Locking your bike safely

If you have to leave your bike out in the harsh street, you have to have a secure lock. There are different types of locks. Some are made for locking motorbikes and there are different types of bicycle locks that use different mechanisms, some of them simpler while others are more complex. Remember, that it is not size that determines if a lock is safe or not. Some extremely rough looking locks can be made of a softer, lower quality material while some of the most innocent looking, rather thin models are saw, cutting tool, drill and even freeze-spray resistant.

What locks are there to choose from?

There are two main types of locks:

• flexible cable and chain locks
• stiff ‘U’ shackle locks and swing ‘U’ shackles with a special steel housing.

‘U’ locks are the most secure types of lock but they do not tend to be very large so it might not be easy to find the object to lock your bike to. A good alternative to the ‘U’ shackle to solve the above problem is a folding bike lock. These are also stiff and strong but are longer so they make it easier to pick the right location for locking up.

The lock mechanism can be:

• key operated
• or a lock with a dial type combination.

The key operated lock should be the tamper resistant type, anti-drill, anti-frost and acid resistant. The combination locks are not only harder to force but you do not have to worry about losing your key either. Be careful with cheap combination locks though, as they can be broken with a hammer unlike key operated locks. Bear in mind that thieves are usually specialising in one or the other, therefor it is worth using both types simultaneously.

What type of lock is best?

There are different factors to consider, one is transportability, the size and weight of the lock. Most models originally designed for motorbikes are at a disadvantage here with their 3-4 kilos weight. Nevertheless if you leave your bike at the same place every day (or night), it is a logical solution to leave a secure but heavy lock there and not take it with you (luckily, locks do not often get stolen). Flexible locks are small and light, easy to transport so you should always have one with you provided you have to lock your bicycle for a short time while you pop in somewhere on the way. If you use a rigid shackle and a flexible lock simultaneously it is much more likely that you will find your bike where you left it even after a few hours. It takes twice the time and needs twice as many tools to break both types of locks and luckily thieves do not like to fidget around for long. Most bicycle thefts are opportunist thefts, thieves take the bike that requires less effort to steal.

The other important factor when choosing your lock (besides transportability) is safety.

Safest are the rigid ‘U’ shackle locks and chains with a secure lock mechanism. Some of the flexible locks are relatively reliable but in general these are easier to open and are only adequate for shorter periods of time and best if the bike is visible from where you are.

Safety levels

The standardized safety scale used by lock manufacturers classifies locks based on the protective quality and is absolute, so different types of locks can be compared looking at this value.

Levels 1-7 classify rather as deterrence while locks with safety levels 8-12 can mean ultimate security. There are huge differences concerning both functionality and price between the different types of locks. Some types, simply because of the mechanism employed, cannot mean an ultimately secure solution (like a spiral bike lock for example). You should decide what suits your bike, area where you live and cycle and your budget best. Some of the more serious locks are granted levels of award by European test institutions that perform a variety of standardised tests on them. All in all, it is worth taking a closer look at data on the package when purchasing a lock.

How to lock the bicycle?

A flexible cable allows you to disassemble your bike and lock all the parts together. With a ‘U’ lock you can lock the frame and the rear wheel to a strong object. (This object should be at least as robust or strong as the lock itself otherwise that will be cut and your bike stolen.) Safest is the smallest size ‘U’ lock as there is little chance that a crowbar fits inside the ‘U’ shape and it is also hard to remove it by twisting.

With a larger ‘U’ shackle lock the most practical solution is to lock the seat tube and the rear wheel to a strong iron bar. With the smaller models lock the rear wheel rim and the rear triangle (seat stay- chain stay-seat tube) as the wheel cannot be moved in such a position. Some consider this latter solution unsafe thinking that the rim and tyre are easily cut and the bike can be stolen but this is practically impossible. It is much harder to saw the rim and the tyre than the frame itself. The spikes are holding the rim so tight that the saw cannot be moved after the first stroke.

‘U’ locks can be used together with a thin cable that helps to lock different parts. A ‘U’ shackle lock is the best choice considering weight versus safety. There is a variety of sizes available and with the extra wire this type of lock provides full protection.

Where to lock the bike?

You should choose a busy place where many people walk by, or at least enough to embarrass a thief when trying to force the lock open. Places like the entrance of office buildings or shopping malls are perfect in this sense. It is best if the object you lock your bike to is rather high. With a ‘U’ lock the bike can even be hung on a lamp post. It is harder to cut or damage a lock high up, not mentioning that it is much more visible as well. If you choose an object located lower you should make sure that it is not ‘open’, meaning that the bike cannot simply be ‘taken off’. Do not save time on finding the right spot, even a less secure, lower quality lock can do if the location is picked carefully.

On the bike lock market in Hungary the German Abus and the American Kryptonite represent top quality.

7 useful tips:

1. Do not leave your bike unattended this is the best ‘lock’.
2. If you have to part with it, lock it up, no matter how short a time you intend to be away for.
3. You only need to purchase a quality lock once, but you might have to buy a new bike if you tried saving on the lock.
4. Poor quality locks are the most expensive. Anything under 2.000 HUF is bogus.
5. The quality of the lock should agree with the value of the bike.
6. The object you lock your bike to should be at least as strong as the lock, immovable and solid.
7. Write down your frame serial number and register at the manufacturer, this is what you need first thing in the sad case of your bike getting stolen.