This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Boulder County Bike-n-Ride staff want to inform shelter uses on a few safe practices to aide in bike theft prevention.
There are a few steps you can take to make it much harder for someone to steal your bike:
1) Lock your bike with a U-lock. If you don’t know which kind to buy, ask your friendly neighborhood bike shop staff. 
2) Lock both the frame AND the front wheel to the rack, because the front wheel is easy to remove. You might need two locks to do this. Locking the rear wheel is extra added protection.
3) Do not allow anyone to “tailgate” you into the shelter. Close the door behind you on the way in and on the way out.
4) Record the serial number.
Having the serial number does not make the bike harder to steal, but it does increase your chances of recovering your bike if it is stolen. If you don’t have the serial number recovering a stolen bike is almost impossible. The number is usually stamped into the frame underneath the bottom bracket (the metal part of the frame between the pedals). It is also usually on the store receipt for new bikes. Keep the serial number where you can find it.
In addition, Boulder County Bike Planner, Alex Phillips wants shelter users to know that, Boulder County is moving forward with removing abandoned bikes from shelters.
"You may have noticed warning tags on bikes that have been there for many months without having been moved. Signs have been posted in the shelters warning that bikes cannot be left for longer than 30 days and that personal items unrelated to biking will be removed immediately. All of this tough language is so we can clean up the shelters so you will have available bike rack space when you need it."
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