How to Select a Bicycle Lock
You've decided to cut your carbon footprint and commute to work on your bicycle. No matter how safe the area where you work, you should always lock the bike up. An idle, unlocked bicycle is just too tempting for would-be thieves, particularly if it's a valuable bike. There are a variety of different locks available and choosing the right one is an important step.
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Instructions
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Before shopping for a lock, survey the area(s) that you plan to bike to most often. While it will be difficult to consider every place that you may park your bike in the future, there's likely one or two that will be reoccurring, such as work. Get an idea of where you can lock your bike and how large the lock will need to be to wrap around available structures. Take measurements to be precise. While you want a lock that's large enough, you don't want it to be too big either, making it easier to cut or tamper with. Also make sure that the structure itself is not easy to compromise (i.e. a few cuts of a chain link fence could render a lock useless).
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Head to the store to look for a lock. Bike locks are available in a variety of places, but you'd be best to go to a bike shop or quality sporting goods store, rather than look for an inexpensive lock at a big box store.
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Decide just how valuable your bike is and how likely it is to be a target of theft. Obviously, it's valuable enough to lock up, but do you want to spend a lot of money on a high-strength, quality lock or simply use a lock as a deterrent against theft. Value isn't just monetary, but also includes how difficult it would be to replace, how not having a bike would affect your life, etc. Also, if it's a low-crime, nice neighborhood, spending all that money on an expensive, heavy-duty lock may be excessive. Factor these considerations into your purchase.
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Choose the right style. Bike locks come in a number of styles and the style you choose will reflect both the quality and strength of lock that you need and the type of structure you have to secure the lock to. Some options include:
- Thin cable lock: This is flexible and long making it easy to secure to a variety of objects. But it is the least secure option and easy to cut.
- Thicker cable lock: This is less flexible and possibly more difficult to attach, but stronger and more of a deterrent than a thinner cable.
- Chain lock: This lock is sturdy and strong, but rather bulky and heavy.
- U-shaped lock: This is very strong and difficult to break. However, its very limited size means it will not work for a lot of structures. It is good if you have a small structures such as a thin pole or bike rack. -
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Remember when shopping for a lock that you want to secure both the frame and wheels whenever possible. Many bikes today use quick-release wheels which are very easy to take off. If you secure only the wheel, a thief could make off with the rest of the bike. If you secure only the frame, a thief could steal the wheels, which may be very expensive by themselves.
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Also consider the integrity of the locking mechanism. If you have a strong cable, but a cheap plastic lock just think how easy it would be to smash the lock and make off with the bike. A heavy-duty metal lock is a desirable feature.
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Don't forget that you may have to carry the lock, unless you will only be using it and storing it in one place. Take the size and bike storage options into consideration when shopping.
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Consider the ease of the locking mechanism. Most bike locks come with either a combination lock or key lock. Determine which you like better.
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Tips & Warnings
Check to see if the lock you're purchasing has any form of theft insurance/monetary recovery. Register your bike with law enforcement and put an identification tag on it, to make it easier to recover should it be stolen. If your only option is a chain lock and you're in a high-crime area or think there's a good chance your bike will be a target, consider using two locks to make it more difficult to steal and serve as a deterrent.
