Blog

We don’t want your bike to get stolen either. Which is why you’ll notice a lack of cable locks in our shop and a focus on keeping your bike and accessories secure. 

Let’s take a look at what we can do to make your bike as theft-proof as possible.

Street Parking or Garage?

Before we get to locks and locking accessories, let’s talk about parking your bike on the street. Many restaurants and retail establishments dissuade customers from bringing bikes inside so there’s a possibility that your Yuba is going to have to take dinner al fresco. See if there’s a possibility of bike parking in a nearby garage (required by law in DC) as it is more secure and weather protected than street parking. 

If you’re parking on the street, you may notice a variety of bike racks and fixtures for affixing your fixie. The quality and security of these vary greatly. Ring racks are ubiquitous in DC and are decent security (when correctly installed) and provide simple locking options. Place your bike with your non-drive side (the side without the gears on it) next to the rack. This makes it easier for the next person to use the rack without entangling their bike in yours.

No Rack? What now?

Don’t lock to trees (for their health and your bike’s security) and choose street furniture carefully. Street signs are fine as long as the bike and lock can’t be lifted up and over the top if the sign is missing. Locking to a uniformed police officer is a safe method, but always ask for permission before doing so. Less safe spaces and structures are chain link fences (easily cut) and anything wood (same deal). A good rule to follow is to always lock to something that is harder to defeat than your lock.

We’re going to assume that you already have a good quality U-lock or link lock (like the fine Abus Bordo pictured above), that is long enough to get through both your frame and the fixture you’re locking to. 

Lock through your frame and back wheel or use the “Sheldon” method by going through the rear wheel inside the rear triangle of the frame. Now, attach your second lock.

Wait. Second lock?

Yes. Here’s the thing with wheels. They’re what make your bike move and they’re really easily stolen on most bikes. If you have quick release wheels, consider the new Abus Nutfix wheel locks or a similar solution from Pitlock.

You can also use a second lock to attach between the front wheel and frame. This solution may seem extreme, but you might consider it if you lock up in high theft areas (Metro stations, nightlife destinations) to improve your chances. 

Take some photos

Of course, all of these things can be defeated, so take a moment right now to take a photo of your serial number (its probably underneath your bottom bracket) and store it somewhere safe. As long as we’re talking about preventative measures, register your bike on BikeIndex today. Its free, and an open source solution accessible to anyone with an interest in preventing bike theft. Some pictures of your bike and any distinctive markings or stickers can be posted here as well. 

Reading this too late and your bike has disappeared? We have a post for you as well. 

We understand. That really sucks.

We started our shop after Beth’s Bianchi Milano was stolen from our shed, so we really know what you’re going through right now. 

Make the call

First thing you’re going to want to do is call and make a police report. This can seem like a waste of time, but it is important if you want to make an insurance claim or get it back if it ends up in a police property room. 

Get Online

Next, take to the web. Resources like Bike Index and the DC Stolen Bikes Facebook page are great open source ways to get the word out about your missing Mongoose or purloined Pegoretti. Post on your personal Twitter feed and Instagram account. Pictures help. You did have pics of your lovely steed, correct?

Contact local shops

You know who hates bike theft? Bike shop employees! We’ve all seen shady characters pushing bikes through our doors asking how to use the shifters or valves on a bike way too big or too small for them.

So give your local shops a call or email. We put our messages up on our internal Slack channel dedicated to this very issue. We’ve recovered several bikes in the shop and successfully returned them to owners, so don’t lose hope. One bike we recovered had been missing for over a year. 

Set up alerts

Set up alerts on Craigslist , OfferUp and EBay along with other sales sites to see if your disappearing DeRosa makes its way to online commerce.

In our experience, most bikes that show up on these sites do so rather quickly so scan them as soon as possible. If it turns up on one of these you have a few options. One can take the rather unconventional yet effective method of stealing your own bike back like our customer Danny  did a few years ago. We do not endorse this method as it could lead to losing more than your bike in the process. We have heard of DC police setting up sting purchases for these cases, but don’t count on it. 

Find a new friend

After all this is done, you’re going to want to replace your faithful Fairdale , and we know just the shop who can help you out. If you’re looking to prevent this heartache, read our post on bike security procedures.