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a very high crime area try to find a neck that does not have a removable face, it is one piece and you have to push the handlebar through the hole to install it. This will make it too much work for most thieves.

No matter what you have to lock with, how you lock is just as important. Never ever leave your bike unlocked, even in your home. Burglars still exist. If possible lock your bike to something solid even inside your house. Watch out in some cities for sign posts that lift out of the base easily, like in Chicago. Go for high visibility sturdy bike racks if available. Watch out for bike racks that are flimsy, held together with bolts easily removed, or that are not secured. Look for evidence that parts of the rack have been cut before to steal bikes. In many downtowns parking meters are your best bet. Make sure you lock your bike so that there is not much extra in the chain, keep it tight so thieves cannot lift the bike over the top of the meter. Same for locking to signs. Never ever lock just your wheel to anything, always lock through the frame. It is generally a bad idea to let someone watch your bike for a few minutes, they are unlikely to take the task as seriously as you would. A messenger friend of mine had his bike stolen while he was on the phone with his dispatcher, with the bike right beside him. Thieves only need a moment of inattention.

Finally, your bike is vulnerable to theft while you are on it. It is relatively easy for someone on foot to knock a bicyclist down and then grab the bike while they start to get up, this happened to a friend of mine. Be alert and try to avoid locations where visibility is low and the path is narrow.

I have had seven bicycles stolen over thirty years of riding, one from inside my home, several while locked with u-locks. I lost two seats before I got the Postmaster. But with the Kryptonite chain and skewers and the Postmaster I was able to ride a bike with Chris King wheels, and full XT and XTR other than the wheels, as a NYC bike messenger for three years with nothing stolen. I have lost nothing off a bike in the last eight years during which I lived in NYC, the bike theft capital of the country, and Tucson the number one property theft city in the country, and rode pretty much every single day.

You can keep your bike secure if you are careful, buy the best products, and think through where and how to lock it. You do not have to ride a beater bike around town out of fear that you will have your nice bike stolen.

Learn more about this author, Carmi Turchick.
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