Keeping Your Bike In Arlington

When I roll up to a bike rack in Arlington these days, I'm usually pleased to find that there's already a bike there. It's great to see so many people using bikes to get around. Quite often, however, the pleasure turns to dismay as I see that my rackmate has a fair chance of a stolen bike in her future. How do I know?

It's locked up with a cable lock.

I know, I know. They're light, they're convenient – they're cheaper! Yes. Please stop using them.  Almost every cable lock I've come across is easily cut by a cheap set of bolt-cutters. 

While Arlington isn't bike-theft central (like, say, Columbia Heights), it's certainly a real risk, and cyclists should take precautions against it. The best thing any cyclist can do – short of taking her bike inside wherever she goes – is to use a substantial U-lock attached to a substantial locking point. By U-lock, I mean one of these. As to size, one that allows you to connect your frame to a rack that is 3.5 inches in diameter should cover most situations. While no lock is indestructible, U-locks are usually far more trouble to force open than they're worth (especially when there are plenty of cable-locked bikes nearby).  For those who want more flexiblity (and are not worried about weight), there are some chain and padlock combinations that can work almost as well as a U-lock. If you want to take a belt-and-suspenders approach to bike security, you can always thread a cable lock through your front wheel and back to the U-lock. 

Whenever you lock up, try to put your bike in a high-traffic area that has plenty of people passing by. In Arlington, we're getting more and more sidewalk bike racks, and they're usually well positioned. Some business-provided bike racks are good (say, those in front of at Market Commons) and some are awful (say, the one squeezed into the corner and barely secured to the ground at ). As a last resort, you can always lock to a public signpost (e.g., parking signs, street signs, etc.).  It is not legal (nor practical) to lock your bike to a parking meter in Arlington.

All that said, there are times when you don't have your U-lock with you or you don't have a suitable lock point. What then? Well, if you can't carry a heavy U-lock around all the time, there's no reason not to at least carry one of those small cable locks for quick runs into 7-11. Really, they're more aspirational than protective, but they do eliminate the temptation of a completely unlocked bike. Finally, on the matter of unlocked temptations, I know I'm not the only one who has found myself out on a ride without a lock and briefly stopped somewhere that required me to step inside. More than once the promise of a cold drink on a hot ride has led me to leave my bike outside, unattended. This is rarely a good idea, but the calculus that makes it reasonable involves 1) me leaning it against the window, so I can keep an eye on it the entire time, and 2) threading my helmet straps through the front wheel and fork. The point of the strap-threading is that it would require enough fiddling by a prospective grab-and-go thief that I'd have time to notice and get back out of the store. Again, not recommended as a smart approach, but it's better than nothing.

But remember, a cable lock isn't much better than nothing.  Get a U-lock.  Use it.

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You're not still using one of those locks with a round key, are you?  If so, watch this video.  (I did, tested it, and promptly threw away two of my three locks)

A few good tips on lock positioning.

The ACPD's take on bike theft prevention.