Have you ever had your bicycle stolen?

The despair you feel when your beloved bike isn't where it should be is something only those who've experienced it can truly understand.

Here are the types of locks you can use for your road bike.

The further down the list you go, the more robust and theft-resistant the locks become.

■Dial Cable Lock (100-yen shop lock)

This might be the cheapest and most easily accessible lock.

It's often called a chain lock, and most are 4-digit dial locks.

With four dials ranging from 0 to 9, it seems robust with 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 10,000 combinations.

However, even with high-end dial locks, if you pull on them, a gap appears somewhere in the dial.

Since the structure of these locks allows a gap to form between the dials when an incorrect number is entered, even an amateur can open them by trying one dial at a time.

With a little practice, this type of lock can be opened in about a minute.

It's your precious bicycle.

It's best to avoid locks that can be opened so easily.

■Keyed Chain Lock (100-yen shop lock)

Some people, thinking that if a dial lock is bad, a keyed lock must be good, buy a keyed chain lock.

Certainly, without a key, the chain needs to be cut.

Cutting it requires specialized tools and takes time.

In the case of a chain, it can be easily cut by hitting it with a hammer.

For a cable, it takes about an hour to cut it by unraveling the wire with small tools like nippers.

However, with specialized tools like cable cutters, it can be cut in one second.

A 100-yen shop lock can deter ordinary thieves, but it won't last a second against a professional thief.

■Ring Lock

A ring lock is a fixed lock attached to the bicycle frame, which locks by sliding a bar.

A key is required to open and close it.

It seems secure because breaking the bar is difficult and it won't open without a key.

However, this is a "defender's mindset."

From a "thief's mindset," by grabbing the handlebars and instantly pushing the bicycle to rotate the tire, the bar can be broken.

Naturally, this would scratch or break the spokes, so the owner cannot test it, but a thief will show no mercy.

For theft prevention, this lock becomes effective if you apply it after rendering the bicycle immobile.

However, its security is low when used alone.

As a slightly irrelevant side note, there's a rumor that if you break a jump umbrella, take out the button part, insert it into the keyhole of a ring lock, and jiggle it around, the lock will open.

Please, do not try this.

■Coil Lock

This refers to a lock where the cable part is wound like a coil.

The locking mechanism is a key, so if a thief wants to open it, they'll need to cut the wire.

Most coil lock wires are thick, so cutting them requires specialized tools and time.

Unless the bicycle is very valuable, thieves tend to avoid time-consuming targets and steal what's easy to take.

This is where effective "security" and "theft prevention" truly begin.

■U-lock

The locking mechanism is a key, and instead of wires or chains, this lock uses a solid metal bar bent into a U-shape.

It's quite robust because even with wire cutters, it cannot be cut.

Also, the key cannot be broken, making it very difficult to steal the bicycle.

However, it's important to note that with road bikes, the front and rear wheels can often be easily removed.

In such cases, there's a risk that only the U-locked front wheel might be left behind, and everything else stolen.

Care must be taken in where the lock is placed.

■Conclusion

There are various types of locks, and their prices vary depending on the locking mechanism.

Simply put, cheaper locks are more easily broken, making your bicycle more susceptible to theft.

Thin wire locks can be cut, so choose a thick wire lock or a U-lock.

Every lock has its weaknesses, so it's fundamental to use two or more locks, and ensure the bicycle cannot be moved as much as possible while locked.