How To Lock A Bike

Right, let's see how to lock a bike. Generally, if you can lock the bike to an obstacle, or a piece of street furniture like I've got here, it's the best way. And what you try and do is you try and pass it through the rear wheel, through the obstacle (in this case, it's the post here) and also through the frame, so that you're locking both the rear wheel and the frame at the same time.

Another good idea is to lock it up so it's fairly visible. So there's lots of passing people, they'll see the bike locked up, and it's not hidden around a corner where the guy can take as much time as he likes. So, something like that - that is pretty secured to a piece of street furniture.

Generally speaking, whatever cost your bicycle is, the lock should be about ten percent of the cost. So, a £1000 bike; a £100 lock, this is a shackle lock, it's about £80 or £90, and it's made of hardened steel. You won't be able to hacksaw through it, you won't be able to cut it.

The only way you'll get through something like this is that you'll need an oxy acetylene cutter. There are three main types of locks; there's this type, there's the D-lock, which is like a 'D', which just fixes to the frame, or there is a cable lock, which is probably the one you've seen many times. It's just a thin piece of wire which you lock up to an obstacle or something.

So, to sum up, whether you've got a lock like this (which is a shackle), a D-lock or a cable lock, the principle is always the same: try and lock the bicycle to a piece of street furniture which is visible to the public where there's lots of people going past, so it becomes less of an opportunity for a thief to come along and steal your bicycle. .