How Do You Keep Your Bike Safe?

[pagheca]

This post made me reflect on how we protect our beloved bicycles and e-bikes.

I’ve been cycling since I was a kid. It’s always been my favourite way to get around—during school, university, and for commuting to work. I’m 67, and I still ride about 10 km each way, every single day. Over the years, I’ve owned and used bikes in many different places, including cities often considered “risky” for bike theft: Rome, Cardiff, Manchester, Sydney, Santiago de Chile, and even some places in the US.

And so far, I’ve never had a bike stolen*.

But there’s a big reason why: I never left my bike unattended on the street, out of sight, and unlocked: ever! Sometimes I see people stepping away from an expensive carbon road bike for “just a minute”… and that’s enough. Once, in Manchester, a cyclist sat near me in a busy café by a big window. A moment later he rushed outside—someone had taken his bike. It was only centimetres away… but on the other side of the glass, completely unlocked.

When I go to work, my bike comes with me into the office. Always. Yes, I am lucky to have this possibility, but even if someone complains (and yes, that has happened), I’m not taking the risk.

Now, I’m curious: how do you protect your bike or e-bike?

• Do you rely on expensive, heavy-duty locks?
• Do you avoid leaving it outside altogether (like me)?
• Do you use a cheaper bike when you know you may need to leave one unattended?
• Or do you simply insure it and hope for the best?
• Any other trick?

I would like to hear about your strategies... thanks!

*Usually, when we Italians make statements like this that might attract the hubris of the Gods, we secretly make a little gesture under the desk, like this …

 

[irie]

Don't ever leave them outside unless we're sat right next to them. Exception is if we have to eat inside then they're locked with Foldylocks within clear view. I also carry something lawful but at least as effective as pepper spray in case a scrote has a go within clear sight. Dont ask me what it is.

 

[LeftItLancs]

I have just bought my son a diamond standard OnGuard RockSolid 8590, whilst it isn't 100% disk cutter proof, apparently it takes multiple discs and lots of time to cut through it, and which a casual thief won't be carrying and wont have. Fairly pricey at £140 but a good visual deterrent.

 

[TimC7]

This post made me reflect on how we protect our beloved bicycles and e-bikes.

I’ve been cycling since I was a kid. It’s always been my favourite way to get around—during school, university, and for commuting to work. I’m 67, and I still ride about 10 km each way, every single day. Over the years, I’ve owned and used bikes in many different places, including cities often considered “risky” for bike theft: Rome, Cardiff, Manchester, Sydney, Santiago de Chile, and even some places in the US.

And so far, I’ve never had a bike stolen*.

But there’s a big reason why: I never left my bike unattended on the street, out of sight, and unlocked: ever! Sometimes I see people stepping away from an expensive carbon road bike for “just a minute”… and that’s enough. Once, in Manchester, a cyclist sat near me in a busy café by a big window. A moment later he rushed outside—someone had taken his bike. It was only centimetres away… but on the other side of the glass, completely unlocked.

When I go to work, my bike comes with me into the office. Always. Yes, I am lucky to have this possibility, but even if someone complains (and yes, that has happened), I’m not taking the risk.

Now, I’m curious: how do you protect your bike or e-bike?

• Do you rely on expensive, heavy-duty locks?
• Do you avoid leaving it outside altogether (like me)?
• Do you use a cheaper bike when you know you may need to leave one unattended?
• Or do you simply insure it and hope for the best?
• Any other trick?

I would like to hear about your strategies... thanks!

*Usually, when we Italians make statements like this that might attract the hubris of the Gods, we secretly make a little gesture under the desk, like this …

All of the above plus security lights and cameras front and rear.

 

[RickBullotta]

I have to leave mine locked to my hitch rack occasionally, but I do so with Kryptonite Fuggedaboutit chains and locks. Could a grinder get through it? Of course, but it would take a couple minutes and a lot of sparks and noise.

My wife and I traveled across the USA with our regular bikes for 6 weeks, including leaving them on the rack overnight in some sketchy areas. Those same chains and locks definitely keep the bad guys away - or at least convinced them to go elsewhere.

 

[Kepa]

Only place where I've left my bike "unwatched" was probably in Saalbach, but there were hundreds of other nice bikes, so the chances that my bike would've been stolen were quite low. Typically, I'm paranoid about my bikes, so no incidents yet...

 

[RustyIron]

I try to remember to close the garage door at night.
I don't leave the bike in front of the house for more than an hour.
When going to lunch after a ride with bikes in the back of the truck, I try to park close to the restaurant.
When leaving my bike outside the restroom, I go in and pee quickly.

