Recommendations For A Bike Lock

[Sardine]

Get a Kryptonite, On-Guard, or ABUS brand "U-lock", the smaller the better (i.e. more secure).

Cable locks merely keep your bike safe from joy riding kids so that the real bike thieves can steal it.

I couldn't agree more with laura*. Cable locks are virtually useless on their own against a half competent London bike thief who will get through it in under a couple of minutes. Bike theft is a plague in my city. Hopefully they are less skilled in the places that you're visiting.

I carry a Kryptonite lock and cable if I have to lock my bike outdoors for a short period of time. If I know I have to leave it for a few hours, which is very rare, I use a gold standard Abus U lock for the frame and rear wheel and a combination cable lock for both wheels. Even then, tests show that a professional bike thief can get through that in about 5 minutes. So where you park is also important.

I don't know if this is the case with you but some insurers here will not pay out unless your lock meets a particular standard – locks are now often categorised as bronze, silver or gold standard. My insurer requires a bronze standard lock as a minimum.

Sorry for the long post but this is one of my bug bears, which on some days puts a dent in my enjoyment of cycling in London. As biciclista indicated, there is no such thing as a strong yet light lock. Perhaps I should have posted this in the Dear So and So thread.

[soprano]

I'm on a major university campus every day, and every day I see lonely front wheels locked very securely to bike racks with U-locks. The front wheels are lonely because the rest of the bike was stolen, probably in about 30 seconds.

PLEASE learn how to lock up your bike properly. The best and most expensive lock in the world will not protect your bike if you don't know what to do with it. As with most things bike, Sheldon Brown has some good advice on the topic. If you don't mind taking the time to watch a video, here is a really good video series on what makes for good or bad locking strategies.

[Melalvai]

For small towns that you are in for a short time, even a little cable lock is probably sufficient. If you are going to be in an area with more bike theft, such as a college campus of any size, a kryptonite lock is best. Some of their locks, you can sign up for basically an insurance program. I'm not sure the details but I'll probably do it before long, because my bike is our "second car" and it's worth it to me to have that extra protection. I've also heard that a regular sized U-lock is best, because the extra long locks provide extra room to get that little saw in, the one that can cut through kryptonite.

[Dog]

Thanks for the recommendations and advice. Yikes...I feel really lucky that I haven't had a problem yet. But, again I mostly ride in less populated areas and visit smaller towns. However, I really should be more careful. Thanks again!