The summer has seen some great cycling events including the Tour de Yorkshire. You may feel inspired to dust off your trusty bike and get cycling, maybe for leisure, or maybe as part of your commute. That’s great and your health and the environment will certainly benefit, but unfortunately with the rate of cycle theft are on the rise, whenever you need to leave your bike, you need to be aware of how best to keep it secure.

Here are some simple tips that could help you protect your precious bike from would-be thieves –

1)    The first tip is common sense, but don’t be tempted to leave your bike in an isolated spot.

3)    Always lock your bike, even if you are only popping into a local shop, for an opportunist thief, seconds is all they need.

4)    Lock your bike to an immovable object, but don’t cause an obstruction and make sure you have permission to do so.

5)    Lock your bike through the frame and remember to also lock any removable parts such as wheels

6)    If you have parts of the bike that are small and quick release, such as saddles, take these with you

7)    Don’t scrimp on your lock. Some locks offer virtually no security and can be simply pulled apart. Buy the best quality lock you can and look for additional security features such as cable locks with interwoven threads that are harder to cut through.

8)    Make sure your bike is marked so it is easy to identify and return to you if it is recovered after a theft
With many employers and public spaces increasing the amount of dedicated cycle parking provision, find out where you can safely lock your bike, ideally to a rack, shelter, locker or compound.