Lock it up or lose it: That’s the advice for bike owners after a Metro Vancouver teen’s stolen cycle was listed for sale online just an hour after it was taken by thieves.

Cale Medwid used a Kevlar cable lock to protect his Kona 50 mountain bike, but it was no match for thieves, who promptly cut the cable and stole his prized possession.

“I thought it was going to be safe when I bought it,” he told CTV’s Steele on Your Side.

What was worse is that the teen went online and found his precious mountain bike on Craigslist, 60 minutes after it was stolen.

His mother, Wendy Medwid, said she was furious to see the ad.

“You’re thinking the boldness of the guy that stole it — that he would post it just an hour later.”

Cyclist Dan McRorie, assistant manager with the Different Bikes store chain, said it takes thieves mere seconds to crack a lock open.

He says the popular U-lock offers good protection, but the smaller version is more difficult to crack.   

“It makes it harder for them to get a jack in there or a big pry bar. You’re reducing that space and it kind of increases the strength of that lock,” he said. 

The cable lock is less sturdy, but also less expensive.  The bike guru says it’s good for cheap bikes, “beater bikes,” or kids’ bikes.

“It’s versatile because it’s easy to loop around any number of things,” he said. 

The chain lock is better for pricier bikes because you can’t use a pry bar to pop it open.

“You would have to use bolt cutters or a power tool of some sort,” said McRorie.

His advice for keeping a very expensive ride safe: “I probably wouldn’t lock it up,” he said. 

That may sound a bit shocking from a guy who sells bike locks, but McRorie says locks can give cyclists a false sense of security. 

“You need to realize that there’s no 100 per cent answer. If somebody wants your bike they can get your bike.”

Even though McRorie doesn’t lock his bike, he offers up these tips:

• Lock your bike to a fixed, immovable object like a parking meter or permanent bike rack
• Always secure your components and accessories with a secondary cable lock
• And use two locks for the greatest theft protection, like a U-lock and a locking cable
• The longer a thief has to work at it the less likely your bike will be stolen