Bike Locking Do’s & Don’ts

This is what happens when you only lock your front wheel to the rack; there goes the rest of the bike!

I was out on campus the other day and saw a pretty nice bike locked up in a particularly bad way which prompted me to take some more pics of other bikes in the same area to show how to both NOT lock up and how to best lock up your bike.  I also included some pics of some helpful anti-theft devices that we sell in our Center to help you avoid becoming a victim out there plus a few examples of what can get your bike impounded by the MSU Police.  Check out additional pics below (click on the pics in the slideshow to get captions/ more info) for more examples of what to do/ not to do.

The Basic Rules:

• Use the best lock you can afford (U-shaped locks are generally the strongest when used correctly) if you want to prevent theft of your bike.  We sell a good selection of U-locks but refuse to sell cable locks as over 90% are to blame for bike thefts.  We sell them in the Center and through our webstore here. 
• Lock your bike correctly (see pics in the gallery linked above) to a good bike rack or, lacking a good rack, to something that’s not movable and/or easily cut (on campus the ordinance requires that you lock to bike racks to avoid impoundment).
• Lock your bike in an area that’s highly visible; more secluded areas tend to have more theft as fewer people can potentially catch them in the act.
• If your bike is flashy (i.e. newer, bright colors), and expensive it’s best to NOT lock up outside at night ever; use your residence hall bike room if it has one (3/4 of residence halls on campus have them; check at your front desk).
• Seats and wheels are commonly stolen when they have quick releases (mechanisms that you can loosen with bare hands – no tools required).  Secure all components that have quick-release mechanisms with anti-theft skewers (for your wheels) and bolts for your seat adjustment that require tools to loosen (and not just your fingers).  We sell them in the Center and through our webstore here. 

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  Reverse the bike in the rack and use the U-lock to secure the rear wheel/ frame and the cable thru the front and this would be a perfect locking job!

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  Example of how NOT to lockup – see slideshow below for more examples and how TO lockup properly too.

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  Good lock that isn’t protecting much but the frame. Better than just locking the front or rear wheel but not by much.

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  Great locking job! Got the 2 most valuable parts of a bike: frame and rear wheel! Hopefully the front wheel is protected with an anti-theft wheel device or a separate lock.

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  Not bad locking job. The front wheel just isn’t as valuable as the rear, so best to use that U-lock to secure the rear wheel and frame.

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  Anti-theft wheel skewers to replace the quick-release type that can easily be opened with just your fingers and there go your wheels!

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  This is what happens when you only lock your front wheel to the rack; there goes the rest of the bike!

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  A+ locking job! Way to go! Both wheels secured and the frame!

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  Another A+ locking job! Way to go! Great sticker too. This chain and lock combo is very heavy and expensive and commonly seen in very high theft cities like NYC/ Chicago. Very hard to cut.

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  This is what hapens when you don’t secure your front wheel with anti-theft skewers. The rear wheel isn’t secured either. You can see countless bikes around campus like this, sadly.

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  Remember that lonely front wheel pic? Well, this person likely came out to find just their front wheel and the rest of the bike gone locking up like this.

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  Very expensive front wheel totally unsecure; can be stolen in less than 30 sec. and will cost over $100 to replace. You can see in the background that the person had a cable that could have secured the front wheel but they chose to not do so. Weird.

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  This is a real head scratcher. The whole bike (a very nice one) can be stolen in less than 3 min. by simply loosening a couple bolts that secure the stem to the fork.

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  Another example of a bike that didn’t have anti-theft wheel skewers and left unmonitored for too long. Sad.

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  Another A+ locking job!

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  Another A+ locking job!

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  Another A+ locking job!

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  The caption says it all! These bikes can and do get impounded immediately for locking up like this. They need to lock at bike racks.

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  Anti-theft bolt for securing seats. Just making your seat a bit harder to steal will generally keep it from getting stolen. Seat thieves are just trying to find another seat for their bike that got their seat stolen; it goes round and round.

Slideshow of examples of good and bad ways of locking up.

More anti-theft tips:
Ever forget your lock and need to lockup for a quick visit to a store or cafe?  Here are a few quick tips:

• Take your front wheel inside with you.
• Release the quick-release on your rear wheel; as soon as the would-be thief tries to ride off the rear wheel will shift in the frame and lockup (only works on bikes with horizontal drop-outs NOT vertical drop-outs).
• Use your helmet and strap it thru your rear wheel and frame.
• This one is more complex, only works with certain brakes and requires some forethought: adjust one of your brakes with the release in the open position then close it when necessary to lock your brake.
• Check out the late Sheldon Brown’s page of clever anti-theft tips.
• Join the Facebook group Michigan Hates Bike Thieves! for more tips and info. for recovering and preventing theft or sharing stories w/ others.

Excellent infographic by Project 529 – an online bike registration system
(as of Aug. 2019)