Not all bike locks are created equal—tougher is better. U-locks and heavy-duty chain locks are harder to cut and offer greater protection.

A cable lock is not secure enough to be your primary or only lock. They're relatively easy to cut with easily concealed tools, which is why bikes locked with cable locks get stolen so often. However, you can use a cable lock to secure a wheel or seat to your U-lock as an additional deterrent.

And yes, U-locks and heavy-duty chains cost more than cable locks. But when you compare the extra cost to the cost and headaches of replacing a stolen bike, spending on a solid lock is a smart investment.

Right lock + right technique + right rack = WIN

Your bike is most secure when the frame is locked directly to a solid stationary object, like a bike rack or tall metal post. You further improve your security when you can also loop your lock through one or both of your wheels.

Locking only to your wheel or any other part that can be removed easily (basket, rack, seat) leaves the rest of your bike vulnerable.

Right lock + wrong technique + right rack = FAIL

Right lock + right technique + right rack = WIN

Stanford rack

Bike docks at R and 10th streets in Sacramento

Visibility is the key to security. Locking your bike in a visible, central location, such as right near a busy building entrance, puts more eyes on your bike, which discourages all but the boldest thieves. At night, that spot should be well-lit, too.

If you’re lucky, there’s a bike rack where you want to leave your bike. If there isn’t one — or it’s not visible and central — you’re better off locking to a tall sign post or metal fencing in a visible and central location.

You’ll want to avoid locking to anything that can be easily cut, broken, dismantled or carried away, such as shrubs or chain-link fencing. And keep handrails clear for pedestrians with limited mobility.

Not all bike rack styles offer enough security.

The most secure styles — the inverted U, A and post and loop styles, as well as the Stanford rack (designed at Stanford University) — let you to lock securely to your frame. (Sacramento-based company Ground Control Systems manufactures a variant of the Stanford rack called a ‘bike dock’ used for City of Sacramento bike corrals and in campus settings.) All these styles offer two points of contact for your frame, which keeps your bike stable.

Even though you can lock your frame to a wave rack, this style of rack doesn’t provide much stability and it’s hard to park in the interior spots when the end spots are in use. And wave racks are often installed incorrectly in ways that make them harder to use. If you have to use one, position your bike parallel to the length of the rack, for stability, and lock to your frame.

The old-school comb and toast styles (also sometimes called “wheel-benders”) are designed for locking your wheel only, which is never secure — avoid these racks! But if one of these is absolutely your only parking option, park across the end of it and lock to your frame.

WARNING: Bikes left out overnight on the street usually disappear or get dismantled, even if locked correctly with a strong lock to a secure rack. There’s no way to adequately secure your bike overnight on the street, no matter which neighborhood you park in!

Right lock + wrong technique + wrong rack = FAIL

Right lock + wrong technique + wrong rack = FAIL

Unlocked bikes are the easiest ones to steal. Even where it might seem safe to leave your bike unlocked for just a moment — for a really quick errand or to run over to say hi to a friend — that’s all the time it takes for someone to grab your bike and go.

Locking needs to be a habit wherever you leave your bike unattended, even at home in a garage, on a porch or in the backyard (many of the bikes stolen from garages and backyards were left there unlocked). And don’t forget about locking up at a workplace that has any kind of public access.