<p>what kind of u-lock should i buy? a 3" by 5" or 3" by 11"?</p>
<p>also, do people in berkeley have bikes where they take the front or back wheel off? is it necessary, or will i be fine just getting a regular u-lock?</p>
<p>I saw a person’s bike that had the wheel taken off and tied to the frame. There are a lot of bikes with missing tires if you park it behind buildings that most people don’t walk past. Keep your bike in sight. Also, I heard you should get three different types of locks.</p>
<p>[Lock</a> Strategy](<a href=“http://sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html]Lock”>http://sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html)</p>
<p>You wanna get a U-lock that leaves zaro gap in between the object your locking it too and your rear wheel. So depending on your bike you wanna go the smallest, since any gap makes it easier for bike thieves. The link above explains in great detail on how to properly lock a bike. Also I recommend Kryptonite U-lock over bulldog just from owning both. </p>
<p>As for taking the front wheel off it’s helps prevent theft, but you can also use rope lock connected to the ulock in the front to have added security.</p>
<p>SFBike explains more here <a href=“San Francisco Bicycle Coalition - Promoting the Bicycle for Everyday Transportation”>San Francisco Bicycle Coalition - Promoting the Bicycle for Everyday Transportation;
<p>You should get quick-release wheels regardless. They just make maintaining the bike so much easier, especially if you get a flat in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>How well you lock it depends on how nice of a bike you have.</p>
<p>With my ~$400 road bike (Fuji Newest 4.0), I usually use a combination of U-lock and cable lock. The u-lock goes around the frame and one wheel, the cable goes around the frame and other wheel. At least one of the locks go around the thing I’m locking the bike to (very important), but usually, I try to get both in. That way, if they break any lock, the most they can steal is a wheel, which makes it not worth the effort. Plus, by using two different types, most thiefs will only be equipped to break one of the two.</p>
<p>Since my bike is mid-end, I don’t spend the effort to secure my seat. I do that knowing full well that there’s a good chance that it will eventually be stolen.</p>
<p>However, regardless of anything, remember these:
1.) Always lock your bike, even when it takes 2min to do so and you only have to be gone for 10sec.
2.) Anything can be easily removed; if it can be distinctly recognized outside the context of the rest of the bike, it will be stolen, eventually.
3.) Make sure it’s actually locked to a solid object. Just because someone can’t ride it away doesn’t mean that they can’t load it onto the back of a truck or front of a bus.</p>
<p>Also, if you have lights, make sure to take them with you when you finish riding. Otherwise, people will steal them for fun.</p>
<p>One other tip: if you decide to get any storage installed on your bike, check them before riding off. After every football game, someone has left open containers (of alcohol) in the milk crate on the back of my bike. I always make sure to throw them out before riding; otherwise, it’s a legal liabity because a bike is a vehicle, and you will be subjected to open container laws.</p>
<p>^ Great write up excelblue</p>