Lock Your Bike

I'm a big fan of Bike Snob NYC. And his recent recent story in Bicycling Magazine, titled 'The Ties That Bind: A Cynic's Guide to Outwitting Bike Thieves' was true to form for the long-time bicycle blogger. I would consider this story required reading for recent converts to bicycle commuting. It covers all the bases of keeping your bike safe when leaving it unattended.

There were a few points that definitely hit home. His advice of using a battleship anchor of a bike lock is absolutely right. After all, Ginger and I switched over to heavy-duty U-locks after the lock holding her beloved Raleigh road bike was cut and the bike stolen. And as of last week, I've now had two friends fall victim to the pitfall of not locking their bikes because they were staying close at hand. Both of them had a direct line of sight on their machines when they were snatched from under their noses.

While I've been guilty of laziness, using cheap locks, and pretty much every other no-no in the list, I've been fortunate enough to not have someone get the five finger discount on my machine or any of its parts or accessories. Hope I can keep the streak going for a while longer...