Which bike lock is best for your bike?

D-locks are the most resistant, and can also be compact, relatively light and very good value for money. If you're looking to minimise the risk of theft, they're the best choice. Thieves fear them, cyclists treasure them.

The case-hardened or tempered steel bar, bent into a U-shape, is very strong and particularly suitable for those who use their bikes on a daily basis, with long exposure times to theft. So if your bike is expensive, don't hesitate to use two D-locks to make it as secure as possible. One large D-lock, which secures the frame and rear wheel to a solid support anchored to the ground. Another, smaller, D-lock secures the front wheel to an immovable support.

Large and small D-locks offer the same level of security. Their weight differs quite significantly, depending on their size. If you want to secure the front wheel as well and you only have one D-lock, get a cable that you can pass through the spokes of the front wheel and loop through the D-lock that already secures the frame and rear wheel.

D-locks can be carried in a rucksack, pannier, basket or directly on the bike frame using a special bracket. Sometimes they can even be found attached to cyclists' belts - practical and stylish!

Chain locks are an effective way of securing your bike to a fixed point further away. If the links are thick enough, they also offer a very high level of security. Depending on their length, they can be used to attach two bicycles together to a fixed point.

Because of their high level of security, they are suitable for some everyday cyclists for whom carrying a heavy bike lock is not a problem. Yes, chain locks are heavy. Wrapping it around your torso will arouse the curiosity of some pedestrians and motorists, but more importantly, your vertebrae won't enjoy the ride... Wrapping the chain around your seat tube isn't recommended either, as it could damage your frame's paintwork if its protective sheath deteriorates - which happens very often.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE? You can store it in a frame bag if you have one. The heavy weight will have fewer undesirable effects if it is located in the centre of the bike, on the frame. You can also slip it into a rear pannier fixed to a luggage rack, where you won't feel the weight too much. Finally, if possible, you can leave it where your bike is often left parked. At home, to secure your bike on your balcony, in your garage, or at your place of work.

The strong point of this type of bike lock is its compactness. It can be folded and stored in a bracket fixed to the bike frame without taking up all the space on the frame like some D-locks and without rattling on the frame like a badly attached chain.

It is ideal for cyclists for whom the size of the bike lock and its ease of storage are important factors. Folding bike users who regularly take their bikes with them on public transport, to the office or for leisure, like its compactness and easy folding and unfolding.

However, its flattened steel articulated segments are more vulnerable than D-locks and chains, but they are still stronger than a cable. It's best to use this type of bike lock if you don't leave your bike unattended for too long. This type of bike lock looks like a "carpenter's folding rule". If you'd like to include it in your discussions and then give an exclusive demonstration of how a carpenter's folding rule works, don't hesitate!

Easy to fit around the frame and a wheel, light but not very resistant to cutting, the cable is useful when you travel with your bike. On a cycle tour, when you stop to raid a bakery at the end of a gruelling climb. Bikepacking, when you leave your bike in the street for a few moments to dash off to the supermarket.

Or, for a more leisurely, everyday use, when you're taking the train with your bike, keeping an eye on it but preferring to 'decorate' it with a deterrent garland, the cable is perfect. You certainly can't measure the power of deterrence, but the cable certainly provides some. But don't leave your bike unattended for long - a pair of cutters will soon remove it.

You can also use this type of bike lock for your accessories. Its small diameter means it can fit through the gaps in a bicycle helmet or basket.

The frame bike lock is fixed to the bike's seat stays, is sturdy and secures the bike for short stops. Enjoying a coffee on the terrace while looking at your bike? Buying a baguette on the way home from work? Enjoying the fine weather in a park with a book in your hand and your bike standing sentinel? For all these situations, and an infinite number of others, this "horseshoe" bike lock will block any attempts at theft, because it's strong and can only be disabled by damaging the bike's frame.

For longer stops, add a D-lock or a chain to your bike to avoid any unpleasant surprises.