GEAR

How To Secure Your Bike From Theft?

If you’re picturing big, burly, and scary men in bandit masks, remove that image from your head. In truth, just about anyone can be a bike thief. We hate to break it to you, but stealing your bike or its precious parts isn’t a job that requires technical knowledge, especially if your bike has minimal or, worse, no protection.

Do bike thieves pick locks, though? Yes and no. If you have a cheap, low-quality lock, they can pick them within seconds. It might even be their go-to option, mainly if the job was not planned. Bike thieves usually opt for tools like bolt cutters to do the job quickly, especially if they have “bike theft” as a to-do task in their plan.

We’ll walk you through the role of bike thieves and what you can do to prevent your bike from such atrocity. Meanwhile, you can invest in a bike lock that offers proper protection. Here is a review of Sigtuna bike lock you can read up on as well.

How Do Bike Thieves Steal Bikes?

Let’s delve deeper into the two categories of bike theft we defined above. One is deliberate theft, and the other is opportunism. Deliberate bike theft is carried out by a professional. They are the ones who have thought it through and are on the lookout for expensive bikes. Rather than picking a lock, they would carry around tools and equipment to make the job quick and easy.

On the other hand, the opportunist is someone who would target unprotected bikes or those with cheap locks. They definitely wouldn’t be carrying any tools, and the easiest way to pick a lock would be to identify the cheapest one.

bike lock

4 Tools Bike Thieves Use and Ways To Prevent Theft

Bike thieves look for two things: a bike without its owner and a quick getaway. And you know what can protect you in both aspects and from all types of thieves? A high-quality bike lock. Securing your bike in a way that protects the wheels, the seat, and the handlebar is the key.

If you’re still curious to know how bikes thieves do what they do, here are their most used tools:

Their Bare Hands

We’re not kidding. Some bike locks are of such poor quality that bike thieves can unlock them with their bare hands. How do you prevent this? Invest in a better, branded lock. If you’re spending so much to purchase your bike, you shouldn’t think twice about spending a few more to secure it too. Make sure to have “Secure Gold/Diamond Rated” bike locks.

Bolt Cutters

This is the case, especially for professional thieves. Bolt cutters are easy to use, and if your bike lock is flimsy and cheap, it won’t be able to stand strong against the powerful squeeze of a bolt cutter. Use thicker chains or double deadbolt locks to secure your bike.

Cable Cutters or Wire Cutters

Similar to bolt cutters, cable or wire cutters cut away pieces of metal to make your cable lock fall apart. Prevent this by investing in a high-quality D-lock or chain lock and avoid cable locks altogether!

Hammers

Strike your bike lock to bits—that’s the motto of the thief who uses a hammer as a tool to steal a bike. A lock that isn’t made up of plastic or malleable metals will stand firm against a hammer. Moreover, position your bike lock so that there isn’t a nearby surface to bang the hammer against.

Extra Tips!

Investing in a durable bike lock is one aspect of this problem. We’ll discuss a few more efforts you can make to defeat these bike thieves from picking the locks of your precious bikes!

As shared by a bike thief himself, thieves usually go for easy targets in a secluded space. CCTV serves as no deterrent for them, and the most prominent targets are the bikes where you can pick the lock by giving the bike a strong push.

So, if you genuinely want to protect your bike, you should always look for a proper bike parking area. Many buildings have indoor bike parking spaces, and you should never compromise on the security of your bike for laziness.

Secondly, do not leave your bike for long durations or leave them in a busy, bustling street. Perhaps most important of all, don’t be stingy with the locks! Sure, it can be a hassle but at least use two different secure locks to ensure all the parts of your bike are safe.

Securing Your Bike With a Bike Lock

If you’re someone who doesn’t even lock their bike at all, we sure hope this article made you change your mind and focus more on finding the best lock to ensure your bike is protected at all times. After all, if you spent a fortune getting your bike, you should spend even more to ensure its safety.

Related Articles