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[caption id="attachment_7227" align="alignnone" width="497"] The black bike is unintentionally making my grey bike even safer. Thanks black bike![/caption]

The photo above really is worth a thousand words on the subject of bike security. After I locked my bike and trailer to this bus sign pole on West Broadway, another cyclist came along, and locked up their bike to the pole, using that cute, blue, twist-tie of a lock. I'm a big believer that you can't stop someone from being able to steal your bicycle, but you can make it harder to steal than some other bicycle. If you were a bike thief, which bike would you try to steal? Click the image to enlarge it.

[caption id="attachment_2542" align="alignnone" width="497"] The bike racks outside MEC on West Broadway, today. Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]

I earn money by binning. I use a bicycle, with a bike trailer, to collect beverage containers to recover the deposit -- keeping my ride is a matter of being able to support myself,  so naturally I take bike security seriously.

Some basic suggestions:

• Make your bike less attractive to steal than someone else’s.


• Choose a security routine you can follow like a second nature.


• Lock both wheels -- Use a long, 11-inch U-lock and a chain, or two short U-locks. Whatever.


• Ask at a decent bike store about locking bike skewers, which can make it that much harder for thieves to take your wheels.


• If you lock your bike up outside overnight, get six feet of transport chain and a mini U-lock, which always stays locked to the railing or pole where you lock the bike.


• Don't leave easily removable do-dads on your bike, like lights, unless you are in a gift-giving mood.