This blogpost from the usually great Guardian Bike Blog is spectacularly unilluminating. It's essential message is: don't leave your bike outside. Ever. Which is obviously good advice but also completely impractical.
The reformed bicycle thief in question, who stole bikes to fund his crack habit, repeats the age-old advice about getting two good locks, though admits that even that is far from full proof. Perhaps the only useful new tip is not to leave your bike if you return to a puncture, because it has probably been done on purpose. I can't imagine why you would, unless all the bike shops were closed and/or you didn't have a spare inner tube/puncture repair kit on you- at which point you would surely put the bike in a taxi (see previous post). This post reeks of a juicy headline (we found a real life bike thief! and spoke to him! It's an inside scoop from the enemy!) with very little to show for it.
I can't really blame the Guardian, because I have yet to find any advice for retaining a bicylce that goes beyond the bleeding obvious (don't forget to lock it) or the it-sounds-silly-but-its-worth-a-try (put a basket on it because bike thieves are concerned about their street cred). Yes, get some good locks, and no, don't spend £800 pounds in the first place. And don't get too attached. Because, somewhere, sometime, if you are cycling regularly over several years, your wheels are probably going to walk. Best just to live with it.
Much as I know that to be true, it gives me chills. Maybe Trusty needs a third lock.....
