I use the bike to move around in the city, go to the university, library, gym, etc. During the last five months, it had become a necessity. But there is one really big problem. It is impossible to keep it indoors. I have to leave it outside, in the wild.

Now, I have bought a new MTB. I really wouldn’t like it to be stolen again. That would make me extremely pissed off. During the last two weeks, I’ve read various articles about bicycle theft, about ways to properly protect a bike, et cetera. I even went out late one night, as if I was about to steal a bike, just trying to see things through a thief’s eyes and realize what the weaknesses of leaving a bike outdoors are.

I won’t be writing about any things you do not know already. A determined soul or a sophisticated thief will always get what he wants. There is nothing you can do about it. But, the good news is that sophisticated thieves are not really interested in bike theft, unless we are talking about a very expensive bike. On the other hand, a very expensive bike is very unlikely to be left outdoors at night. Sophisticated thieves are of course a problem, but not the real problem. The real problem in such cases is opportunist thieves. Usually, such thieves do not know whether the bike they have stolen is an expensive or a cheap one, whether it is in good condition or not, and they usually sell it for almost nothing afterwards. They are usually victims themselves. Junkies or people in great need for some money who would steal anything that is an easy target.

Below you will find a very small checklist with the things one should take into account in order to protect a bike which is left outside. These of course represent my own thoughts after evaluating all the things I’ve read and seen. If you can contribute to the list, be my guest. I will really appreciate it.

• Buy a real lock. Most of the locks I’ve seen in bike shops are not locks upon which you can rely for more than a few minutes. From what I’ve read, it is very easy even for opportunist thieves to bypass or destroy them and get your bike. I would say that 40-50 EUR should be the absolute minimum you should spend on a lock. Don’t waste your money on 10-15 EUR locks. Invest. Go to a motorcycle shop and buy the best lock you can afford. If you cannot afford a decent lock, buy a cheaper bike. It is (collectively) cheaper to upgrade your bike’s parts at a later time than to upgrade a lock. Opportunist thieves aim for easy targets. If they realize that the strength of the lock is beyond their abilities, they will not bother with your bike and go for an easier target. Of course, you should learn how to properly lock your bike. Even if you use the best of the locks, but attach the bike to a fixed object which is not reliable, then a thief would destroy the fixed object and get your bike. All locks can be opened. But some locks are a lot harder to be opened. Get a good lock and lock your bike wisely. It is the least you can do to protect it. I now use a lock from ABUS.
• A thief needs privacy. Do not give it to him. Locking up the bike in a shady corner may be an advantage for the thief as he will be able to work on the lock being unnoticed for a longer period of time. Make him feel uncomfortable with the spot at which you have locked your bike. Make him feel unsafe. A regular opportunist thief will not bother to steal the bike if he does not feel secure enough.

Of course, this list is not complete. There are many other things you can do to further protect the bike, but most of them really depend on the location and any other special conditions of the area you live in. Bike theft is a problem of all big cities. I will be glad to read your thoughts on what else should be done in order to protect a bike which is left outdoors at night.

A stolen bike, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

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