School Is Starting Soon: Do You Have The Best Bike Lock?
Yes, it's Back To School at the end of the month in most cities around Texas. And one thing that may be very important in your family is to make a decision about the best bike lock for your kids bicycle. This article is going to help you consider the important factors leading up to that right lock for your family bikes, and also some specifics about what to do before you purchase this bike lock.
First off, there are a lot of types of bike locks to choose from. In addition, it's possible that the wrong decision can have disastrous consequences! Our hope here at Texas Safe & Lock is to educate you about the important things you need to know now, and avoid a possible theft in the process later.
Texas Safe & Lock believes that there are 3 easy steps to help you find the perfect lock for both you and your family bicycles. Choosing the best bicycle lock will protect and be easy to use every day. Each bike is different, and the expense of the bike is too. Where and how often, and the actual budget you have to work with are all considerations as you return to school. Grade school, middle schools, junior high, community colleges, and colleges are all consderations as locations are very important.
Here are the 3 Steps Texas Safe & Lock Condsiders:
- What is the right level of securty for each bike
- Choosing the right type of lock for that bike
- Choosing the right lock brand for each bike
We believe that choosing the best bike lock and learning how to use it properly are the most important things you can do to protect your bike from theft.
What To Do About Stolen Bicycles:
Sadly, today even if you do everything right, your bike might still be stolen. Remember no bike lock is unbreakable, there are thieves everywhere and they are utterly relentless in their thievery! The first option for locating a stolen bike is with the police and if you follow through with completion of the next recommendations we make for you on what to do before you get your bike lock, if found it can be returned.
Texas Safe & Lock says to take these 7 steps to increase the chances that you can be re-united with your stolen bike. And then (in case that doesn’t happen), we can also try to reduce the financial cost of replacing the bike. The first three are all about building up a file of information on all your family bikes. This will enable you to distribute details about these bikes if one is stolen, prove it’s yours (should it be recovered) and make a successful insurance claim if it’s not.
The fourth is the single most important thing you can do to increase your chances of being re-united with your bike. The fifth and sixth are all about reducing the financial blow of buying a replacement bike. While the last one enables you to be extremely proactive about getting your bike back once it’s stolen! Remember too that these steps if taken, are free and easy. Don't wait till school starts, take these steps now:
Save all your receipts of purchase: Keep all receipts that relate to your bike. Whether you’re buying a new or a second hand bike, if you’re getting it serviced or fixed, and note all additional accessories. Always ask for a receipt.
Bike shop receipts: Regardless of whether you’re insured or not (although it’s even more important if you are). These receipts create a vital history and proof of your ownership. Keep them together in your file with the others.
Take a color photo of your bike well lit and clear. If you are getting a new bike this year, take the picture before you ride it. Take more photos of any distinguishing marks, and if you have had the bike a while already, be sure to take photos again as it’s appearance changes over time (for example when you add accessories). These photos help to prove your ownership. If a bike is stolen, you can also distribute them to the police and various organizations that will hopefully help find it.
Record the make, model and serial number of your bike in the same file with the photos. The most important being find and record the serial number of your bike. This serial number is the most important piece of information you have. As with most serial numbers, it’s the only way of identifying a bike beyond all doubt. You could have all the receipts, loads of photos and a full description. But there’s no way to definitively prove a specific stolen bike is yours if you don’t have the serial number. Since all have a unique serial number, usually engraved beneath the bottom bracket. Just flip your bike over, find the number and write it down.
In addition, since you’re also going to use it to register with local and national bike databases, which is the most significant thing you can do to improve your chances of getting your bike back, it' so important to get it done.
Be sure to register your bike. There are many organizations with databases the police or public can access. This will enable recovery and will make it more likely to happen. Call the police department in your area and find out what they are using. Local is a great place to begin this process. Remember in your search, begin with the search term “bicycle registration [where you live]” on Google. They’re usually organized by your local police force, so you can be pretty sure that when they recover a stolen bike they’ll check their own directories first. Most are free and is truly easy to do.
We also recommend national registry as well, since location is a factor where it may be found. Bike Index is completely free, has a rapidly growing user base and is increasingly used by police, city officials and cycling organizations and is also US based.
Another popular registry you may want to check into here in the USA is National Bike Registry. For a small fee ($10 – $25), you can register your serial number on their database. You’ll receive a special label to apply to your bike to help the police identify it. And even if a thief manages to remove the label, the police can still use the serial number. This label is a theft deterrant as well.
Check with your family insurance carrier. Houshold insurance policies may cover your family bikes. You just need to find out if replacement costs are available and under what conditions.
You may want to also consider anti theft protection from the lock brand you select. For instance, Kryptonite or OnGuard, they have programs you may qualify for. Registration, using their lock, and if stolen is reported; thay may pay you an amount based on the value of your bike. Not bad right?
Install a tracking device on all your bikes, especially if the purchase price warrants it. Increasingly affordable and increasingly popular these devices are all based on the same idea: they allow you to remotely track the location your bike, so if a thief steals it, you’ll know where they take it! Like LoJack for a car.
A small transmitter that emits a signal is what is attached to your bike. And a phone app that’s able to receive that signal. So as long as your phone is within range of the signal, you’ll know where your bike is. Be sure to check out how it works by GPS or Bluetooth and consider the best one for you.
The best location for a tracker is under the bike seat. At least it's a start. By recording it as lost on the app you use will connect your tracker and you can be informed of it's location. GPS trackers are going to be more expensive but they have a much bigger range. More of these devices are being launched every month. Checkout Sherlock, Spybike, Caveotrac and Boomerang as these look the most promising.
Preventative maintenance is exactly what Texas Safe & Lock recommends to you about your family bikes for the best security. Be sure to come by and talk to our qualified staff about protection for your family bikes and get things in place before school starts. Be Prepared!
Texas Safe & Lock stocks large quantities, offers competitive pricing, and will discuss the best bike lock hardware with you in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. So, if you need the best locksmith service, and you need it now, then call Texas Safe & Lock at 469-467-7233, and you will be provide the best security at very affordable prices.