Take It from a Bike Thief

Perhaps you remember reformed bike thief Shenol Shaddouh from this 2013 BTB post. Now, more than four years after his tale of redemption appeared in The Docklands and East London Advertiser, Shaddouh remains on the straight and narrow. He recently offered Cyclist readers advice on how to hold on to their bikes.

A couple takeaways:

1. Foil twist attacks: Back in his thieving days, Shaddouh used a scaffolding pole to twist D-locks. "If the first thing the lock comes into contact with when twisted is whatever it’s locked to, rather than the frame, then you can twist the D-lock to the point of breaking and it won’t damage the frame," Shaddouh told Cyclist. Take this into consideration when positioning your lock.
2. Adopt the Sheldon Brown: Shaddouh advocates what is known in some circles as the Sheldon Brown locking technique. "The best way to use a D-lock is not to lock your frame but to lock through your rim at the spot between the rear wheel and the top of the rear triangle, with the D-lock within the rear triangle but not through the chainstays," he says. Something to think about...