 

[RickBullotta]

I try to remember to close the garage door at night.
I don't leave the bike in front of the house for more than an hour.
When going to lunch after a ride with bikes in the back of the truck, I try to park close to the restaurant.
When leaving my bike outside the restroom, I go in and pee quickly.

Soon, we'll simply deploy our humanoid robot to guard our sh*t.

 

[Joecrow]

Soon, we'll simply deploy our humanoid robot to guard our sh*t.

How effective will they be against angle grinders?

 

[RustyIron]

Soon, we'll simply deploy our humanoid robot to guard our sh*t.

And hope no one steals your robot.

And

 

[steve_sordy]

I have a lot of security when the bike is in the garage. I never leave it unattended when I'm out and about, but just in case I have a cable lock for use when I absolutely MUST leave it unattended, or an "other side of the glass" kind of situation.

But none of these things will help if you get knocked off your bike by a passing electric trail bike and pillion. While you are laid on the floor counting stars, the pillion passenger strolls up and rides off on the bike, as cool as you like. That happened to a friend of mine about a month ago. After his long walk home, he called the Police. He didn't expect much, but what happened to him was ROBBERY and the Police take robbery very seriously. Apparently, there are two local guys doing this regularly and the Police are on the case.

He had a few scrapes & bruises and his ego was dented, both took a week to heal.

But the good news is that he was fully insured and although he got less than he expected (insurance companies have their weasel ways), he still got £5k for a five-year old emtb! He was seriously pissed off at the time, but now he's smiling all over his face with his new bike. It seems that they did him a favour!

 

[Joecrow]

But none of these things will help if you get knocked off your bike by a passing electric trail bike and pillion. While you are laid on the floor counting stars, the pillion passenger strolls up and rides off on the bike, as cool as you like.

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

 

[ncs]

• Do you rely on expensive, heavy-duty locks?
• Do you avoid leaving it outside altogether (like me)?
• Do you use a cheaper bike when you know you may need to leave one unattended?
• Or do you simply insure it and hope for the best?
• Any other trick?

When I ride to job - I take my bike in office (no matter what other says).
No ride long distance without food - I take it with me and I don't need to go to shop for buy food.
Even if you alone at forest, cleaning trails - bike must be as near as you can - I have flat pedals and it is 2 seconds to take bike and ride away on emtb.
So I ride: no shops, no rest, no stops, and park it at home.

 

[RickBullotta]

How effective will they be against angle grinders?

The clankers will fight back, unlike a lock and chain. We'll eventually beat them with salt water cannons and EMP pistols.

 

[RickBullotta]

And hope no one steals your robot.

View attachment 171635
And

If they do, your DNA will be all over it so it will be easy to identify.

 

[Powerslider]

I'm from NYC so I've seen all kinds of theft taking place; even right on a busy street in midtown Manhattan. Once in south Brooklyn I watched as someone attempted to steal a guys bike as he stood next to it with his hand literally on the saddle. It's only because the chain came off that the rider caught him.

 

[JP-NZ]

My 3 bikes live inside a downstairs spare room (a lot of garage theft happens in NZ) I also hardly ever ride in the wet so of course they don't mess up the carpet.

I would never leave an ebike anywhere in my city. If I'm off to the pub I'll take my carbon HT and even then I never let it out of my sight and its always locked.

Home & contents insurance in NZ covers ebikes and thankfully is VERY cost effective.

 

[Astro66]

My Amflow stores in the house with the Theft Protection on. Moving it sets the alarm off, and locks the rear wheel. You cannot unlock it without the pin. The bike is useless when locked.

On a ride, I never leave the bike where I cannot see it and no more than a few metres from me. Even so I'll have the Theft protection on and a cable lock on it. I figure I can get to the bike before someone can break the lock, especially as it cannot be ridden without unlocking the Theft Protection and the alarm will be sounding.

I become a very unpleasant person when you mess with my "Libby". That said. Bike theft where I live and ride is very uncommon, so I am normally quite pleasant.

I normally don't ride alone. And some of the guys I ride with are Ex 1st Grade Rugby League players. Docko played State of Origin. So I would be chuffed to be see what happens if someone tried an assult to take any of our bikes. I don't think it would end well for them.

 

[SaabaruAero]

I very rarely leave my bike on the car anymore after almost having one of my analog bikes stolen off the roof rack. Rocky Mounts thru axle locking mount was a better deterrant than the cable, though the roof of my car did get dented up. Now I use a Kuat hitch mount, and if it is going to be left on there, it gets a couple of the big hefty Kryptonite chains through the rear triangle and the front wheel. Nothing quick about those chains. Luckily I am able to store my bikes (13+, I may have a bike problem) in my basement shop.

