1. Locking your bike 101: Make sure you secure the frame to something solid.
2. Take the long way home. Bike thief’s will case out popular trails and follow you home if they see a nice ride on your bike rack. They’ll stake out at your house waiting for you to leave your garage door open, later that night or the next week. Watch for stalkers following you home, and take the scenic route.
3. The #1 way to prevent your bike from being stolen: Buy a Huffy Sticker and slap it on your ride.
4 . Keep a lock on your bike even when it is in your garage. You might be running in and out of your garage, and that 2 minutes (or 10 minutes if you lose track) is the perfect opportunity for some one to make a quick steal.
5. Don’t drink and ride. Bike thief’s literally hang out at popular coffee shops and bars – waiting for victims to get hammered. Hanging out around college campuses on weekends and popular coffee shops, people are literally too drunk to notice bikes are getting stolen right from under their noses.
6. In terms of hardware, avoid cable locks that are easy to cut with a bolt cutter and go with a hardened chain such as an ABUS and a with a mini u-lock or a Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit U-Lock. Be diligent and make sure to lock it using the frame AND, preferably, through the wheels.
7. Take your bike inside whenever you can. Be the dude in Walmart with you bike – people take their stupid cats in there. Better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission.
8. Personalize your ride. Put some distinguishing marks/electrical tape on there to help you identify it on Craigslist if it does get stolen. Cops will help you out if you spot your bike for sale.
9. Park next to the nicer bike. Who is going to steal your crappy ride when there is a Peugeots next to it?
10. If you do use a bike rack, lock up you bike in the middle of the rack – not the ends. While using bike rack is no guarantee, and even poorly made racks can come unbolted from the ground – the middle of the rack is more of a deterrent. Always lock up your bike in a well light, high traffic area. Avoid signposts and parking meters, ropes can be used to hoist up your bike without even using bolt cutters.