How Do You Keep Your Bike Safe?

[Polar]

I never leave the bike without a heavy chainlock around the frame and front wheel or out of sight since also lots of parts kan easily be stolen.
When not used it's secured behind two solid steel doors and fully insured.

 

[steve_sordy]

I never leave the bike without a heavy chainlock around the frame and front wheel or out of sight since also lots of parts kan easily be stolen.
When not used it's secured behind two solid steel doors and fully insured.

When I was on the point of taking out insurance, I was in discussion with the broker and he insisted that I carry a Gold Secure bike chain. I told him that they weighed at least 3kg and if I wanted a bike that was 3kg heavier, then it wouldn't be worth insuring for as much as we were talking about. He conceded the point and I only had to use the chain when the bike was locked up in the garage to a ground anchor. That was of course before emtbs and bikes that were typically 10-12kg heavier! (But I still don't carry a 3kg chain).

@Polar Surely, you do not carry your heavy chainlock with you?

 

[Polar]

When I was on the point of taking out insurance, I was in discussion with the broker and he insisted that I carry a Gold Secure bike chain. I told him that they weighed at least 3kg and if I wanted a bike that was 3kg heavier, then it wouldn't be worth insuring for as much as we were talking about. He conceded the point and I only had to use the chain when the bike was locked up in the garage to a ground anchor. That was of course before emtbs and bikes that were typically 10-12kg heavier! (But I still don't carry a 3kg chain).

@Polar Surely, you do not carry your heavy chainlock with you?

Not always but when I know I'm gonna have lunch I do have +3 kg in the backpack.
Actually I'm more afraid of parts being stolen therefore never out of sight.

 

[Pizzman]

Amazon.com : RAINCORE Light Weight Bike Cable Lock for Heavy Duti Anti Theft - 39inch (100cm) - 0.33lb (151g) - Bike Chain Lock with Chain Cutter Proof Fiber - Patented Korea - Security Cable (39 inches) : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : RAINCORE Light Weight Bike Cable Lock for Heavy Duti Anti Theft - 39inch (100cm) - 0.33lb (151g) - Bike Chain Lock with Chain Cutter Proof Fiber - Patented Korea - Security Cable (39 inches) : Sports & Outdoors

amzn.to

I use these on day rides. Not overnight. But they are light in the pack and very strong , and won’t scratch up your bike.
Best grab a coffee solution I have seen.

 

[JP-NZ]

Very jealous of posters in the UK, California & Germany who don't face bike theft as a problem. The city I live in is very cycle friendly (flat and dry) but sadly that means more cycles out and about = more theft. They end up on facebook marketplace within hours and are fenced pretty quick. The police arrest on average 1 theif a week but the punishments in NZ are so weak they are back at it within weeks.

This is an excerpt from the National news site

"Sergeant Andrew Judson told Stuff that an analysis of just one 50‑day period this year revealed over half a million dollars worth of bikes had gone at a rate of four to five a day in the Christchurch metropolitan area. It has been a problem for as long as one cop can remember. And in a city with some of the highest cycling rates nationwide (more than four million trips last year) one that cannot be ignored."

Keep in mind this is just one smaller city (450k population)

 

[irie]

Forgot to say that Chipolos are installed in the bikes in a cunning place so if they are nicked we can track them down and recover them. And if anyone asks how to recover them, not fussy how it's done. IYSWIM.

 

[Polar]

Forgot to say that Chipolos are installed in the bikes in a cunning place

Thiefs are also cunning

 

[irie]

Few years ago one of my sons crashed his bike, and while he was lying unconscious his bike was stolen WTF! He was taken to hospital and figured he'd never see the bike again.

Not the end of the story.

Few weeks later one of his buddies called him and said "Hey Chris, just seen your bike in a multi-story car park chained to railings".

So he straight away went to the car park and it really was his bike! So they put a note on which said " Police aware - if you unchain this bike you will not be pursued" then hid out of site. Thief finally turned up, read the note, looked around, saw nobody, unchained the bike, and ran off pretty fucking quick.

So he got his bike back. True story.

 

[Old Codger]

yes they are owned by the insurance company, usually auctioned off or given the option to buy back to the original owner.

Exactly. When my bike was stolen then found six months later the insurance company didn’t want to collect it and asked me if I wanted to make an offer. So I made a silly offer which they accepted. It even had a new battery charger.

 

[RJUK]

I never leave mine out of sight or out of reach in public and at home they are in the garage, surrounded by CCTV that notifies my phone in real time if there's any movement, and the bikes have 3 massive chains around them, locked down to two separate ground anchors. The ground anchors are diamond rated, and the chains are all either diamond or gold rated.

