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Okay people so I am having a bit of a crappy time with bike thieves. I recently had my bike stolen and then a week later someone has twice tried to steal our wonderful tandem. (Famous tandem as seen in Daniel Fawcett's film Dirt).

They did not quite get it which was great they did however manage to hammer the lock out and cut a fair way thorough it to prevent us being able to undo it without stealing our own bike.

Since these incidents, I've called myself to arms against bike thieves done some serious Googling to find the best way to prevent stuff like this. Interestingly, you would think there is not much you can do to tackle it aside from use a good lock, but I found I did make it easier for them to steal. I'd locked my chunk cable lock just around the bar I was locking to and this meant the thieves could position it, using the bar as anvil to hammer against.

What I should have done is prevented this by locking through my wheel and the bike around the side of the bar so to limit leverage. Hindsight is a brilliant thing! Well here is a short list of things to do when locking you bike:

Get a good lock - sounds simple, but a lot of us roll the dice of risk by just buying a cheap lock. Research one for your needs; look up a good lock that is graded at least silver from this list these have been thoroughly tested and WORK! http://www.soldsecure.com/

Use two locks – the best is a 'D' or 'U' lock around the your wheel and the side of your bike and of course the thing your locking to, and then a chain lock wrapped around the other end of your bike and the other wheel and the thing you're locking to, if possible.

Use two different styles of lock - a thief won't usually carry tools to break all types of lock, by having two you have prevented him even trying.

As above, lock your bike in a way that it is hard to move and get a better vantage point to steal it. Best for this is a solid D/U straight on through your wheel, bike and post.

Try and always lock to a designated cycle area even if it is out your way. Other items like railings and fences could be easy to break or make your bike easy to lift.

Write down the frame number of your bike and save it as a file on your computer with a photo of your bike and a copy of your receipt. Keep as much proof as possible to show that the bike is yours - there's nothing worse than police finding a bike they think could be yours but there’s no way of proving it. Postcode or log it as well.

If commuting to similar areas each on a regular basis change locations where you park it. Thieves take note of nice bikes and where they are. Use what’s around you to your advantage. If CCTV is in use in the area make sure you lock near or around the cameras, so if the worst does happen there is a chance of catching them.

Don’t forget to check the reason for this blog post. It’s our project; mine (Jamie Moakes), and Ram-Man's we are taking on the economy, click here to find out more.