Nearly 400,000 bikes are stolen each year in the UK which works out at roughly 1 every 90 seconds. More than half of these cycle thefts occur in and around the victim’s home.
Cyclist.co.uk share some advice on keeping your bikes safe and improving your cycle security such as:
Buy the best approved lock money can buy
Why spend thousands of pounds on a new bike and not take the proper precautions to safely secure it?
Remember, you get what you pay for when it comes to locks. A cheap looking lock will offer little security and be an easy target for a bike thief. All lock manufacturers have their own protection rating and are a reasonable indicator of strength. In most cases, the better the lock, the more expensive it will be.
What you must realise is that bike insurance policies won’t pay out on your stolen bike if you use anything less than an approved locking device. In the unfortunate event that your bicycle is stolen it is a requirement of the cycling insurance policy that it was secured using the appropriate “Sold Secure” lock.
Lock your bike to something secure
This catches so many cyclists out. Always make sure you attach your bike to something that can’t be moved, lifted or easily broken. A scaffolding pole may require a hefty chain saw to cut through it, but it only needs a couple of tools to loosen the joint and lift the pole up altogether. Mesh fencing looks big and bold, but a pair of wire cutters would break through it within moments. Remember, your bike is only secure as what you are attaching it to.
How we can help improve your cycle security
I couldn’t agree more with the advice given above which is why we only supply security equipment that is rated Sold Secure Silver and above. Having a ground anchor or wall anchor is a strong deterrent as you have now locked your bike to a heavy duty, immoveable object. These are designed to be extremely difficult to damage, some even able to withstand an angle grinder.
The next step is a high quality chain and lock. Again, these provide quite an effective visual deterrent to would-be thieves as they realise now that stealing your bike is actually going to require quite a lot of time and effort increasing the risk of them being caught.
We only supply and fit anchors, locks and chains that have been approved to at least Silver level by Sold Secure. If you would like some free advice about your needs, please do have a look at our advice page.
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