Location, location, location: You should, if possible, lock your bike to a secure rack in a high traffic area. This alone will deter many opportunistic thieves, as it is simply not worth drawing attention to yourself.
Use a bike rack over a more vulnerable anchor point, as it needs to be properly secured and bolted into concrete. This isn’t always the case: I recently found a rack in my area with a loose bolt at the base, so keep an eye on it.
Lock types and positioning: There are many ways to lock your bike securely. Which ways these are depends on the type of lock you use and the bike you are locking.
For a full-size U-lock, you’ll typically want to secure the bike around the frame and rear wheel, if space permits. Some methods suggest securing just the rear wheel, but this can leave the rest of your bike vulnerable. You’ll want to keep U-locks off the ground, especially on concrete or asphalt, to prevent thieves from trying to break the lock with a hammer or lever mechanisms like a tire jack or iron.
If you have a quick-release wheel, you might consider a dual-lock setup like the Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7 With Flex Cable (although this is not a grinder-resistant lock). You can also use multiple locks, such as a grinder-resistant lock for the frame and rear wheel plus a chain or cable lock for the front wheel.
Chain locks can work well to secure both a frame and a wheel, but they do have their drawbacks. They tend to be quite heavy, especially the thicker ones that are more resistant to heavy bolt cutters. They also tend not to be as sharp as our top picks. Again, keeping the chain off the ground can help deter bolt-cutting thieves.
Security tags and trackers: An important trick to track your bike is to use a Tile or Apple AirTag hidden somewhere along the frame or under your seat so you can keep an eye on its position. Unfortunately, there are some real limitations to this method.
Both AirTags and Tile devices are limited to the range of their Bluetooth antennas. Tile devices have a maximum range of 400 feet for the Tile Pro, while the Tile Mate and Slim offer 250 feet. Apple doesn’t specify the AirTag’s range, but it’s also limited by Bluetooth, with most tests putting it at around 30 meters, or 100 feet.
AirTags and Tiles both offer tracking features when out of range. AirTags can connect via Find My Network, which uses other people’s Apple devices to track anonymously, while Tile devices can similarly track the device’s last known location via Android phones, though it’s far from perfect. Neither offers real-time GPS tracking, and both systems require other devices to track.
AirTags support ultra-wideband Precision Finding technology (supported by iPhone 11 and later), which can locate your device more precisely than Tile trackers. The downside is that AirTags will beep when removed from your phone as a security measure, potentially alerting thieves to their presence.
There are also real-time GPS trackers, such as the Invoxiawhich charge an annual subscription fee. These devices are more expensive, but may be more effective because they don’t rely on Bluetooth, but instead use real-time GPS location tracking. They are generally larger and harder to hide than AirTags or Tiles.
What about smart locks? Smart locks are relatively new to the bike lock scene and haven't made huge waves yet. Smart locks like the I lock it plus (which we didn’t test) can offer conveniences like keyless unlocking via your phone and even a smart alarm that blares up to 110 decibels of noise. That said, you’ll likely have your keys with you for most journeys, and alarms can accidentally go off, causing more problems than they solve.
Even the more expensive smart locks we’ve seen aren’t grind-resistant, so you’re trading some security for convenience. As mentioned above, we recommend making sure any lock you choose has been independently security-assessed by Sold Secure and/or ART to ensure objective testing for the best protection.