How to effectively lock your bike

 

These two articles explain locking strategies in greater detail:

• Sheldon Brown lock strategy
• LifeHacker Article

A bike is an investment

Whether your buying a new or used bike, it’s important to think of a bike as an investment. While you don’t need to spend many thousands of dollars to get a good bike, you also shouldn’t think of buying and owning a bike in terms of it being a toy and just getting by. More often than not, the more thought and money you put into buying a bike and related parts and accessories, the better your experience riding the bike is going to be.

Take some time and think through what will best suit your needs. Do some research on “how to choose a new bike” and “recommendations for buying a new bike”. We encourage you to visit one of Erie’s local bike shops.

In terms of risking a stolen bike, ask yourself how much the overall cost and inconvenience of a stolen bike is going to affect you? We’re talking time, money and probably even some sanity, especially if your bike is your main source of transportation. Everyone’s situation is different, so we recommend that you spend some time thinking about what kind of tolerance you have for a stolen bike and what risks you might face and how you should prepare accordingly.

Document and register your bike before it’s stolen

To help increase the likelihood of recovering your bike(s):

• Keep your receipt or any other proof of purchase (take photos of them just in case).
• Write down the serial number(s) and take clear photos from multiple angles.
  • Where to find your bike’s serial number
• Register your bike(s) on Bike Index – Bike Index makes stolen bikes harder to sell and easier to recover (thousands of bikes have been recovered as a result of Bike Index).
• Register your bike on Rejjee – like Bike Index but for all goods including bikes. There are also perks like potential discounts from the manufacturer when buying new items that were stolen.

What kind of lock to buy

What kind of lock you buy and how much you invest in a bike and lock depends on factors like:

• How much you ride your bike.
• Where you ride your bike to and how long you leave it in various locations.
• What you use your bike for – transportation, recreation, exercise, some kind of combination of the three, or maybe something else altogether.
• Your budget / how much you want to invest.
• How much weight your OK with and/or can physically deal with.

In addition, we recommend three main criteria for choosing a lock:

• Security
  • Consider combining different kinds of locks and/or security options at one time (e.g.  U-lock and a cable lock) to increase deterrence and chance of recovery.
  • If you spend $30 or less on a bike lock then you can probably expect about the same amount of deterrence/security (AKA probably not very much).
• Adaptability 
  • Optimal forms of bike parking aren’t available everywhere, so make sure your lock can be used on different objects (a single cable lock is usually not secure enough).
  • Consider a combination of a U-lock and cable and/or cable lock or chain for greater flexibility.
  • When you’re biking with a large group of people around town, being able to lock everyone’s bikes together with a cable can be very helpeful.
• Convenience
  • Having large bike locks that are heavy and annoying to use make biking, especially long distances, less enjoyable. Then again, so does having your bike stolen.
  • Ask yourself where and how you plan on carrying and storing the bike lock – it’s better to figure it out ahead of time.
  • Keys, combinations, etc. (know thyself) if you frequently lose things or have a bad memory, then you’ll want to keep these factors in mind when choosing a lock (spare keys can be a godsend).

Ultimately, no existing locking solution(s) are full-proof (if you know of one, let us know), but there are certainly inferior products that are nearly worthless and should be avoided.

Where to look for more information on bike locks

Hopefully our advice and guidance will help you to better understand how to determine what is best for you. So where do you start looking? Here is decent list of different types of bike locks with some information on how secure they are. Also, consider GPS bike trackers and smart locks like these options.

Talk with your insurance providers

Homeowners and renters insurance policies may cover replacement costs, so be sure to check your policy and/or call your agent to add your bike and to see if you are covered and in what situations. Some policies cover you if your bike is stolen or damaged anywhere.

• Consider buying a bike insurance policy from a provider like Spoke Insurance.

Recovering your bike

• If your bike is ever stolen, then make sure to file a police report. Typically many insurance policies require you to do so in order to make a claim.
• Notify your insurance company (you need to do so within the first so many days).
• Email Bike Erie at Contact@BikeErie.org with a description of your bike and when and where it was stolen and we’ll help get the word out.
• Report your bike stolen on Bike Index and Rejjee.
• Share your stolen bike information with everyone you know on Facebook, Twitter and all social media accounts you have.
• Create a handout with photos and a description (consider listing a reward) and give them to Erie bike shops and place them in the area location where your bike was stolen (drop them off at second hand / thrift shops as well).
• Set up alerts on Craigslist, Ebay and other sites that match your bikes description (use many key words including the name, color, type of bike, etc.) You can use services like ifttt.com to setup and receive alerts from multiple channels like Craigslist and Facebook whenever anyone posts a description matching your bike.
  • You can also set up an RSS feed. Do this by searching for your bike’s description and make sure to include the names of surrounding cities. On the results page, scroll to the bottom and click on the RSS icon. You will generate an RSS feed that you can plug into an RSS delivery system like Feedly and get real-time updates.
• Visit flea markets, second-hand stores, and similar places in the area to look for your bike.
• If you were using a specialist lock, such as a Kryptonite lock and your bike was stolen, you may be eligible for the Kryptonite Anti-Theft Protection Offer. You will need to mail your notice of theft within 7 days to Kryptonite. Make sure to contact Kryptonite’s Customer Service.