🔐 Lock the bicycle properly

Locking your bike properly is not rocket science, but something seems to have gone wrong in our cover image! Just a few simple tricks can help effectively protect a bike from thieves – and here you'll find our best tips.

• Which bikes and e-bikes should you lock?
• How do you lock the bike properly?
• Our lock recommendations
• What else can you do besides locking?

To find out how you can securely lock your bike, you just need to briefly put yourself in the shoes of a thief and think: What does the bike thief want? In most cases, it's ... easy prey, maximum profit, and not getting caught. The harder you make it for him, the more likely he is to avoid your bike! This leads to the following approach if you want to securely lock your bike:

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Do you only need to lock expensive bikes?

Simple answer: No, all of them! Expensive bikes are stolen to resell them. Cheap and older bikes are stolen because the thief wants to ride them. However, the damage is particularly great when a valuable bike is gone. So

• new bikes
• expensive bikes
• brand bikes
• e-bikes
• particularly popular types of bikes like mountain bikes, gravel bikes, or racing bikes

... definitely lock them according to all the rules of the art.

Even simple bikes get stolen – so lock them up!

Old bikes disappear as well. The thief usually needs a means of transport himself, so he grabs an inconspicuous, older bike and rides it around. This happens especially if the bike is not properly locked and can be quickly stolen. So you should always lock an older bike as well. 

 The rule is quite simple: Every bike should be locked if it is loved or needed! Image: Florian Klauer on Unsplash

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Securely lock your bike in 5 steps

Do you remember the brief insight into the bike thief mindset from earlier? This knowledge best secures your bike!

1. Where should you lock your bike?

As a bike thief, you don't want to be observed. Dark, quiet corners are therefore not a good bike parking spot. The more people pass by your locked bike, the harder it is for a thief to steal it unnoticed.

☝️ It is safer in busy places or in front of shop windows than in dark driveways or lonely side alleys. 

2. Lock the bike? Attach the bike!

You should not only lock your bike, it's best to connect the frame to a fixed object, that cannot be severed. Street lamp, poster stand, or rain gutter... no matter! But beware! Thieves won't hesitate to saw through fences or stair railings to get to a high-quality bicycle! 

Connecting to a wall or floor anchor is better than just parking!

At home in the garage, carport, or the communal bicycle cellar of an apartment building sounds safe, but it isn't! Bikes are not only popular with thieves but also with burglars. Especially during nighttime hours, they have the opportunity to quietly break a lock or simply carry away the bicycle with its security. Therefore, you should double-lock your bicycle at home as well, especially overnight! If there is no large object nearby, you can install a wall or floor anchor.

3. Which bicycle part needs to be locked up?

The most important rule is: To properly secure your bicycle, the lock must go through the frame ! The wheels (especially the front wheel) can be quickly removed - if you only lock one of the wheels, you might end up walking home with a single wheel in hand because the rest of the bicycle has been stolen! You often see parked bicycles with just a lock through a wheel. In this way, not even the wheel is secured, the bicycle can't be ridden, but this method is not safe at all, as the bike can simply be carried away.

The wheel is locked, but the bicycle is not - to avoid such images, you should always lock your bicycle at the frame! Image: Lance Grandahl on Unsplash

4. One lock is good, two are better - better to double-lock expensive bicycles!

If you have a high-quality bicycle or an expensive e-bike that you need to leave unattended for a longer period, for example, during work, you should lock it with more than one lock ! 

Here you can make it particularly difficult for a thief if you secure your bicycle with two different locks ! Very few thieves carry a full toolbox. If they need different tools, for example, a bolt cutter for a cable lock and a saw for a U-lock, they might leave your bicycle alone with some luck.

With two locks, you lock your bike even more securely! Image © Kryponite

5. How to place the bike lock correctly

• ❗The lock(s) should fit as tightly as possible, so a thief has no room to handle tools. 
• When you lock the bike, the lock should always be placed as far away from the ground as possible. This way, thieves cannot set one arm of a bolt cutter on the ground and use their full body weight.
• If the keyhole points downwards, the thief has to bend conspicuously to crack the lock cylinder. 
• Often forgotten but important: You should also lock your bike on a car bike rack ! 

6. You can also lock bike parts!

You should not only lock your bike well, individual bike parts also disappear repeatedly – and unfortunately not only smaller items like bike baskets or clip-on mudguards. Gears, handlebars, and brakes are naturally less affected, but a good saddle or an expensive wheelset are a popular target for clever thieves. 

