Bike Locks

The three main types of bike locks are U-locks, cable locks, and chain locks.

• U-locks are fixed locks made of a horseshoe-shaped steel shackle. This U-shape helps limit a thief’s ability to leverage the lock apart. U-locks work best with as little free space as possible inside the “U.”
• Cable locks are the cheapest and most common type of bike lock. These locks are essentially a long hose-like cable. They’re flexible and adaptable, and are reliable “deterrents” for most casual thieves in low-crime areas. However, they don't offer as much durability as U-locks and chain locks, and are vulnerable to cable cutters.
• Chain locks are (as the name suggests) similar to cable locks, but instead of reinforced cable they’re made of hardened steel chain links. These locks offer the versatility of cable locks with increased strength and durability.

NOTE: While the above are the three main types of bike locks, there are other styles, such as our Fortitude Folding Bike Lock, which is made of six connecting 5mm steel bars (37” total). These bars fold up into a small bundle when not in use, providing the versatility of a cable or chain lock and the strength of a U-lock without the bulk.

It depends on where you’re securing your bicycle. In terms of pure durability, U-locks like Lookout and chain locks like Hero offer the best protection against theft. U-locks are best if you routinely attach your bike to the same fixed structure, like a light post, and the lock fits well around your bike’s frame, front wheel, and the structure, leaving little free space. Chain locks offer more versatility, and are a good choice if you’re regularly locking your bike up in a variety of different places.

Certainly! If you use a high-quality bike lock and follow correct locking techniques, you’ll most likely never have your bike stolen. While no lock is completely impenetrable, there are too many unlocked or poorly locked bikes lying around for thieves to target. Most thieves are unlikely to waste time with a well-locked bike.

It’s best to lock a bike to a designated bike rack, as opposed to a signpost or street light. Lock the front wheel, frame, and the locking structure together using a U-lock or chain lock, leaving as little gap as possible for a thief to insert a leveraging device (crowbar, etc.). It’s also best to lock your bike in a well-lit and well-traveled area. Avoid leaving your bike locked on the sidewalk or street overnight.

You can spend anywhere from $10 to $50 on a reliable bike lock. Expect to pay more for stronger, more versatile bike lock styles like U-locks, chain locks, and folding bar locks. Cable locks like our Grizzly Plus (12mm) and Grizzly (8mm) are much cheaper.

If you have a heavy-duty padlock and a length of chain, you could DIY a bike lock. But in the long run, there really isn’t anything that makes sense besides a dedicated bike lock. High-quality cable locks, U-locks, and chain locks are no more than $25 to $50 and will last forever.

If you forget your bike lock, you could try a few tricks to deter thieves, like taking the chain off the rear gears or removing your front wheel and/or bike seat and taking it with you. The objective is to make your bike as unappealing as possible to any potential thief.

Key locks are considered slightly stronger than combination locks, because combination locks have a limited number of combinations and the code can—in theory—be cracked. That said, unless you live in a high-crime area, any high-quality bike lock will deter most would-be thieves, whether it’s a combination cable lock like Grizzly or a beefy U-style key lock like Lookout. If a thief sees a locked bike, most times they won’t even give the bike a second glance.

The majority of bike thieves will attempt to use cable or bolt cutters to cut bike locks, or a hacksaw to saw the lock apart. Other thieves may try hammers, crowbars, or even hydraulic bottle jacks to bust or pry your lock apart. Some may use angle grinders, and although any angle grinder will cut through any lock if given enough time, they are bulky, loud, and extremely conspicuous, so are rarely used.

It depends! In most cases, a single high-quality bike lock will deter thieves. But if you live in a high crime area or often leave your bike locked up for extended periods (overnight) in public places, you may want to consider double-locking your bike. Firstly, double-locking deters thieves. If a thief goes up to a bike rack and sees a bunch of bikes with a single lock and your bike with two locks, they’ll almost always target the other bikes over yours.

If you double-lock your bike, do so with two different types of locks, such as a cable lock and a U-lock. This may require the thief to have multiple different tools to steal your bike. When double-locking, secure both wheels and the frame. Lock the rear wheel and frame to a secure object with one lock, and then use the second lock to secure the front wheel and frame.

Chain and cable locks can usually be wrapped around your top tube without much hassle. If you’re using a U-lock, you can also purchase a dedicated frame mount. Beyond this, bike baskets, rear racks, backpacks, or panniers, also work. If you’re using a chain or cable lock, you could also opt to lock the lock over one shoulder, crossways across your body.

Ideally, you should lock both wheels and the frame together. But if you have to choose, the order of importance is: frame, rear wheel, front wheel. The rear wheel is harder to remove than the front wheel, and it's also far more expensive to replace since it houses the drivetrain (gears, chain, cassette). Front wheels are easily detached, but if a thief steals only the front wheel, it’s cheaper and simpler to replace compared to a rear wheel.

The best place to lock your bike is a designated bike rack: These are specifically designed to secure bikes, are anchored firmly to the ground, and have no legal gray area, so you can be sure you’re allowed to lock your bike there.

Beyond this, legality varies based on where you live, the day of the week, or even the time of day. Other likely safe candidates are metal railings or fences, lampposts, or signposts, so long as they are firmly secured to the ground. In general, avoid locking your bike to trees, wooden structures, chain-link fences, anywhere on private property, or in a position blocking sidewalks, parking spaces, or handicap ramps.

No. Bike thieves rarely “pick” locks in the traditional sense. It's much more common for them to use bolt cutters or other tools to break the lock. This is faster and easier than trying to manipulate the lock's mechanism.

Nearly 200,000 bicycle thefts are reported annually in the United States, and an estimated additional 150,000 bikes are stolen but left unreported. When you do the math, that means a bike is stolen every 1.5 minutes! According to research on patterns in bike theft, “the most common location for bicycle theft was inside a shed or garage (28%). Among these incidents, thefts predominantly took place at night (57%) and the bicycles were often left unlocked (66%).”

The short answer is that a properly locked bike is the least likely bike to be stolen. The long answer is that there are too many factors to base theft likelihood on a certain model of bike. It depends on where you lock your bike, the type of lock you use, the time of day it’s locked there, and how long it’s left unattended. In most cases, however, the more expensive (or expensive-looking) a bicycle is, the more appealing it is to thieves.

With all other variables out the window, high-end road bikes and mountain bikes are generally at the greatest risk of theft. Heavier, bulkier bikes (such as ebikes) are often passed over because they take up more storage space and are harder to transport and sell. It’s also not always easy for a thief to figure out how to ride an ebike.

Hopefully if you use a high-quality bike lock you won’t ever deal with a stolen bike. If the worst does happen, there are three things to try. First, report the theft to your local authorities. Then, post about the theft on social media, encouraging your followers to share.

The third way to get a stolen bike back is to have your bike registered with Bike Index in advance. This nonprofit lets you submit your name, bike manufacturer, serial number, and component information into a mass international index so that if your bike is stolen, it can be easily identified if resold in the future (sort of like a firearm registry).

There is no guarantee that you’ll be able to get your bike back, and many stolen bikes are never recovered, but research indicates that bicycle theft victims who report thefts via these three methods (police, social media, and a registry/recovery system) are far more likely to get their bike back than those who do not.