Locking up your bike

Keeping your bike safe

Having your bike stolen in London is a real risk and preventing it is a combination of where and how you lock it up. You can also get your bike security marked so that if the police find it, they can return it to you. This really does happen!

Locking your bike

• Dedicated cycle parking should always be your first choice – although beware of cycle parking with lots of lone frames and wheels locked to it.
• Try to only leave your bike in places where there’s lots of people about and/or cameras.
• Always check the stand isn’t sawn through or liftable – you want to make sure you lock your bike to something secure.
• Make sure you have locked down your frame, and both wheels, as a minimum (and take lights, bags etc. with you). Usually this means two good locks – we recommend at least one with ‘Sold secure’ gold rating.
• Buy the best lock you can afford – it will usually still work out much cheaper than replacing your bike! It’s also worth checking if your bike insurance (make sure you have some) requires you to use a specific type of lock and where you’re covered to leave your bike.

Bike Marking

You can normally have your bike marked at police anti-theft bike marking events so the police can check your bike on their database if it gets stolen. If this is not be possible you can still register your bike with Bike Register free of charge or pay for a marking kit.

Do I need insurance?

Many people have their bikes insured for theft – you may already have this as part of another insurance policy you have. You should check the conditions of the policy as they may specify where and when you can lock your bike up or require a specific type of lock. LCC works with CycleSure to provide cycle insurance for our members. We think it’s a great policy but you should always check directly with the insurer to make sure it’s a suitable policy for your circumstances.