You can spend well on a lock and still lose the bike if you lock it badly, and a modest lock works hard with good technique. How you lock up matters as much as what you lock up with. For choosing the lock itself, see locks and theft prevention; this is how to use it.
The technique, every time
Five moves, the same at every rack:
- Lock to something fixed and solidA bolted-down rack, not a flimsy sign or slim tree. If it wobbles or ends above head height, the bike lifts clean over it.
- Capture the frame and the rear wheelBoth around the fixed object. The rear wheel is the pricey one; locking the frame alone leaves the wheels to be stripped.
- Fill the empty spacePack the lock with bike and rack, keyhole facing down. Air inside a U-lock is room for a tool or a jack.
- Secure the quick-release bitsFront wheel and saddle come off in seconds. Lock the front wheel in with the rear, or take the saddle with you.
- Park busy and well-litA thief wants privacy. A bike among other bikes is a harder target than one alone down a side alley.
And take the small valuables, since anything clipped on can walk off:
Two different locks (a U-lock plus a folding lock, say) make a thief carry two different tools, which is often enough to send them to an easier bike.
This is durable, well-established locking technique — the goal is simply to be slower and louder to steal than the next bike along. Run the quick check below until it’s second nature.
Every time you lock up
That's all of them — you're set. ✓
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