Over the past few years I’ve tried out several different styles of lock for my bikes. I don’t often leave my bike unattended for long periods so what I’m looking for in a lock is something which will deter opportunist thieves and is quick and easy to use. This means a few things. It needs to be able to be fitted somewhere on my bike which is convenient to attach and remove. If I’m parking my bike, to say go into a shop, I need to be able to remove the lock, fasten it round an anchor and then do the reverse a few minutes later when I’m ready to go on my way.
I’ve tried out a few different styles of lock. One which I thought would be a more secure option was the Abus Granit folding lock. I found an offer which included two lock carriers which meant I could transfer the lock between bikes. Although it was heavy, being fitted to the bike frame meant this was not too much of a negative and the extra security it offered made up for that. What I didn’t like was the difficulty I encountered when I needed to lock the bike up for a short period. If I wanted to anchor the bike to a fixed object it needed to be something quite particular. Cycle racks were ideal but not always available. The bars of the lock were not flexible enough to allow me to fix them in awkward positions. This lock would be ideal if I was maybe locking up my bike at a workplace for the day but for casual, short-term use it was just too much effort and the temptation was not to bother which negated the point of having a lock in the first place. I needed something which would be easy to apply and reattach to the bike when I was on my way again.
For this I have found that the best solution is a cable lock. For a while I used a 160cm long one which I bought in Halfords when I was out and had realised I had forgotton the Abus lock I usually used. This met most of my needs and I used it for a while. The length was a bit of a pain though. It needed to be uncoiled each time I used it and although it could stretch to using anchors which were bigger, it was often looped round the frame a few additional times just to try to avoid having too much cable accessible to be cut. each time I used it I would get annoyed by the process I needed to go through. An item I found on e-bay one day, offered a solution to this frustration. I bought a 60cm cable lock. This is still long enough to secure my bike in most situations. It is also a larger diameter cable so will be stronger and rolls up to be the same size therefore attaches to the frame in the same position as the longer cable.
All the locks I have bought have had keys. I have considered switching to combination locks to avoid the possibility of losing a key but as this is something I have never done (fingers crossed I haven’t cursed myself) I just haven’t ever bought one. I’m not sure which locking method is more secure but maybe should research it and consider combination locks as an alternative. Cable locks sometimes come with a mounting bracket to attach them to the bike frame but I have only used one of these once. I found that it was OK for a while but the clip to fasten the lock to the mount gave out after a time and I have never bothered with one since. I tend to fasten the lock with velcro straps which also give me the option of mounting the lock in different positions. I have also considered using a wearable lock to avoid the problem of finding a suitable place to mount the lock on the bike. I tried fastening the chain lock round my waist a couple of times but this was so uncomfortable I gave up on that idea. Maybe one which is specifically designed to be worn would be better but I doubt it would be worth the effort of experimentation.
The Abus chain lock I have, which is also 60cm long, is more secure but is not so convenient to store on the bike as it does not coil as easily and takes up more space. I have found a place on the rear rack to store it and so I tend to use this when I am touring. If I need to leave the bike, say in a station, I can either fasten it around the rear wheel and the frame which will stop anyone wheeling the bike away or it can be chained to a post if necessary.
There are probably other security solutions which I will try out when I come across them. The cost of losing a bike is definately worth spending money on security measures so I will keep on looking and experimenting. It may be a combination of different locks will provide the best solution. I’ll see.
Just Me - On my bike 