Where not to store your bike

You’ve bought yourself a decent bike and maybe even insured it (if you haven’t, check out our bicycle insurance here), but where you leave it can be the difference between keeping it safe and never seeing it again. While locks and insurance offer protection, in our opinion, certain locations are simply too risky for long-term or overnight storage. Worse still, some spots could invalidate your insurance altogether.

In this blog, we’ll highlight some common locations that we can’t cover and tips for making sure you get it right when out and about.

Public on-street storage hangars

These may seem like a secure solution, but unless your insurer specifically includes them, they often don’t meet security requirements for long-term storage. Although in principle, the idea of on street bicycle parking is great, they are an easy target for thieves. Yellow Jersey explicitly do not cover bicycles stored in these for that very reason.

an on street bicycle storage unit

Permanently outside of the house

Leaving a bike locked permanently outside of your home is a sure way for it to be stolen. Not only are old railings relatively easy to cut through, but the fact that your bike is always visible to potential thieves is one of the biggest issues, as they can plan their theft and come prepared under the cover of darkness. Unfortunately, we see this type of theft on a fairly regular basis. Do not permanently store your bike outside of your home!

a bicycle locked to railings outside a persons flat

Anywhere with an unrated lock

We say it time and time again, whenever locking your bike, ALWAYS use a Sold Secure rated lock. We recommend using Sold Secure Gold or Diamond rated locks but if your bike value is less than £1500, you can use a Sold Secure Silver rated lock.

But what about heavy duty chains, I hear you ask? Well, the fact of the matter is that although there are security chains available that look like they are strong and will stop a thief, many of the non-rated locks will use lower quality materials which are far easier to cut through.

Better still, get an angle grinder proof lock- they really are way stronger than the previous generation of locks. Check out Francis Cade’s video below to see how strong the latest generation of angle grinder-proof locks are. Don’t forget, Yellow Jersey sells a range of security products, including Hiplok products at the checkout

Bike locked to itself

Sadly, one that we still see quite often. As you’d guess, looping a lock through your frame and wheel might deter casual thieves, but it’s not enough. If your bike isn’t locked to an immovable object like a bike rack or immovable object, it’s at extreme risk of being stolen and will not be covered by your insurance.

a bicycle locked to its self

Using accessory cables as the main lock

Accessory cables are often sold with rated locks, but annoyingly, the manufacturers don’t make it very clear that the accessory cable has not been rated. In other words, if you’re using the accessory cable as the main locking point, your bicycle will be an easy target and, more importantly, not covered by our insurance

A cargo bike locked using an accessory cable

On a car-mounted bike rack with no additional locks

Don’t rely on the bike racks ‘built in lock’, as it won’t be rated. If your bike isn’t secured with a Sold Secure-rated lock, through the frame, it’s an easy target and again, not something that Yellow Jersey will cover. If it is locked, we will cover theft, simples!