Over 5,000 bikes are stolen in Victoria each year. Most of them are not locked and few are recovered. There are three key steps to prevent your bike being lost.
The most important step. Locking your bike properly is the best insurance against theft.
- Always lock your bike, even at home (eg in the garage) apartment building or college dormitory.
- Lock to a fixed, immovable object like a parking meter or permanent bike rack. Be careful not to lock to items that can be easily cut, broken or removed. Be careful that your bike cannot be lifted over the top of the object to which it is locked or that the object cannot be removed. For instance some traffic poles can be lifted out of the ground so give them a quick shake to see if they might be loose.
- Lock in a visible and well-lit area. Some workplaces provide a secure bike cage, which is ideal.
- Lock in a location where there are other bikes. The chances are better that there will be a bike with a less secure lock than yours. Thieves will usually go for the easiest target.
- When using a D-lock, position your bike frame and wheels so that you fill or take up as much of the open space within the D portion of the lock as possible. The tighter the lock up, the harder it is for a thief to use tools to attack your lock.
- Always position a D-lock so that the keyway is facing down towards the ground. Don't position the lock close to the ground. This makes it more difficult for a thief to attack it.
- Always secure your components and accessories, especially quick-release components such as wheels with quick releases, with a secondary cable lock.
- Don't lock your bike to itself (the front wheel locked to frame). It can be easily lifted and carried away.
- Don't lock in the same location all the time. A thief may notice the pattern and target your bike.
- Don't lock to anything posted illegal such as to wheelchair ramps or blocking fire escapes. Check with area law enforcement agencies for local bike parking regulations.
- Always check your lock before leaving your bike to be sure you have secured it properly.
- For the greatest theft deterrence, use two locks such as a D-lock and a locking cable. The longer it takes a thief to get through your bike security, the less likely your bike will be stolen.
- If your lock key is being used every day and is getting old, consider replacing it. Keys can break in locks and they are extremely difficult to remove.
Less than 10% of bikes reported stolen are recovered. If police or someone else findsyour bike they can return it if you have engraved you license number (with initial V for Victoria before it) on the bike, usually underneath the bottom bracket (the lower part of the bike frame where the pedals rotate in the frame) on the frame.
Some police stations will do this for you as will some bike shops. An engraver costs about $30 and can be used for other household objects too so is a good investment.
A determined thief can break any lock given enough time. The more expensive or attractive the bike, the more likely it will be a target for theives.
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