As The Year Comes To a Close, Resolve To Keep Your Precious Bike Safe and Sound

As The Year Comes To a Close, Resolve To Keep Your Precious Bike Safe and Sound

For bicycle commuters, keeping our prized steed safe and sound is always a key concern, but the holidays present two unique challenges: bad weather, and an increased crime rate. Two years ago today, I learned the hard way that though cyclists are on friendly terms with the atmosphere, that alone does not grant them immunity from theft. Yes, my beloved Surly Pacer, the very one that I had recently ridden across the U.S. on the TransAmerica Trail, was stolen from a bike rack in Los Angeles. I was watching Syriana (and feeling pretty self-righteous about the fact that I do not own a car) when the theft occurred, but what irked me most was that had I locked the bike using something stronger than a cheap, thin cable lock, I could probably have prevented the theft. Luckily, the same fate doesn't have to befall you. During the last year we covered numerous methods for protecting your bike. Here are links to some of the best: 1) Designing Bikes to be Theft-proof 2) The Bike Thief: Video Exposes Cyclist's Vulnerability and Public's Complicity 3) How to Prevent Bike Theft 4) The Perfect Winter Bike