How long does it take for you to hop onto your bike and pedal away? Not long, right? That's as quickly as a thief could make off with your bike, and no matter how brief you are, there's not a single errand quicker than a bike thief. Grab a takeaway coffee, drop off a package, whatever. It's all long enough for an opportunistic thief to snatch your ride and pedal away forever. Bicycles (and electric bicycles) are amazing machines, but one of their downsides is that they're incredibly easy to steal. Because thieves are most often lazy opportunists, they target the bikes that look the least secure. More than 2 million bicycles are stolen every year in North America, and less than 5 percent of them are recovered.
While nothing can prevent a really determined thief from making off with your bike, you can deter many of them by securing your bike properly with a strong, well-designed lock. Locking up your bike takes only a few seconds, so you should always do so when it's unattended. These are the best locks I've used. I've also included some tips for locking your bike up properly.
Updated September 2023: We've added the TiGr Mini, Abus Goose Lock, Kryptonite KryptoLok Combo U-Lock, and Hiplok Z Lok Combo Lock. We've also updated pricing and availability.
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