Tips for Keeping Your Bike Safe Without a Lock
If you tend to forget to bring your bike lock with you when you go out for a ride or don’t own one at all, you might wonder how to keep your bike safe. Let’s face it—bike locks are expensive, especially after you’ve put so much money into the bicycle itself.
Luckily, there are many ways to protect your bike from thieves without using a lock. Here are some tips for keeping your bike safe without a lock.
Put Your Helmet Behind the Rear Wheel
Let’s say that you’re a thief trying to steal a bike. In this situation, time is of the essence because you don’t want someone else to catch you in the act.
Therefore, as a bike owner, you should do whatever you can to slow a thief if they try to take your bike. So keep your bike safe by strapping your helmet to the bike’s rear wheel. If you put your helmet out of view, the thief won’t notice that your rear wheel doesn’t turn, which will cause them to waste their precious time. During this mix-up, a bystander will hopefully identify the theft taking place and tell them to stop.
If you’re replacing your tires or buying new ones, you’ll most likely choose your bike tires based on your riding style. However, choosing a large, thick tire for the rear that obstructs your helmet from view could make the difference between having your bike stolen or not.
Keep Your Bike in the Highest Gear After You Park It
Another way you can slow down a potential thief is by leaving your bike in the highest gear after you park it. Doing this will slow a thief down even more because they won’t be able to pedal as hard.
You can most likely catch up to them on foot if they lose enough momentum. Hopefully, the thief will lose motivation at this point and drop your bike.
Drop Off Your Bike Chain
A thief wouldn’t be able to pedal your bike at all without a chain, so by dropping it after you park, you could prevent a thief from stealing it. Unless the thief is an adept bike mechanic, they most likely won’t be able to put the chain back on fast enough for them to leave the scene without anyone noticing. However, your hands will get a bit greasy when you take off the chain, so you might want to have a towel ready if you want to try this method.
Overall, protecting your bike in a city like Chicago is crucial if you want to use it as a reliable mode of transportation. Now that you know a few tips for keeping your bike safe without a lock, you should be able to ride around freely without worrying about thieves.