👉There are component locks with which you can secure saddles or wheels. Axles, the fork, or other bike parts can be locked separately. Also, child seats, trailers, or bike bags – always lock everything!

Summary: Locking your bike – knowing how!

1. Always lock the rear wheel and frame together.
2. Better: Lock the frame to a fixed object .
3. Even better: Lock the frame to a fixed object with one lock and with a second lock lock the frame and rear wheel together.
4. Park the bike where it can be seen by many people.
5. High-quality bike parts or attachments can also be locked.

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Which lock to use – our recommendations

↪ Which is considered the safest bike lock?

There are various locks for bikes, so choosing one can be really difficult. Which lock is the best? Here's a brief overview:

💡In general,  bike locks differ between rigid locks and  flexible locks.

Rigid bike locks

  Lock flexibly with cable & chain lock

Frequently Asked Questions & Our Expert Tips on Bike Locks

Bike lock with cylinder or with combination lock – which is better? 

A cylinder lock with a key is considered more secure. Combination locks and the corresponding cylinders are often quickly cracked, especially with cheap locks, the combination cylinder is a weak point.

How long should a bike lock be?

There are locks in different lengths, you need to weigh what is more practical for you.

A longer lock (50 cm and more) can be somewhat cumbersome, and it may be difficult to store while riding your bike. However, you can easily lock the frame and rear wheel together, attach it to larger objects, or chain multiple bikes together.

Our tip: Always wrap a too long lock until it sits tight and leaves no gaps where a tool can be applied.

What should you spend on a bike lock?

The official recommendation is: “about 5-10% of the purchase price of the bike”, because the more expensive the lock, the better the material and the cylinder. Especially with high-quality bicycles, for example, expensive fullys, carbon racing bikes, or E-Bikes, a high-quality lock is a must, as these bikes are often stolen for resale. For a cheaper or used bike, a simple, cheap bike lock may suffice, but if you like your bike or can't do without it, a good lock is worth it!

How much does a good bike lock cost?

The price range is large, you can lock your bike for as little as about 20 euros. Are these locks secure? Well... Smaller models are really only suitable for very old bikes, "those you want to have smaller" or you can use them to attach your bike helmet to the bike. Locks under 50 euros are a good idea if you want to secure bike luggage or a child seat to the bike. From 50 to 70 euros you can get solid locks for common bikes.

The most expensive locks cost a little over 300 euros – is that necessary?

Yes, you should definitely secure a good e-bike, your carbon fully or a cargo e-bike as high-quality as possible!

How much does a bike lock weigh?

There are lightweight options, but the heavier a lock is, the more secure it is! More material is simply harder to crack. A top-class U-lock weighs about 2.5 kilos, a high-quality folding lock weighs about 1.5 kilos. Cable locks and spiral locks often remain under 1 kilo in weight.

Is a bike lock with a high security class better?

Good manufacturers sort their bike locks by security classes. But they award these certificates themselves, they do not confirm independent tests. Security class 3, 7, or 10 tells you how secure the manufacturer rates the lock compared to other products, so these levels are a good guide. 

☝️ Definitely keep the purchase receipt Attention, IMPORTANT! Bike stolen? Then you must prove that it was locked! For bike leasing and bike insurance, you must prove that you tried to protect the bike from theft. For this, you need the purchase receipt of the lock!

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Locking the bike – is that enough?

If locking the bike wasn't enough, a hidden GPS chip helps to find it again. Image © Lezyne

• You can register your bike. A bike coding can also help. You still have to lock your bike, but both measures can deter thieves and make it easier to assign a stolen and recovered bike to its owner. 
• Highly recommended for expensive bikes and e-bikes and even mandatory for bike leasing: Not only lock it, but also insure it.
• You can equip your bike with a GPS tracker , so it can be tracked. 
• A bike alarm that registers movements or vibrations and then beeps loudly will likely scare off thieves.

🔎 All important information in the Bike Blog 🔎

Register Bike | Get Bike Coded

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Locking the Bike: Conclusion

1. You should always lock your bike, no matter how much it is worth
2. Not only lock it, but attach it to something
3. The lock belongs on the frame, not on the wheels
4. Park the bike in places where a thief would be observed
5. Invest about 5-10% of the bike's price in a lock
6. Do not only lock expensive bikes, additionally secure with GPS chip and alarm

Title image: Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

🔒Secure & affordable locking – Bike locks in BMO Bike Shop 🔒

U-Locks | Folding Locks | Cable Locks | Spiral Locks | Chain Locks | Combination Locks