The fear of bike theft: for some it’s real, for others it’s an excuse (to drive). Whatever the case, let’s end that fear now and let’s end it together. The tables have turned on bike thieves, owing to some ingenious new products that you can use. Here’s what you can to do to help end bike theft:
Use an Angle-Grinder Resistant U-lock
The most effective way to protect your bike from theft is to use an angle-grinder resistant u-lock. Examples are: the OnGuard RockSolid 8590, The Likelock X3, the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500, or the Hiplock DX1000. More such locks are likely to come on the market and, as they do, prices would ordinarily drop. But don’t dally because all of these locks are made overseas and will soon be subject to some steep tariffs.
And understand that these new locks render any u-lock (or other type of lock) you may already own obsolete. They are made with ceramic impregnated steel that quickly wears away an angle grinder’s cutting blade. Yes, with enough discs and batteries, a team of professional thieves could eventually get through one of these new locks, but it’ll require time they probably won’t have and money they won’t want to spend. Indeed, in testing, five minutes of angle grinding the OnGuard RockSolid had resulted in only cosmetic damage to the lock. These new locks are equipped with shackles that don’t rotate- a thief would have to cut through the lock twice.
A comparison of these bike locks (and purchasing links) can be found here.
Obviously, no lock will protect your bike if you don’t actually use it. So make sure you bring your lock with you and use it properly every time you walk away from your bike, even for just a few minutes. Also, be sure to lock the frame of the bike to a robust rack, one that won’t be easy to cut through with an angle grinder.
Use Pitlock, Hexlox or Equivalent
In order to prevent thieves from walking off with your seat or wheels, use a system like Pitlock, or Hexlox to make these components difficult to remove. Note that the addition of this security can make it reasonable to just lock your front tire to a bike rack when the design of the rack makes it impossible to lock to the frame.
Opt for E-bike Electronics
It used to be that, if you wanted bullet-proof electronic security for your ebike, you had to plunk down several grand for an ebike from Stromer. No longer. These days Aventon is including similar electronic security on ebikes that retail for less than $2K, and any bike with a Bosch Smart System motor can do the same thing. These bikes all connect by cellular signal to your smartphone. They provide GPS tracking, an audible motion-sensing alarm on the bike, real-time notifications of tampering, geofencing, passcode entry, remote lock/unlock, and some mechanism to keep the bike from being ridden unless/until the bike is electronically unlocked by its owner.
This tech is reason alone to get an ebike. You really can’t get the same level of protection with aftermarket motion-sensing alarms and/or airtags.
Have Secure Home Storage
Too often, bikes are stolen from a home, a garage through a pedestrian entry or from a storage shed. Make sure the lock on any pedestrian entry door has a deadbolt. Add a concrete equipment pad and proper bike rack to a storage shed so that you can lock your bike to that rack. Alternatively (or additionally), use a system like YoLink to alarm that shed (and/or pedestrian door). You’ll be alerted when someone is breaking in. And if you have a side gate to your property, lock it. There are now gate locks that lock and unlock from both sides of the gate.
Also, don’t skimp on the security for home storage even if you have fancy electronic security on your ebike. Typically, that tech will be unpowered and inoperative if/when you bring the battery in for charging. It is not recommended storing the battery on the ebike.
Register Your Bike
While it’s no substitute for all of the foregoing, you should register your bike to Bike Index and affix one of their registration stickers to your bike. The registration sticker is simply a warning to thieves that your bike will be more difficult to sell.
Sharing this Info Will Deter Thieves
While we’d all like to see the end of bike theft, none of the foregoing security measures are free. And, naturally, one can be forgiven for grumbling about the expense but let’s put it in perspective. Your car may well have a whole structure built for its storage and protection, a garage that will have added on average $28,000 dollars to the cost of your home, condo, or apartment. That car is probably equipped with an alarm system that contributed at least $200 to the cost of the vehicle. Even so, that system still won’t protect components like your catalytic converter. Moreover, the investments you make in upgrading the locks on a pedestrian door, alarming a shed, or adding a lock to a side gate will probably help protect many other things you own from theft, not just your bike.
Importantly, the more of us who invest in protecting our bikes using these modern methods, the less bike thieves are likely to find it worth their while to frequent our community. So share this article with friends and neighbors and encourage them to join you in defending our bikes from theft. There really is strength in numbers, and the new tools available give us law-abiding folks the advantage.