Bike Theft Statistics
- Bike theft is up 15% in 2024-25.
- Most bike theft occurs in sheds and garages, not out in the open.
- The thefts that occur in the open involve cutting or disabling a lock, meaning the theft was planned and executed with specific tools.
- Most theft happens at night in late spring and summer.
- The most attractive bikes to steal are hybrids and other city/commuter bikes worth less than $1000.
Learn more details from Bike Index, and while you’re there, make sure to register your bike.
Why is Bike Theft Growing in Chicago?
The short answer is that cycling is becoming more popular. Chicago is the fastest-growing city for cycling in the nation, after all, and there are more bikes on city streets than any time since the turn of the century. This popularity means there’s a market for stolen bikes, and a growing number of potential victims. This post explores the products and methods Tailwind recommends to keep your bike safe from thieves.
How to Thwart Bike Thieves
Locking your bike to something solid is the best way to keep it from getting stolen – even when it’s already on your personal property. At Tailwind, we carry high-quality locks from Abus, but it’s important to understand their product line and when to use each type of lock. Here’s a quick rundown of the types of locks we sell and when to use them:
U-locks
These are the most common type of lock in Chicago, and for good reason. The design is simple and it fits in a backpack. Bang for buck, u-locks provide the most security at a given price point. The Abus Granit series will cover the needs of most cyclists as it can only be defeated by an angle grinder, which takes time and creates a lot of sound, sparks, and smoke. For even greater protection, the Abus Granit Super Extreme 2500 can even fend off power tools. Use this lock when you need to leave your bike in the loop overnight but be careful what you lock to. A thief might think it’s easier to cut down the bike rack instead of the lock.
What makes Abus special and why do we prefer them? For one, they have offices in Chicago and understand the unique needs of all-year cyclists in the Great Lakes region, so their locks hold up against snow, rain, and salt. But from a security standpoint, the way Abus u-locks are constructed means they have to be cut twice to fail. Most other u-locks on the market fail after just one cut. Also, all Abus locks are made from hardened steel, whereas cheaper locks off Amazon.com are made from softer steel that cuts more easily.
Folding Locks
These locks seek to fix some of the problems with u-locks, mainly that they’re bulky and hard to get around some objects. Folding locks retain a lot of the security of a u-lock but fit in a coat pocket. The Abus Bordo series come in lightweight and heavy-duty versions, and the 6500 series will work for commuters who leave their bikes at the train station during daylight hours. A big perk of Abus folding locks is that they come with elegant holsters that attach to water bottle cage mounts on almost any bike frame.
Chain Locks
These locks allow you to secure oddly shaped objects to each other. They’re also easy to store in a backpack or pannier. The Granit Citychain Xplus grants the most security in this line. Like Abus u-locks, all Abus chain locks require two cuts to fail.
Pro tip: you can combine an Abus chain with an Abus u-lock to secure more bike components or to give you the versatility to lock to awkward objects.
Goose Locks and Infinity Loops
Sometimes you don’t need maximum security and a lighter, easy-to-use lock can do the job. For these tasks we suggest the Goose Lock or the Infinity Loop. The Goose Lock is flexible, but it holds its shape. This is a nice feature in winter when you’re wearing bulky gloves and it’s also nice in low-light conditions because when you let go of an end you don’t have to worry about it falling to the ground limply.
The Infinity Loop works like an adjustable length of rope, allowing you to get a snug fit when locking. This is great for CTA bus users and Metra commuters because you can lock firmly to the racks so the bike won’t jostle about.
Cable locks
Sure, a cable lock is better than nothing, but not by much. At the shop, sometimes we can cut through these locks with one hand and a pair of snips. These locks should really only be used to secure parts of the bike, like saddles. For long sporting rides it’s a good idea to carry a light cable lock in case you have to lock up for a minute to use the bathroom somewhere.
How to Properly Lock a Bike
Four words: Frame, rear wheel, rack. Ideally, you want to lock these with one lock, then use a secondary lock to secure the front wheel to the frame. After that, a cable lock through the saddle will send a strong message that your bike isn’t the one.
At the very least, lock your frame to something sturdy. According to Bike Index data, thieves want the entire bike, not just parts off of it – but they’ll take what they can.
More advice: don’t lock to trees or wood fences, they can be cut (and your lock hurts the tree bark), and avoid locking to street signs, as they’re designed to be easily removed by city workers. Parking meters are typically good for u-locks so long as you can’t just lift the bike up and over the head of the meter.
Note that any bike lock can be defeated by somebody with enough time, tools, and effort. Even if you have an unbreakable lock, a thief with a van can pull the bike rack out of the ground.
Need a bike rack? We can help you out with that too, but give us a few days to special-order it.
Final Thoughts
The crew at Tailwind have been riding and locking bikes on city streets for decades. We know a few tricks and tips beyond what’s mentioned in this article. Feel free to come by any time to pick our brains.