Bike Anti-Theft Measures

BUC's Bike Security Brochure

Page 1 (156 KB JPeg)  /   Page 2 (258 KB JPeg)

Prevent Bike Theft By

• buying a U-lock; spend the money and retire your cable lock. Breaking a U-lock is significantly more difficult than any other type of lock and most drug-addled thieves won't bother.
• locking your bike TO something. Lock your frame. Lock your wheels if they are expensive. And ALWAYS lock your bike. Don't think that just because you're only going to be somewhere for 5 minutes, it's OK to leave it unguarded. Don't lock it to a chain-link fence. Make sure it can't be lifted up and over what it's locked to. Lock it in an area that is visible and has foot traffic - even if this is not where the bike rack is. Of course, the ideal safe place is inside your home or place of work.
• marking your bike with your driver's license number and record your bike's serial number at home. Your favourite bike shop will engrave or stamp your driver's licence number on your bike for you. Put it on various parts if they are expensive. You can also put a note inside your seat or head tube. Thieves also stay away from bikes with a "Marked for Identification" sticker. Note that Victoria Police no longer have a bike registration program.
• parking in high traffic areas. Avoid hidden/low traffic areas that give potential thieves longer to work unnoticed.
• asking a store or other business if you can bring your bike inside while stopping there.
• taking your front wheel with you if the bike is parked in a vulnerable area. (This is easier if you have a quick-release front axle.) Thieves are less likely to take incomplete bikes.
• locking your bike to your car's bike rack when leaving car and bike unattended.
• using an old or 'non-flashy' bike when you're leaving it in the open.
• not leaving your bike locked for long periods such as overnight, and not securing it in a predictable fashion, such as putting it in the same bike rack every day.

Prevent Bike Parts Theft By

• replacing quick-releases with nuts and bolts. Special 'Anti-Scam Cams' - bolts that require an unusual tool to undo - are also available at bike shops.
• applying adhesive silicone (that clear rubbery stuff also called 'GOOP') to fix brackets to your bike and make bolts difficult to undo quickly.
• taking with you any easily-removed accessories and components such as pumps, computers, lights, seat bags, quick-release seat and seat post, etc.

If Theft Occurs

If your bike is stolen, make sure you report it to the police. Not only will this enable you to get it back, but statistics on bike theft can support a crack-down on bike theft.

Residential insurance policies tend to have deductibles that often render claims for stolen bikes pointless. Instead, you can arrange with them for a special 'rider' which can have no deductible. This will cost you an extra premium but depending on the value of your bicycle may be well worth it.

Credit to Susanna Grimes for assembling many of these hints.