The bike post (pun intended)
Posted by on Friday, September 28, 2012 04:00 pm

There are easily thousands of bikes on campus. Any point during the day there are hundreds of bikes locked up at different locations from Sproul and Dwinelle to Moffit and Barrows just to name a few. According to the UCPD there have already been 67 bikes stolen this semester alone and that’s only the number of stolen bikes that have been reported. Bike robbery is a real problem in urban settings like that of UC Berkeley. If you use a bike to get around there is already a risk that it will be stolen. However there a couple steps you can take to help protect your bike.
Register your bike
Seriously, just do it. It only takes a moment, it’s free and it will ensure your bike comes right back to you if it is recovered by the police. Only 1,100 bikes have been registered this semester so if you haven’t registered your bike yet, now is the perfect time. You can register your bike any day of the week from 6 pm. from 9 p.m. at the UCPD front counter in the basement of Sproul Hall. You will need to bring your bike and your ID. After that a friendly CSO will help you fill out the form to get your Bike License. You’ll put two stickers on your bike frame and that’s it, you’re done. Should anything happen to your bike and the police find it, you’ll have your bike home hassle free.
Properly Locking Techniques
The other way to protect your bike is to properly lock it. Locking just your front tire to a pole is a good way to only have a front tire when you return. Using a U-Lock is the best, cable locks are too easy to cut. A common rule a thumb is that a thief is going to go for the bike that looks easiest to steal so every extra step you take to secure your bike is ideal. If you can, carry a second U-Lock or cable so you can secure both of your tires as well as your frame. Use your lock to secure the back tire to the pole through triangle the back of the frame forms, (this will secure the tire as well as the frame). We’re securing the back tire with the U-Lock because it is worth more than the front tire. Then loop the cable through your  front tire and attach to the U-Lock before you close the lock. If you’re using a second U-Lock instead then use it to secure your front tire to your frame.
If someone really wants to steal your bike they will. However most thieves will look for easier picking if you take these steps to properly lock your bike. And if your bike is registered, it has a much greater chancea of making its way back to you.

A properly locked bike

There are easily thousands of bikes on campus. Any point during the day there are hundreds of bikes locked up at different locations from Sproul and Dwinelle to Moffitt and Barrows, just to name a few. According to the UCPD there have already been 67 bikes stolen this semester alone. That’s quite a few and doesn’t include the bike thefts that haven’t been reported. Bike robbery is a real problem in urban settings like that of UC Berkeley. If you use a bike to get around, there is a decent chance that it will be stolen. However, there a couple steps you can take to help protect your bike.

Register your bike

Seriously, just do it. It only takes a moment, it’s free and it will ensure your bike comes right back to you if it is recovered by the police. Only 1,100 bikes have been registered this semester so if you haven’t registered your bike yet, now is the perfect time. You can register your bike any day of the week from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the UCPD front counter in the basement of Sproul Hall. You will need to bring your bike and your Cal Student ID. Once there, a friendly Community Service Officer will help you fill out the form to get your Bike License.

Proper Locking Techniques

The other way to protect your bike is to properly lock it. Locking just your front tire to a pole is a good way to only have a front tire when you return.  A common rule of thumb is that a thief is going to go for the bike that looks easiest to steal, so every extra step you take to secure your bike is ideal. Using a U-Lock is the best, cable locks are too easy to cut. If you can, carry a cable or second U-Lock so you can secure both of your tires as well as your frame. Lock your back tire to a pole by placing it through the triangle that the back of the frame forms. This will secure the tire as well as the frame. (We’re securing the back tire with the U-Lock because it is worth more than the front tire.) Then loop the cable through your  front tire and attach to the U-Lock before you close the lock. If you have a second U-Lock instead of a cable, use it to lock your front tire to your frame. Yeah, we know this sounds ridiculously complicated so check out the photo gallery below for better explanations.

If someone really wants to steal your bike, they will. However most thieves will look for easier pickings if you take these steps to properly lock your bike. And if your bike is registered, it has a much greater chance of making its way back to you. For more information, check out the bike section of the UCPD website.

Here’s the photo gallery (click to enlarge)

Image Source: Daniel Radding, The Daily Californian

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Comments:
Guest said:
Sep 28, 2012 at 11:12 pm

“You can register your bike any day of the week from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the UCPD front counter in the basement of Sproul Hall.”

Is the time frame for registering the bike really just three hours?



Daniel Radding said:
Oct 5, 2012 at 9:43 pm

The time frame really is just three hours.



bmx said:
Dec 24, 2012 at 7:25 pm

Nice post. I used to be checking constantly this weblog and I’m inspired! Very helpful info specially the last section :) I deal with such info a lot. I was looking for this certain info for a very long time. Thanks and good luck.



Ian Robson said:
Dec 29, 2012 at 10:38 pm

Cool custom chopper, alot of time and effort put into it.