However, while hundreds of bikes are stolen in the UK every week, you can drastically shorten the odds of one being yours. Here are some steps you can take:
Ride a beater
With the advent of the Cyclescheme, plenty of people seem to riding nice bikes to work or round town, and at some point inevitably leaving them locked up in public.
Thieves love flash bikes, with disc brakes, suspension forks, glossy paint and brand names. These are all money in the bank - or a lure to a potential buyer, who might be tempted to put aside their suspicions in favour of getting a bargain.
As a rule, the nicer the bike, the more likely that its accessories are worth stealing, and the easier they are to steal. Many suspension forks and disc brakes can be removed with just a 5mm allen key, and quick release wheels don't need any tools to steal at all.
If your current bike turns heads, you need a bike to get around town, and you have the space, build up an old bike from your spares bin, a hand-me-down that no longer gets ridden, or sources such as the Bristol Bike Jumble (held every month at Mud Dock).
There's more info about building a hack bike here.
There's a great article here about making a nice bike look ugly. Although ripping up a perfectly good saddle might be taking things too far.
Get a decent lock, and know how to use it
Cable locks are easy to carry, and easy to snip
The way in which you lock your bike plays a role in how secure it is. This is the wrong way:
To find out the right way, there's a comprehensive guide to locking your bike here.
Don't assume that because your bike is somewhere secure, it's safe
If you scan through this blog, there are a number of theft reports from people who've kept their bike in underground car parks, fire escapes and other places that should be "safe" because of coded doors, CCTV or other deterrents. None of these things will stop a determined thief. If you don't know exactly who uses an area, don't leave your bike there without securing it thoroughly.
Another no-no is leaving your bike unattended on a roof rack. Roof rack locks just don't work and even quite well-known brands seem to be easily defeated or picked.
Keep your bike out of sight
Leaving your bike on display in the car or the garden increases the chances it'll be stolen, even if the theft doesn't take place there and then. If they don't know about it they can't nick it.
Don't feed the demand
Bikes and bike parts are stolen for the simple reason that someone is willing to pay money for them. Don't let that person be you. Check seller profiles on eBay and other websites, buy from mates rather than unknowns, and don't feed the trade that does such damage to the activity we love.
