Location, Location, Location: You should lock your bike to a secure rack in a high-traffic area, whenever possible. This alone will keep away many opportunistic thieves as it’s just not worth the trouble to attract attention.
Use a bike rack over a more vulnerable anchor point, as it should be properly secured and bolted into concrete. This isn’t always the case—I recently found a rack in my local area with a loose bolt at the base—so keep an eye out.
Lock Types and Positioning: There are many ways to lock your bike securely, some of which will depend on the type of lock you’re using and the bike you’re locking.
For a regular-size U-lock, you’ll usually want to lock the bike around the frame and the back wheel, if space allows. Some methods suggest simply locking the back wheel, but this can leave the rest of your bike vulnerable. You’ll want to keep U-locks away from the ground, especially with concrete or asphalt, to prevent thieves from trying to smash it with a hammer or use leverage devices like a tire jack or iron.
If you’ve got a quick-release wheel, you may want to consider a dual-lock setup like the Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7 With Flex Cable (though this is not a grinder-resistant lock). Alternatively, you could use multiple locks, like a grinder-resistant lock for the frame and back wheel plus a chain or cable lock for the front wheel.
Chain locks can work well for securing both a frame and wheel, though they have their drawbacks. They’re usually quite heavy, especially the thicker ones that can better resist heavy bolt cutters. They’re also generally not nearly as grinder-resistant as our top picks. Again, keeping the chain off the ground will help ward off bolt-cutting thieves.
Security Tags and Trackers: One key trick to tracking your bike is using 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 antennae. Tile devices come with a maximum 400-foot range for the Tile Pro, while the Tile Mate and Slim offer 250 feet. Apple doesn’t specify its AirTag range, but it’s also limited by Bluetooth, with most testing putting it at around 30 meters or 100 feet.
AirTags and Tiles both offer some tracking features when out of range. AirTags can connect over the Find My Network, using other people’s Apple devices to anonymously track, while Tile devices can similarly track the device’s last known location over Android phones, but this is far from perfect. Neither offers real-time GPS tracking, and both systems require other devices to track.
AirTags support ultra-wideband technology for Precision Finding (supported by iPhone 11 or higher) that can pinpoint the device more accurately than Tile trackers. On the downside, AirTags will chime when moved away from your phone as a safety precaution, which may alert thieves to their presence.
There are also real-time GPS trackers, such as the Invoxia, which charges a yearly subscription fee. These devices are pricier but potentially more effective since they don’t rely on Bluetooth, instead using real-time GPS location tracking. They’re generally larger and tougher to conceal than AirTags or Tiles.
What About Smart Locks? Smart locks are relatively new to the bike-lock scene and have yet to make major waves. Smart locks like the I Lock It Plus (which we have not tested) can offer conveniences like keyless unlocking via your phone and even a smart alarm with up to 110 decibels of shrieking sound. That said, you’ll likely have your keys with you for most rides, and alarms can go off accidentally, which can cause more problems than they solve.
Even the pricier smart locks we’ve seen aren’t grinder-resistant, so you’re trading some security for convenience. As noted above, we recommend making sure any lock you choose is independently rated for security from Sold Secure and/or ART to ensure objective testing for the best protection.