Recently the Oxford Mail published an article about proposed bike parking around the new Westgate centre.

Bike parking has been described as the glass ceiling for cycle use, as if you have nowhere to park it puts you off making the journey.

For Oxford, it results in the mess of cycles along the railings in Magdalen St West.

This got me thinking about bike locks. One benefit of the standard Sheffield bike stand is the added security of locking to it.

Most people use either a D lock or a coil lock and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

However, I think one little-known option provides the best of both worlds – a frame lock, sometimes known as a wheel lock.

These fix permanently on the bike under the saddle around the back wheel.

They have a key and a lever and to lock the bike you simply turn the key and lower the lever then remove the key.

A curved bolt goes through the wheel so it can’t turn.

It is much quicker and less messy than threading a D lock or a coil lock through your wheel.

I particularly appreciate that I can’t leave home without my lock or the key and it doesn’t rattle on the handlebars or around the saddle like a D lock.

Using the frame lock alone the bike is immobilised but not locked to anything, which is ok for a few minutes outside a shop.

For more security you can quickly add a chain loop which anchors to the frame lock and goes around any handy fixture.

It is much more adaptable than a D lock and being a chain is not going to give way to bolt cutters like a coil lock will.

And even if the thief hacksawed their way through the chain, the frame lock itself must still be sawn through.

So, what are the disadvantages? A frame lock weighs about the same as a small D lock, but you can’t leave it behind if you are going for a spin on your racing bike and it’s no use if you want to share one lock between several bikes.

They aren’t easy to fit, and not many bike shops promote them, so they are more suited to a bike that will be in your possession for several years.

But next time you are wiping your oily hands after putting a D lock through the spokes and around some railings, ask yourself if the unexpected Christmas present you deserve is a frame lock and chain.