One chain through the main triangle, one through the rear triangle and one around the front wheels.

The bikes are also insured.

Hopefully that's enough.

Oh and my ebike has built-in GPS tracking and an alarm.

 

[Hanco]

I have one of those Kryptonite Forgetaboutit huge chains. Workplace let me leave it permanently around a solid post. This chain model comes with insurance here in US. $5k I think it is, which is good for a few years I think it said.

If I am not at work I have a much lighter less secure chain “on the bike” to use. My eMTB is heavy and sluggish to ride if not turned on. To turn on requires my iPhone Bluetooth connectivity. So that helps too.

I have cctv outside and inside my garage that tracks movement and alerts me. A lock on my storage rack gives extra peace of mind.

Most people here in our city don’t lock their bikes though. I’m in the “bike capital” (Bentonville, Northwest Arkansas). There are soooo many bikes and bike stores. Multiple rental locations too. And the most amazing network of trails. Visit here if you love trails! Bella Vista is awesome and thanks to the sons of Sam Walton (Walmart founder) there is currently construction of a bike lift that is really looking fantastic. Sorry I went off track there…

 

[nickf]

I recently popped into my LBS and noticed that there was a big tarpaulin covering what appeared to be a massive hole in the side of the building. I jokingly asked one of the staff "you been burgled again?". Sadly they had! A dozen bikes taken.

Only a year or so ago they had 20+ bikes stolen over a weekend when the thieves smashed through the roof and hoisted them all out with a winch. Security alarms, cameras, and massive concrete bollards in front of the glass entrance, all to no avail. When someone is that serious.....

 

[Hanco]

Had an idea of a small box on a bike containing a camera and pepper spray… but using pepper spray without challenge of the thief in person is illegal in Arkansas, even in your own garage. Shame. They’d deserve it!!

 

[Excalibur]

I have my bike insured and had to buy secure gold locks before they would insure it I also have a gps tracker on the bike just in case the unthinkable happens, I always keep my bike locked up at home indoors and when out it is always in sight locked up should I need to go to a cafe or shop.
I have noticed many bike riders now sit outside cafe and have ther ebike close by and it is best to be safe than sorry with the way thing get stolen these days, I advise that everyone with an expensive ebike insure it and keep it safe when not riding it you never know when someone will try to steal it.

 

[Samoaj]

My bike is insured and also locked up when I am not on it - including inside my garage.

 

[Just gan]

In van or on rear rack at night. Depending on where I am i left it leaning against van one night , left it lying in Heather for six hours while I climbed two hills.

 

[yoterryh]

Hmm, I wonder if baseball bats with a quick release adaptor for the water bottle fixtures are available?

Trunk Monkey?

 

[emtbPhil]

So.....
My bike(s) are all locked in the garage using gold rated motorbike chains, anchored to the concrete floor
CCTV on all 4 sides of the house with motion alerts, flood lights, electric garage door with a 130db alarm
My bike also has the connect module fitted so I have GPS tracking and the bike can't be used without my phone to unlock it (battery is also locked to alarm module)
If I'm out on a weekend away the bike is inside my van, with curtains on the windows - I'd never leave it anywhere public including on a bike rack.

With all that said.. one of my good friends decided to jump into emtb world and bought a nice new specialized levo - 1 week after buying it on a nice quite canal ride, 2 guys on suron's with balaclavas on pulled a knife and took the bike

So my number 1 protection is.... £35 a month bike insurance. Whatever you do there's a likelihood it will get nicked. Bike crime in this country is huge and an emtb is an easy ££££ pay day for the rising number of scum we have.

 

[RustyIron]

2 guys on suron's with balaclavas on pulled a knife and took the bike

If only there was a way for honest, hard-working citizens to protect themselves from knife-wielding hooligans!

 

[emtbPhil]

I must admit, I'm starting to feel like a move to a country that's a bit more pro self-defence might be a good move lol

I got chased by 3 lads on Surons at my local park. One of my mates from up north had his garage broken into conveniently after receiving a facebook message about his bike for sale by a lad who's profile picture was wearing a balaclava on a suron. Seems like the police here can't even stop teenagers with knifes, don't feel like it's going to go well when we get proper crime

The friend of mine who got a knife pulled on a canal bank is a lass by the way. Utterly shit situation

 

[EMTBSEAN]

I never leave my bike unattended, when it’s on my bike carrier it’s locked with the escorpion lock and a heavy duty wire lock as an extra precaution and when I’m on it I carry a knife as personal protection, yes I know it’s illegal but I’ll take that risk to stop some little theiving shit head taking my bike off me, any other time my bike is kept in my home until I build my new workshop

 

[pagheca]

Very jealous of posters in the UK, California & Germany who don't face bike theft as a problem.

