How do I stop my bike being stolen?

Bike theft is opportunistic at the low end and highly organised at the high end, and the same two facts govern both: a thief needs somewhere to get a tool in, and a thief needs time. A good lock, used properly, removes both. A very good lock used badly removes neither.

What you'll need

• A Sold Secure gold or diamond lock
• A second, different lock or a cable for the front wheel
• The frame number, photographed
• A bike registration account

Step by step

1. Buy a lock by its independent rating, not its price or thickness.Sold Secure ratings — bronze, silver, gold and diamond, with a Pedal Cycle category — are awarded after timed attack testing with real tools. Diamond and gold are the levels that resist a determined attack. Some insurers specify a minimum rating, so check your policy before buying.
2. Spend in proportion to the bike.Roughly ten per cent of the bike's replacement value is the usual rule. A ten-pound cable lock on a thousand-pound bike is a gesture.
3. Choose the type for where you lock up.A short D-lock or U-lock is the strongest per pound of weight and is what most people should carry. A hardened chain with a separate padlock is heavier, more flexible and better for locking to awkward objects. A folding lock is a compromise. Any cable, of any thickness, is cut in seconds and is only ever a second-layer deterrent.
4. Lock to something that cannot be defeated.A proper Sheffield stand set in concrete. Not a signpost a bike can be lifted over, not scaffolding, not a wooden fence, not a wheelie bin, not a drainpipe. Check the stand itself is not already cut through — thieves prepare stands in advance.
5. Get the frame and the rear wheel in one lock.The rear triangle and the rear wheel through the same D-lock, around the stand. The rear wheel is the expensive one and the frame is the bike. Never lock only a wheel.
6. Fill the lock.A D-lock with a lot of empty space inside gives room for a bottle jack or a long lever. Choose a lock size that is just big enough, and position the bike so the shackle is packed with frame, wheel and stand.
7. Keep the lock off the ground and the keyhole facing down.A lock resting on the pavement can be smashed against it with a hammer, and the ground gives the leverage. Turning the keyhole downwards makes picking and drilling awkward and keeps water out.
8. Add a second, different lock.Two locks of different types mean two sets of tools. The second one takes the front wheel and the frame — or, at minimum, a cable through the front wheel back to the D-lock.
9. Secure the parts that unbolt.Quick-release wheels and seatposts come off in seconds. Replace the skewers with locking skewers or security bolts, or at minimum take the saddle and front wheel with you where that is realistic. Take lights, computers and pumps with you always.
10. Record the bike properly, today.Photograph the whole bike and any distinguishing marks, and photograph the frame number — usually stamped under the bottom bracket, on the head tube or on the rear dropout. Register it free on a national cycle database such as BikeRegister, and note the number somewhere you can find it in a hurry.
11. Vary where and when you leave it.Bikes are stolen from the place they always are, at the time they are always there. Where possible use covered, overlooked, CCTV-monitored parking, and avoid leaving a bike locked overnight in the street.
12. Check what your insurance actually requires.Home contents policies often cover bikes away from home only as an add-on, with a single-item limit, a specified lock standard and a requirement that the bike was locked to an immovable object. Read those conditions before you need them.

Tips

• Photograph the bike from both sides with the frame number visible, and keep it in the cloud rather than only on the phone that could be stolen with it.
• A very cheap-looking bike genuinely is stolen less. Scruffy tape over a smart frame, a battered saddle, and no visible branding all help.
• Never leave the lock on the stand when you ride away — thieves take it, defeat it at leisure, and put it back.
• Electric bikes and their batteries are stolen separately. Take the battery with you if it is removable.

Common mistakes

• Using a cable lock as the only lock — A cable of any diameter goes in seconds with hand tools that fit in a pocket. It is a visual deterrent and nothing more.
• Locking the frame to the stand and leaving the wheels on quick-releases — The bike stays and the wheels go, and a frame with no wheels is worth very little to you and quite a lot to them.
• Locking through the front wheel only — The wheel comes off and the rest of the bike walks away. This is the single most common theft and it is entirely avoidable.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask