Protecting your bike
Information about keeping your bike safe when out and about, and at home.
On this page:
What can I do before I set off?
How can I secure my bike if it’s kept in common close or stairwell?
What if I store my bicycle in a garage or a shed?
How should I secure my bike and its accessories when out and about?
What type of cycle lock is best?
More than 500,000 bikes are stolen in the UK each year.
This is because they’re poorly secured or not secured at all. More than half of all stolen bikes are taken from the owner’s property.
Help protect your bike by following these guidelines:
What can I do before I set off?
- Photograph your bike and record all of your bike’s details (serial number can be found on the bottom bracket)
- Keep the bike in a safe place.
- Register your bike on the National Cycle Database to help recover your bike if it goes missing
- Mark your bike’s frame with your home postcode and house number using an UV pen or something else
- Insure your bike
How can I secure my bike if it’s kept in common close or stairwell?
- Always keep your bike out of sight.
- Lock your bike with two locks to a secure banister or ground anchor.
What if I store my bicycle in a garage or a shed?
- Lock your bike with two locks to a ground anchor.
How should I secure my bike and its accessories when out and about?
Some advice to securing your bike.
- Lock your bike up every time you leave it using secure locks (such as D-locks or thick cable locks)
- Ideally, use two different types of lock then a thief will need more tools to steal it
- Locks are more vulnerable when close to the ground, keep them off the floor
- Fasten your bike through the frame and wheel to a fixed object
- Lock your bike in a busy, well-lit place, keep it in view of people or CCTV cameras
- Lock the wheels, remove things on the bike which can't be secured, such as lights, pumps, water bottles, saddles etc
- Change your routine, lock up your bike in different ways and place.
What type of cycle lock is best?
Buy the best lock you can afford. You can spend a lot of money on a bike, but this is pointless if it gets stolen. As a guide, spend about 10% of the cost of your bike on a lock.
Choose a ‘Sold Secure’ badged bicycle lock with a diamond, gold, silver or bronze rating.
Related links
For more advice check out the Your valuables page and the other pages within the Road safety section.