I think most depends from living in the countryside or in major town, not on which country. When I lived in the Canary Islands (Spain) people was living expensive carbon fibers race bicycles against the wall with no lock.

Now, try that in Barcelona...

 

[RustyMTB]

I carry a knife as personal protection

That could very well land you in a whole world of shit. The risks are you feel compelled to use it & land in jail forever, bottle out in a bad situation or get hoisted by the cops & end up in jail. The one good outcome - deterring isn't worth the candle & the stats bear out carrying a knife puts you in a cohort of people far more likely to be stabbed. I'd sooner hand over the bike - it's just a bike. Guns, knives - are people really losing their minds this much?

 

[pagheca]

That could very well land you in a whole world of shit. The risks are you feel compelled to use it & land in jail forever, bottle out in a bad situation or get hoisted by the cops & end up in jail. The one good outcome - deterring isn't worth the candle & the stats bear out carrying a knife puts you in a cohort of people far more likely to be stabbed. I'd sooner hand over the bike - it's just a bike. Guns, knives - are people really losing their minds this much?

I wasn’t going to comment to avoid sparking the usual debate about guns and knives, but I have to admit I’m very grateful to be living the North-East side of the pond...

 

[Just gan]

This worked a treat for me at Fyrish one night.

 

[Just gan]

That could very well land you in a whole world of shit. The risks are you feel compelled to use it & land in jail forever, bottle out in a bad situation or get hoisted by the cops & end up in jail. The one good outcome - deterring isn't worth the candle & the stats bear out carrying a knife puts you in a cohort of people far more likely to be stabbed. I'd sooner hand over the bike - it's just a bike. Guns, knives - are people really losing their minds this much?

There are a few people in my life that I wish I had given a big slap to mostly people i worked with . Strangely I don't think that about whoever stole my Orange Aluminium Elite round about 1990.

 

[steve_sordy]

One of my friends had his five-year old emtb stolen from him. They knocked him off the bike and rode off while he was still on the ground. He was upset of course, he really loved that bike, suited his lifestyle to a "T". But he ended up laughing. He would have had to sell his old bike for spares to get any money at all for it, but the insuramce company paid him out for a brand new bike (less the amount they always weasel out of). He bought a brand new Amflow withn the proceeds. He can't stop smiling.

 

[EMTBSEAN]

That could very well land you in a whole world of shit. The risks are you feel compelled to use it & land in jail forever, bottle out in a bad situation or get hoisted by the cops & end up in jail. The one good outcome - deterring isn't worth the candle & the stats bear out carrying a knife puts you in a cohort of people far more likely to be stabbed. I'd sooner hand over the bike - it's just a bike. Guns, knives - are people really losing their minds this much?

I totally agree with you it could land myself in the but so could my fists as well, I’m very much old school when it comes to fighting and this landed me in trouble when I was in school as I put one of the other kids in hospital after taking years of bullying I just snapped and smashed his nose bone and broke his eye socket courtesy of the playground floor, ever since then I shy away from fighting and only ever get involved if I really have to, these day these little scrotes use knives, if they do pull a knife on me I’ll just have to get in first and suffer the consequences

 

[Excalibur]

One of my friends had his five-year old emtb stolen from him. They knocked him off the bike and rode off while he was still on the ground. He was upset of course, he really loved that bike, suited his lifestyle to a "T". But he ended up laughing. He would have had to sell his old bike for spares to get any money at all for it, but the insuramce company paid him out for a brand new bike (less the amount they always weasel out of). He bought a brand new Amflow withn the proceeds. He can't stop smiling.

That's why I recommend that you insure your ebike as the prices of them are huge and I would hate to loose mine if I did not have it fully insured, I can imagine how he felt but like you said he was paid out and now has a new ebike which I hope he has a great time on.

 

[steve_sordy]

That's why I recommend that you insure your ebike as the prices of them are huge and I would hate to loose mine if I did not have it fully insured, I can imagine how he felt but like you said he was paid out and now has a new ebike which I hope he has a great time on.

Yep! It made me go check my bike insurance. On my current buildings & Cintents policy I'm restricted to £5k, when my bike new cost £7400. But its well over 4 years old, so I'd be happy to get £5k. When I change my bike is time to review the whole insurance thing.