 

[VWsurfbum]

Early warning system

 

[pagheca]

Wow! How many comments on this thread...

I came across a UK-based webpage with some interesting data on bike theft. It’s quite informative, but there are a couple of limitations. For instance, the statistics aren’t normalized: knowing how many bikes were stolen while left unlocked doesn’t really tell us much without knowing how many people actually leave their bikes unlocked in the first place.

Another gap is that it doesn’t include thefts involving assault, which would give a more complete picture of the risks cyclists face.

 

[pagheca]

I try to remember to close the garage door at night.
I don't leave the bike in front of the house for more than an hour.
When going to lunch after a ride with bikes in the back of the truck, I try to park close to the restaurant.
When leaving my bike outside the restroom, I go in and pee quickly.

you mean you leave your bike in front of the house or outside the restroom unlocked? Or you lock it?

 

[RustyMTB]

Round here the cops periodically offer bike marking & registration sessions. I went along & had a couple done a few years ago, the logic being not that it would stop your bike being nicked but would let the police reunite you with it in the event they find it.

The interesting thing is one of the cops told me that casual bike theft is relatively rare but they regularly caught thieves who were making a living out if it & often as not one arrest would lead to recovering dozens of bikes. From their perspective, the problem was working out who thre bikes belonged to, which for the most part they couldn't do & so they ultimately had to dispose of them which is avoidable if the bike is registered to the owner.

 

[Joecrow]

From their perspective, the problem was working out who thre bikes belonged to, which for the most part they couldn't do & so they ultimately had to dispose of them which is avoidable if the bike is registered to the owner.

I wonder what happens if a bike is recovered after an insurance payout? Does the bike belong to the insurance company or would the owner have to refund the payout?

 

[RustyMTB]

I suspect that varies by insurer but outside of S Works Dentist Yeti Unno's etc. I imagine most insurers aren't especially interested in dealing used bikes & farm them out to intermediary businesses in bulk to dispose of through Ebay or similar. And I reckon the vast majority of stolen bikes are low end, low value stuff since us guys smoking round on posh whips are way more conscious of security.

 

[VWsurfbum]

I wonder what happens if a bike is recovered after an insurance payout? Does the bike belong to the insurance company or would the owner have to refund the payout?

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

 

[RustyIron]

you mean you leave your bike in front of the house or outside the restroom unlocked? Or you lock it?

Bicycle theft isn't really that big of a problem here, so no, we don't worry about it. This whole thing about going to extreme measures is confusing because in my limited traveling abroad, everyone always seems nice, and I've never run into anyone who tried to rip me off.

 

[pagheca]

Bicycle theft isn't really that big of a problem here, so no, we don't worry about it. This whole thing about going to extreme measures is confusing because in my limited traveling abroad, everyone always seems nice, and I've never run into anyone who tried to rip me off.

When I was living on a small island in the Canary Islands, it was pretty much the same: I would see groups of cyclists leaving their expensive carbon-fiber bikes outside restaurants unlocked.

To be honest, I never got used to it because the idea of leaving a bike outside made me anxious. And when you’re used to living in a very safe place, you naturally keep the same habits even when you travel abroad.

 

[Joecrow]

Bicycle theft isn't really that big of a problem here, so no, we don't worry about it.

Much the same here really, habit and fear of leaving an expensive e-bike unlocked, I suppose, rather than an actual high risk of theft. In fact there seems to be an excess of bikes parked on the streets here, about 10 years ago I monitored a very attractive analogue MTB that had been left propped up against a tree on a busy street, you would have thought it was a prime target for theft or a joy ride but no it slowly pretty much rusted away over the next 5 years before being taken away in a bike clean up. (the city periodically goes round and puts a big lable on bikes that look abandoned which says if the lable is still in place in a month the bike will be removed and disposed of).

 

[steve_sordy]

Much the same here really, habit and fear of leaving an expensive e-bike unlocked, I suppose, rather than an actual high risk of theft. In fact there seems to be an excess of bikes parked on the streets here, about 10 years ago I monitored a very attractive analogue MTB that had been left propped up against a tree on a busy street, you would have thought it was a prime target for theft or a joy ride but no it slowly pretty much rusted away over the next 5 years before being taken away in a bike clean up. (the city periodically goes round and puts a big lable on bikes that look abandoned which says if the lable is still in place in a month the bike will be removed and disposed of).

That bike may have been stolen and then abandoned. When I was a youth, there was a thing about "borrowing" a bike to ride home from the pub. It was then parked up undamaged when it had served its purpose. It may only have been "borrowed", but the owner views it as stolen. The police call it "taking without consent" or TWOC. "TWOCing" (as it is known) can see you in court.
PS: Not me guv!