6 Tips to Keep Your Bike Safe and Secure in Your Apartment Complex

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6 Tips to Keep Your Bike Safe and Secure in Your Apartment Complex

Staff Writer · Feb 12, 2010

Mountain biking and street biking enthusiasts who live in apartment complexes have to consider keeping their bike safe between uses, when it is in storage. Those who have had to make these kinds of decisions know that bike security can be tricky in a multi-tenant building. Here are some of the top suggestions for keeping a bicycle secure in any kind of apartment building.

Evaluate Convenience Vs. Risk

In some situations, keeping your bicycle inside your actual housing unit may be the best solution, especially if your bike is relatively valuable. In other cases, lugging your bike through security doors, up stairs, and around various kinds of obstacles makes keeping a bike inside of the dwelling impractical. Think through this equation to see if the extra work is worth the lower risk of bike theft.

Talk to Your Building Super

A building supervisor is a real asset when it comes to finding all of the options for keeping items safe in an apartment complex. Bike owners who are worried about safety may be able to keep the bike in a shared storage space, in a courtyard space, or elsewhere on a property where it is less vulnerable to theft.

Scope Out Possible Storage Spaces

When you’re considering where to keep your bike in between uses, take a good look at various storage spaces to assess their relative risk. A few thoughtful observations can help a lot in finding the safest bike parking spots.

Use Hard Locks

If your bike will be in a relatively public area, using hard steel U-locks or similar options is generally much better than using the thin chain links or cables that are part of cheaper bike lock systems. The extra security will be worth it if a would-be thief only has a set period of time to get a bike freed from its locks.

Use Multiple Locks for Long Term Storage

In some cases, where a bike will be on the street, it may be worth taking the extra time to wrap a bike lock around the frame and an extra one around the front tire. It’s definitely worth taking the time to get cord-style bike locks wrapped tight; a loosely wound bike lock is an invitation to thieves who may be able to work it loose enough to swipe a bike.

Ask Neighbors About Security Issues

When you’re in a building with multiple units, your neighbors can be one of your best resources for figuring out how to avoid bike theft. Some residents who may have lived in the building for years might be able to provide in-depth information on how likely items are to be stolen from in or around the building, or on adjacent streets.

All of these are common tips for practicing good bicycle security. Those who have put some money into a bike will want to make sure they secure their investment against a very common kind of theft. Bicycles are relatively easy to steal, and owners who want to really provide security for their bikes often have to put some careful thought into the best solutions.

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