Bicycle theft is a growing crime throughout the United States, and it doesn’t matter where you live. Bicycles are relatively easy to steal and easy to sell or get rid of. They’re an easy target for dedicated criminals, opportunists, and bored teenagers. Unless you never intend to leave your bike untended, you should invest in some sort of locking system. Even if you’re just leaving it outside a convenience store for a couple minutes so you can go inside real quick, that’s all the time a thief needs to make off with your ride. Don’t think that thieves won’t steal a cheap bike, either. They’ll take whatever they can get their hands on, whether it’s a rusted old girl’s bike with faded streams dangling from the handlebar grips and a torn-up banana seat or a sleek high-dollar professional mountain bike with full front and rear suspension.

There are basically two options when it comes to locking systems for bikes. The most popular is the chain or cable lock with either a separate padlock or combination lock or with the lock integrated into the chain or cable. If this is the type of lock you’re looking into, make sure that it’s long enough to wrap around both wheels and the frame. With this style of locking system, the best choice is a chain that’s as thick as you can comfortably carry.

If you’d prefer a cable lock, again, make sure you purchase the thickest one possible. The thicker the chain or cable, the more of a deterrent it’ll be for thieves and scoundrels. The downside, of course, is weight. Cables tend to be lighter than chains, but they also tend to be easier to cut. You have to consider the importance of weight relative to your bicycling activity.

An avid racer is extremely concerned with weight, but such a competitor isn’t going to be leaving his/her bike just lying around, either. In all likelihood, weight is not a serious issue to you. One advantage chain/cable locks have over other varieties of locks is their ability to encompass oddly shaped shaped objects such as trees, bushes, etc.

The other popular bicycle locking system is the U-lock. As the name implies, such locks have a big bend in them and are essentially big padlocks. Some are only big enough to go around the back wheel and the bike rack. Others are big enough to go around the frame as well. These sorts of locks are nice because they’re quick to employ and come with clips to hook onto the bike frame without scratching it.

Whatever kind of bike riding you intend to do, unless it’s solely competitive racing, you should invest in a good bike lock. You should get the heaviest one you can. An important feature to look for is some sort of guarantee by the manufacturer. Good locks come with assurances that if used correctly, and your bike is stolen, the manufacturer will reimburse you for the cost of your bike.

Basically, today there are four different types of bicycle and your choice should obviously be based upon what your purpose for the bike is.

Road Bikes have been designed for use on paved surfaces. They feature thin tires and a lightweight frame. They also seat you in a position bent forwards over the handlebars and are suitable for traveling at higher speed over longer distances. They will not stand up to heavy loads and rough terrain, much like walking in the woods in high heeled shoes.

Mountain bikes have become ever more popular over the past twenty years. In fact, the popularity of mountain bikes could be considered to be explosive. These chunky bikes are extremely strong, the tires have knobby treads and they are specifically designed for really rough terrain.

One of the trade-offs for the durability of a mountain bike is the fact that they do not have the speed of road bikes. But they have a far more comfortable riding position, and this alone makes them popular with people who suffer from back problems, and want to ride a bike purely for the exercise of it.

Be warned though that because of the popularity of mountain bikes, they are more likely to be punted by sales people. But if you are looking for purely a road bike, and you purchase a mountain bike, you will be paying extra for a whole lot of features that you don’t, or won’t ever need.

Hybrid Bikes are a merger between mountain and road bikes and features allow the rider to have the upright seat and handlebars yet allow more speed than the typical mountain bike. Hybrid bikes are a good choice for city riding and offer durability, speed and comfort.

Cruisers have wide tires, upright handlebars and sometimes even a gear. These bikes are most often seen in relaxed surrounding such as the beach. They are the simplest bike mechanically and are perfect for people who want comfort over any other bicycle feature. Quite notably, they are durable and easily maintained.

