Whenever you leave your bike when on a ride, you should really secure it with a quality bike lock. The goal is to find a lock that will be as secure as possible and to prevent theft.

But how do you know which bike lock is the right lock? There are few wrong answers, but here’s an overview of the most common types that may help you decide which lock is best suited for your needs. Here’s more information:

Cable Lock

This is possibly the most widely available type of bike lock today, and also one of the sturdiest. These locks are made from a metal coil of rope with a plastic covering, and many do not require you to buy a padlock separately to secure your bike. Regardless of whether or not you need to buy the lock separately, make sure to invest in a good lock. Once the lock is secured, the rope of a cable lock cannot be easily broken without the use of wire cutters.

Chain Lock

This lock is a step up from the cable lock in terms of security. The metal rope is now a length of — you guessed it — chain link. The chain link itself uses specially designed links that are more resistant to bolt cutters, and will yield to nothing short of power tools.

The downsides to a chain lock are that they’re heavier than the cable lock. If you feel you need to use a chain lock to prevent your bike from being stolen, investing in a quality padlock or other method to secure your bike becomes just as important. It doesn’t matter how strong the chain is if potential thieves notice that the lock is a weak point!

Other Locks

Devices like these make the individual components of your bike harder to steal. Yes, people can try to steal the seats or wheels of your bike, even if the rest of the bike is secured. The fixed size and lack of flexibility of a U-lock limits what you can secure your bike to, and therefore, they’re not as versatile as the previous types of locks discussed. Locking wheels and seat skewers, meanwhile, are designed to make some of the more user-friendly and convenient features of modern bicycles — like quick release wheels — less convenient for thieves to take advantage of.

A variety of wheel and seat locking solutions are available on the marketplace. For example, some are magnetic and cannot be unfastened with a stronger magnet — only a key unique to that lock.

Investing in a quality locking system for your bike is just as important as a good helmet, especially in high crime areas. Combining a cable lock or a chain lock with a U-lock or other types of locks for increased security is not an uncommon practice among cyclists. The best lock is ultimately going to be based on the level of security you want for you bike.