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Where's your bike most at risk? It turns out you're more likely to have it stolen from home than from outside shops or at train stations. Perhaps more worryingly, locks don't seem to stop thieves, with two bikes in three having locks attached when thieves made off with them.

“Cycle theft is so common it sometimes feels like it’s almost a rite of passage for cyclists - that’s a really sorry state of affairs,” said professional cyclist and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas, who once had one of his bikes stolen from his car.

And while not every bike is a £10,000 carbon-fibre time-trial machine like Thomas rides, they cost. The average stolen bike is worth £377.06, figures from cycle insurer Protect Your Bubble show, with stolen bikes in London worth more at £650.83 on average and one person in 12 losing a bike worth more than £1,000.

Where bikes are stolen from most often (%) Protect Your Bubble

Protecting your bike

Locking a bike up obviously helps, but what you choose to use as a lock and what you lock your bike to matter as well.

Protect Your Bubble found 65.3% of stolen bikes were locked when they were nicked, rising to 77.8% of those taken in London.

But only one cyclist in 11 uses a top-rated lock and four in five are happy to use bike racks that aren't anchored to the ground.

On top of that, only one in ten cyclists has had their bike security marked by the police and even fewer insure their steeds – meaning they're left paying if thieves take their bikes.

“There are security measures people can take,” said Stephen Ebbett, global director of Protect Your Bubble.

poll loading Do you always leave your bike locked 0+ VOTES SO FAR YES NO

Here are his top tips for keeping your bike safe:

It’s worth spending more for decent bicycle locks for when you’re out and about. These vary massively in price and quality but opt for those with gold standard security ratings. You can check if they’re rated on the Sold Secure website. Ideally, you’ll have two different locks, and at least one will be a good quality D-lock.

Use the two locks to secure both wheels and frame of the bike to a rack that’s anchored to the ground. Remember that many bikes have quick release wheels, meaning they can be easily pinched.

Avoid locking your bike to railings, which can be easily sliced through by professional gangs with the right equipment. Posts are not always sufficient either, as thieves can simply lift bikes over the top.

Ensure there’s little room for leverage between the D-lock, the bike and the anchor, so that brute force can’t snap the lock or the bike. It’s also wise to make the lock as difficult to pick as possible, by positioning the keyhole as awkwardly as possible when you lock it up.

Never leave valuable accessories on your bike - the saddle, GPS trackers, and even saddlebags should be taken with you.

If you’ve left your bike in your sight, even for a couple of minutes, take a few seconds to unhinge the chain or unclip a wheel and take it with you, so an opportunist thief can’t run or cycle away with it without a lot of hassle.

When your bike is at home, storing it in a garden shed, communal hallway or back garden isn’t good enough. Keep in inside, or invest in secure bicycle storage.

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