If you can avoid it, don't. Predictability is one of the most underrated gifts you can hand a thief. Stolen bikes are often scouted first — someone notices a clean bike, checks how it's locked, and comes back prepared, at the hour they know it'll be sitting there. Parking in the same spot at the same times every day writes that script for them: they know your schedule, your locks, and exactly how long they have.
Practical ways to break the pattern:
- Rotate between two or three good spots rather than one perfect one. All of them should still have light, foot traffic, and something to chain to.
- Vary your times when your schedule allows, even by 20–30 minutes.
- Use a plain cover — it hides what the bike is and which locks are on it, which ruins the scouting visit.
- Don't advertise: avoid posting your daily parking spot or routine on social media alongside photos of your bike.
Sometimes you have no choice — one assigned space at work or home. In that case, compensate with heavier layers: a chain to a fixed anchor, an alarmed disc lock, a cover, and a hidden GPS tracker with movement alerts. If they've studied your bike, make sure what they haven't studied is the one thing that follows it.
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