, behind the front wheel, and
hard to remove, with its internal-gear hub's nutted axle.
Raleigh 20
spoke
Lock Links:
Theft Prevention (MIT Campus)
Kryptonite lock history
Bagels and Locks
Video on using locks
Kryptonite insurance offer
Pinhead Locks
Pitlock
Spoke DividerEzoic
Ezoic
Spoke Divider
* What's New
* Sheldon Brown on Facebook
* Site Feedback & Questions
Articles by Sheldon Brown and Others
* What's New
* Beginners
* Bicycle Glossary
* Brakes
* Commuting
* Cyclecomputers
* Do-It-Yourself
* Essays and Fiction
* Family Cycling
* Fixed-Gear
* Frames
* Gears and Drivetrains
* Humor
* Old Bikes
* Repair Tips
* Singlespeed
* Tandems
* Touring
* Video
* Wheels
* Translations
* Sheldon - the man
Reports of the demise of this Web site are greatly exaggerated! We at
sheldonbrown.com thank Harris Cyclery for its support over the years.
Harris Cyclery has closed, but we keep going. Keep visiting the site
for new and updated articles, and news about possible new
affilations.
Copyright (c) 1995, 2008 Sheldon Brown,
2017 John Allen Ezoic
Harris Cyclery Home Page
If you would like to make a link or bookmark to this page, the URL
is:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html
Last Updated: by John Allen
Ezoic
Quantcast