In North America, a bike is stolen every 30 seconds1. 85-90% of bikes that are stolen are ridden away by opportunist thieves, making the thief inconspicuous less than 100 meters away from where the bike was stolen; the criminal looks like a regular cyclist like everyone else and the recovery rate for bikes in the U.S. alone is less than 2%. Low risk and high reward for the thief.
Lockdowns around the globe and transformed streets onset by COVID-19 has resulted in a positive surge of biking but consequently, bike thefts are on the rise as bike owners seek security devices for their bikes. From open spaces to residential areas or your own private garage, bike thieves seek any opportunity to steal bikes. We don’t like thieves, so let’s change this surge of bike thefts.
Here are five tips on how to lock and secure your bike or e-bike safely:
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Where possible, store your bike in a house, locked garage, or shed. Don’t forget to lock with Original LINKA to immobilize the wheel, just in case a thief spots an opportunity.
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When securing outside, use the LINKA Smart Bike Lock mounted to the frame combined with a Chain to secure your bike to a fixed location e.g. a bike rack, post, something that cannot be moved!
Cable locks can be easily cut. While U-locks are great, they are highly dependent on the ability of the user to lock up correctly (our own research found 50% of bikes are locked incorrectly!) and still require the user to remember a bike lock.
LINKA is mounted to the bike, immobilizing the wheel deterring a great percentage of opportunist thieves looking for the quickest thing. Since the wheel is locked in place to the frame, the bike cannot be ridden and the thief must carry the bike. If this happens, a 100 dB siren alarms and LINKA sends a tamper alert to your phone. Not only does the anti-theft system alert you, but the siren also makes it quite obvious to the surrounding community that an attempted bike theft is taking place. Not as attractive as the bike next door with a simple cable lock to cut right through and ride off.
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Secure your bike in a busy area. As most bike thefts are committed by thieves disabling the bike lock and simply riding away, secure your bike in a busy area to deter thieves from targeting your bike - the risk of getting caught is much higher and your bike won’t stand out as much in a busy public bike park. Aim to choose a busy designated bike rack in the city if possible, as most of them will be monitored with CCTV as well.
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Thieves will most likely only steal bikes that are worth stealing. The most valuable components of a bike are typically the frame followed by the wheels. By securing your bike’s components in order of value, you can minimise the likelihood of your bike being stolen.
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Register your bike on Bike Index or with your local bike registry. Include owner ID details somewhere in the bike e.g. seat tube; and keep the bicycle’s serial number and photo of your bike, so that it will be identifiable if recovered.
Cable locks can be easily cut. While U-locks are great, they are highly dependent on the ability of the user to lock up correctly (our own research found 50% of bikes are locked incorrectly!) a
To support our community of cyclists, we’re giving a FREE Standard Chain* with every purchase of Original LINKA. Secure your bike with LINKA Smart Bike Lock and Chain to prevent bike thefts. Shop online today, offer ends July 31!
Original LINKA Smart Bike Lock mounted to a bike, tethered to a bike rack with a Standard Chain
*Free Standard Chain with every purchase of Original LINKA only. Offer does not apply to Heavy Duty chain and cannot be combined with any other offer. Discount automatically applied at checkout. Ends July 31, 2020 at 11:59pm PST.
1 North American Bike Theft Statistics compiled by Project 529, 2019.
