One of the things that is often forgotten is the "storage/parking location."

Home Storage Location

The most important thing is where you will store it at home.

Storage methods vary greatly depending on the home storage location.

• Storing in a detached house

If you live in a detached house, you can park your bicycle on your property, so you have flexibility in how you park it.

However, you can't be completely at ease.

Theft can occur even within your own property.

The basic principle is "earth locking." (explained later)

You need to use a strong lock to secure it to an immovable, robust structure.

A bicycle cover is also recommended.

Especially for carbon materials, deterioration due to UV rays is the biggest enemy.

Placing it in a shaded area, such as under an awning, is an absolute basic, and a bicycle cover is even better if possible.

There are UV-cut bicycle covers available, so be sure to check for them when purchasing.

As you'll find out when you actually use one, bicycle covers are easily blown away by the wind.

Make sure to secure it with clips or something similar.

Concealing the bike from the road is also good for theft prevention, so it's worth doing, even if it's a bit troublesome.

When searching for products, "UV cut bicycle cover" is easy to understand.

▲ICAN A22 Road Bike

• Storing in an apartment building

In the case of an apartment building, it makes a big difference whether you store it in the bicycle parking area or in your home.

If you store it in the bicycle parking area, as with a detached house, try to use earth locking to prevent theft.

If you can keep it in your apartment, that's more secure.

You need to consider whether it will fit in the elevator.

Bicycles are specified by JIS to have a total length of 185 cm or less.

It's safe to assume that most bicycles sold in Japan fall within this dimension.

On the other hand, even a fairly large 15-person apartment elevator has a depth of 150 cm and a width of 160 cm, which is a bit narrow to fit a bicycle straight in.

It's a size where it might barely fit if you put it in diagonally.

A common size is a 9-person elevator with a depth of 110 cm and a width of 140 cm.

In this case, a bicycle with a total length of 185 cm won't fit even diagonally, so you'll need to find a way to load it, such as lifting the front wheel and standing it upright.

Reference: Elevator size guidelines (researched by the author)

6-person: Depth 85 cm, Width 140 cm

9-person: Depth 110 cm, Width 140 cm

11-person: Depth 135 cm, Width 140 cm

13-person: Depth 135 cm, Width 160 cm

15-person: Depth 150 cm, Width 160 cm

▲ICAN Gravel Road Bike

■ Storage during commuting to work/school

Securing a storage location for commuting to work or school is also important.

For schools, make sure to apply correctly and secure an appropriate parking spot.

The issue is when commuting to work.

It would be ideal if there was a dedicated bicycle parking area within the company, but in many cases, you'll have to store it in a visible spot from the street.

Remember to lock it when storing it.

■ Parking at stop-off points

When riding a bicycle, you need to consider detours and stop-offs in addition to the start and finish.

A clear example would be when you go to a convenience store.

If you think it's just for a short while and forget to lock it, you'll regret it when you come out of the store.

You might think it's just a short time, but if you're in the store for even a minute, that's enough time for someone to steal it.

You understand that once a bicycle has been ridden for a few minutes, you can't catch up to it on foot.

For just a few minutes, you don't need a super sturdy lock, so having even a simple lock that can be easily secured is convenient.

▲ICAN A9 Road Bike

■ The locking method is crucial

As mentioned several times already, the method of locking your bicycle is extremely important.

First, regarding locks, a thick wire or chain lock would be good.

Thin wires can be easily cut with "wire cutters" that cost less than 1000 yen.

Even if you park it at home or at work, it can be cut in a few seconds, so it's safe to say it's completely ineffective if someone is serious about stealing it.

Make sure to choose a thick wire.

Whether it's a good comparison or not, burglars reportedly avoid houses that take more than 5 minutes to unlock.

In the case of bicycles, they would make a judgment in an even shorter time, so appearance is very important.

You need a thick wire lock that instantly makes you think, "This looks sturdy."

• Basic securing method: "Earth Lock"

Even if you prepare a thick chain lock, if the locking method is wrong, it will still be prone to theft.

First, it's important not to lock only the wheel.

Among all bicycle parts, the frame is a very expensive component.

There are cases where everything but the wheels is stolen.

This is when you arrive at the bike parking and only the wheels are left.

Therefore, you need to pass the wire through the wheel and also wrap it around the frame to lock it.

Next, you need to be aware of cases where the entire bicycle is stolen, lock and all.

Theft rings prepare trucks and load desirable bicycles, so the act of theft only takes a few seconds.

You should assume that very few people will intervene or call the police if they see it happening.

This is where "earth locking" becomes important.

This is a method of locking the bicycle by securing it to something immovable, such as a building or a railing.

This prevents the bicycle from being moved unless the wire lock (chain lock) is dealt with.

Considering locking the frame and wheels, and the bicycle itself to the earth, you will need two or more chain locks.

The more troublesome it is for you to lock and unlock it, the more troublesome it is for thieves, thus increasing the probability that it won't be stolen.

The balance between "convenience" and "security" varies from person to person.

Storing it in a place where it won't be stolen is the top priority, and when you have no other choice, try to use earth locking.

External Writer: Koichi Okuno