Securing your bike

In 1999, the New York department of City Planning conducted a survey to find out why New Yorkers did not bike to work. The biggest reason was not fear for safety but fear of bike theft.

Bikes for some reason are popular targets for theft, as former president Jimmy Carter and his wife Roslyn recently learned. If it can happen at the Carter Center, it can happen at the World Bank, and frequently does. Last fall there was a rash of thefts from the racks outside the MC building and one theft reported from the IFC garage.

Here's a description of a common bike theft and advice from a comment posted on the IBRiDers blog:

My son left his bike at the Bethesda metro station yesterday January 12 09 at 9:30 am. He attached it with a traditional lock (a sturdy cable one) to the bike rack that stands at the station entry. When he came back at 6:00 pm, the bike was stolen. So beware to put a really strong lock in you intend to bike and ride the metro... Also, you may want to know that in some places ( notably Bethesda-Chevy Chase for sure) you can register your bike at you local police station. You can then notify the police , if it is stolen. And who knows.... the police may find it afterwards, a few miles further down, abandoned in a parking lot, it would be your lucky day.

Better policing, an effective registration system, secure parking facilities would all help. But, in the meanwhile, your best defense is a good lock.

So what lock to use? The short answer is the stronger the better. but there are trade-offs -- weight, convenience, capacity. The best article I have seen was published on Slate last year: The best locks to protect your wheels.

So protect your bike. It's your friend. If you are commuting to work, the best place is indoors, inside a secure area. And even there you may want to have a good lock. The same goes for bikes at home, which are often stolen from garages or back porches. Or at the Carter Center........
Any advice for other riders? Leave a comment.