This is Good Lock Babe, back again with a follow-up from my previous question from Fall 2024. Now that I have the appropriate locks for my bike, how do I ensure that my bike is secure when I leave it unattended in public places? Or when I need to leave it outside overnight if I can’t use indoor storage? ––Good Lock Babe
Dear Good Lock Babe,
I’m glad you were able to use our post to find the right locks for your bike! Securing your bike properly is crucial to prevent theft and ensure its safety. Once you know the basics, you can have peace of mind when leaving your bike unattended. Here are some tips to help you secure your bike effectively:
Locking Technique Matters
You want to ensure that you’re always locking your bike to a solid, immovable object. Look for bike racks, sturdy poles, or designated bike parking areas. Avoid locking your bike to objects that can be easily cut or removed, such as small trees and chain-link fences.
When using your lock, ensure that it’s routed through the frame of your bike in such a way that it cannot be slipped off. The frame is important because it’s the core of your bike, while components like wheels, seats and handlebars can be removed making the lock ineffective. Additionally, try to capture as many parts of your bike with your lock as possible by threading it through the frame, wheel, and bike rack. The less empty space inside your lock, the harder it is for thieves to insert tools like car jacks or leverage bars to break it open.
Overnight Storage at Home
At home, if you don’t have the scarce DC luxury of indoor bike storage space such as a garage, there are a few techniques you can do to help secure your bike for overnight storage outdoors. Try to position your bike on a portion of your home not immediately easily visible from the street. If your home has little to no setback, try the rear of your home. It would also help if you’re able to tuck it away so that it’s not immediately noticeable to passersby, remember, most bike theft is a crime of opportunity.
Once you find a suitable place, you should invest in a high-quality lock anchor, a device that can be secured to the ground or a sturdy piece of wood (ex. a 4×4 section of a shed) to run your lock through, such as the Hiplok AX1000 or Hiplok ANKR.
You’ll want to use a bike lock with the highest security rating possible when storing your bike outside. This may not be the lock that you regularly carry with you on your bike as these locks tend to be much heavier and more cumbersome to carry on a bike. The Hiplok Home Gold is a great example of a bike lock that is perfect for securing your bike at home, but not a chain you’d want to carry with you on the go. Other brands like Abus and Kryptonite make chain locks with similar security ratings.
Best Practices for Long-Term Parking
For any long-term parking, you should be using more than one lock and following the same best practices we covered in our previous article. Using different types of locks (such as pairing a U-lock with a chain lock) forces thieves to carry multiple tools, making your bike a less attractive target:
- Secure your bike to the ground. Give the rack a shake before locking up to make sure it hasn’t come unbolted.
- Utilize available indoor bike parking when possible. These spaces are particularly good options in office buildings, at Nationals Games, and sometimes within parking garages.
- Park in a visible, public space. If you can’t find indoor bike parking, avoid dark corners and alleys that give thieves the time they need to work through even strong lock defenses.
- Remove valuable accessories. Lights, speakers, and sunglasses are easy to swipe in seconds.
And most importantly, don’t forget your bike locks when you come to the next Hill Family Biking ride. Our events are about more than just the ride, so we want you to be able to stay and enjoy without worrying about your bike security.
See you soon!