Albany Bicycle Coalition

Albany has serious problems with bike theft. Here are some things you can do to protect your bike.

Buy a U-lock. They are harder to cut through.

Put your lock through your back wheel and the frame. Because most bikes have quick release wheels, locking just a wheel is not very secure because somebody could just take the wheel off and walk away with the rest of your bike. Locking the wheel AND the frame makes it harder to do this. Locking the rear wheel and the frame also means it isn’t going to roll, making it harder to ride away with the bike.

Lock your bike to something secure. You don’t want something that is movable or breakable. Things make of wood are not so good, unless they are trees. Also, be sure no one can just lift your bike, lock and all, over whatever you’ve locked it to. You want to put your lock THROUGH something, not just around it.

Also, you should have photos of your bike and the serial number written down somewhere. If your bike is stolen, this information can help you get your bike back. You can find your bike’s serial number on the bottom bracket, which is the part where the axle for the pedals goes through.

There are some other things to think about. You can use a chain lock in addition to your U-lock. Having two different kinds of locks makes it harder to steal, because it takes longer to cut both of them. Be aware of other removable things on your bike that can be stolen. Like your seat, your headlight, or your panniers.

Some people suggest making your bike “not worth stealing.” The theory is that a bike thief is more interested in swiping a really expensive looking bike than a rusty beater. In my opinion, bike thieves in Albany don’t know the difference and don’t care either. They are looking for something they can ride away and sell somewhere else. Similarly is the theory that if your bike is unique and widely known, if someone else was riding it, it would be obvious that it was stolen. This isn’t always the case either, as we’ve seen locally. The famous Pink Bike was stolen. Trikes ridden by disabled people have also been stolen. All this means is that bike thieves in Albany will steal anything that rolls.

They are also aggressive about it. Do not assume that your bike will be safe in the backyard. We’ve heard reports of thieves taking bikes out of garages while their owners were in the backyard. Keep your bikes locked up and out of sight.