If none of these bikes is what you are seeking, there is still a huge variety of other options available. You could even go for a tandem, providing you have a riding partner, or recumbent, which has a long wheel base and seats the rider in a supine position. And if you don’t fancy the falling-off aspect of biking, why not even consider a tricycle.

The one bike accessory that you will always need to wear and own is the bike helmet. A lot of states have made riding without one illegal. So you should wear one anyways to be on the safe side.

Also when you are taking a little bike trip on the road you need to be motorist friendly. Even though a lot of drivers are good ones there are bad and you are also on a bike. Accidents happen and you can’t stop them so do the right thing and just wear a helmet.

Another thing that is bad to do when riding your bike is to take a ride at night. The best thing that you can do to protect yourself if you are going to ride at night is to buy some type of light source or reflectors for you and your bike. So people can see you at night when you ride.

Something else you can buy is reflector striped shirts or pants possibly. So when you ride at night when you move your legs and arms the reflectors will shine off the lights of the cars and you will be seen and not road kill. You can probably buy any type of light or reflector source at any bike shops near you.

Another accessory that you can add to your bike can be lights to the handle bars or to the back of your seat to shine and show others you’re on the road too. When you get rained on or you are going on an early morning ride and there is fog lights will help you in some way. Some you can buy can be attached to where they can’t ever come off others you can get that are detachable and you can bring with you where ever you go.

The other good bike accessory to have is a horn. This is so if some bad driver is swerving you can honk. I would recommend and air horn of some type something that is really loud and will get the attention of the driver.

Bike accessories can be a very good way to upgrade your bike. There are also the things that you will need anyways to ride like mentioned the reflectors, lights, light clothing as well will always help, and remember to wear your helmet. These are the things that you need to buy and remember to do when you go riding whether it be at night or during the day.

Need a good bike rack for a mountain bike, dirt bike, trick bike or other type of bicycle? Think about your needs before you shop online or go to a sporting goods store, or bike shop.

For $50.00-$100.00, you can get a two-bike rack to store your bicycles in your garage or shed. By mounting your bikes on the wall, you clear floor space and avoid damage to your bikes when they are not in use.

Bike hooks are less expensive (they are priced between $15.00 and $30.00) and some allow you to lock the bike in place to protect against theft if you are storing your bike in a common apartment store room or an open storage building. Ceiling mount bike lifts are priced between $25.00 and $50.00.

These lifts will get your bike well out of the way, and keep it safe until you want to use it again! So, instead of running over or damaging that expensive mountain bike, get yourself a good wall rack or bike hook, and use your garage floor space or storage space for other things.

You can choose from folding wall mounts, double folding wall mounts, ceiling or wall bike lifts, freestanding bike ‘trees’, floor to ceiling bike racks, vertical bicycle racks and many other options.

If you prefer to take your bike on the road, you have many options for car and bus racks. You can choose a tandem bike racks, or a short or long tray bicycle carrier for the roof of your car.

These are priced between $100 and $200. Bicycle racks that fasten onto the back of your vehicle and are priced from $60 to $150, depending on the number of bikes you want to carry and the quality of the rear bike carrier you select.

Hitch bike racks are priced between $120 and $225 depending on the number of bikes you want to carry. If you want to put your bike in the back of a pick-up truck, you can choose from trap or full racks that are priced from $20 to $200.

Need a bike rack for an RV or a bus? ‘Tires only’ bike racks are made from steel and come in standard and narrow profiles, for one, two or three bicycles. Some of these racks are sturdy enough to be used on city transit buses where the latches may be opened and closed many times and the racks may be subject to impact from other vehicles on city streets.

C-bracket bike racks fasten to the front bumper of a bus using existing holes on the bumper, though you will have to drill some holes to add stability, whereas the ‘stand-off’ fastener uses brackets to fasten to the bumper and is easy to install. There are some specialty models for certain makes of trucks like Ford, and for certain types of buses that use Class III hitches.

Prices on these ‘industrial strength’ models vary widely, so you’ll need to check with the manufacturer and distributor to find one that fits your budget and your needs!