Gone in 60 seconds

[allen-uk]

Trouble with such systems, Dave, is that you can STILL pick up the bike and chuck it in the back of a large van, and sort out the disarming of the six-inch spike mounted in the seat-post later on.

I'm still convinced that some sort of registration plates/documents would help, but whether we'd ever have a government with the bottle to start it off, is another matter.

A

 

[overlander]

This seems too good to be true, battery life 1 year! Neat idea if it works.

Motorcycle and Bicycle GPS Trackers - Products

 

[Mussels]

I do not know the lock you use but be careful of leaving your chain overnight. I use an almax chain and it comes with a nice cover but i do not leave it overnight. What they do is cut your chain overnight when they have lots of time to do it. They then secure the cut link with say a tie wrap and put the cover back over. So when you lock your bike all they have to do is cut the tie wrap and they are off with it.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. Fortunately I leave the D lock behind so tampering would be obvious.

I'm still convinced that some sort of registration plates/documents would help, but whether we'd ever have a government with the bottle to start it off, is another matter.

A

When the government is trying it's hardest to get people to take up cycling this would be shooting themselves in the foot and worse than making helmets copulsory.

 

[flecc]

Fine, we/you've all stated quite succinctly where we ARE. What I'd like to do is to investigate where we might BE in the future.

A bike can be left unattended if in one of the locked bike cabinets, they are a complete and effective solution to bike and bike part theft. We have some of these in some Croydon car parks and I understand that other parts of London have them. I don't know anything about costs etc, only that they do the job of protecting a bike and it's components.
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[eddieo]

I dont know, some kind of registration scheme makes sense to me. with a set of obvious (and ugly) large letters/numbers engraved on frame......

 

[flecc]

I think registration is a non-starter for several reasons.

First, who will watch out for stolen bikes? The police? No chance!

The only reason registration works with cars etc is that road tax, insurance and MOTs are necessary, these in turn self monitoring registrations for uniqueness. They also link to the driver via the driving licence system, preventing someone operating a stolen vehicle with it's original number plate

A registration scheme costs money to administer so it will inevitably lead to bicycle annual road tax. No government will run the scheme for free, and it might also give them the idea of compulsory third party insurance due to the monitoring advantages of that.

Registration won't prevent theft of wheels, saddles, pumps, panniers and expensive e-bike batteries.

Registration won't prevent mindless vandalism of bikes.

That's why I maintain lockable bike cabinets are the only all round solution, preventing theft or damage of bikes or components and keeping a bike protected from the weather as a bonus.
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[Bikealot]

Netherlands have very high rates of bike theft. This is one solution that might work here in areas of high cycle use (e.g. Bristol, London or Cambridge).

Bicycle storage in the Netherlands | Evans Cycles | Ride It Blog | News, reviews, how-tos

 

[allen-uk]

I maintain lockable bike cabinets are the only all round solution, preventing theft or damage of bikes or components and keeping a bike protected from the weather as a bonus.
.

Don't think so, as you would need a bank of lockable bike cabinets at EVERY place where you and I stop - shops, clinics, hospitals, bike shops, parks, and on and on. In fact you'd need them on every street corner, and preferably outside every house, too!

A

 

[allen-uk]

When the government is trying it's hardest to get people to take up cycling this would be shooting themselves in the foot

I really don't think that the government gives a flying fish as to whether we cycle or not, nor as it happens whether we get our bikes pinched or not.

They (all of them) are far too busy doing their real job, which is making sure that UK capitalism runs nice and smoothly; whether I have a heart attack or get my Wisper nicked keeps none of them awake.


A

 

[flecc]

Don't think so, as you would need a bank of lockable bike cabinets at EVERY place where you and I stop - shops, clinics, hospitals, bike shops, parks, and on and on. In fact you'd need them on every street corner, and preferably outside every house, too!

A

I'm just noting that it is the only option that delivers on bike security. Nothing else does or ever can, and the cabinets are suited to a very wide variety of locations as witness where they are already.

The biggest security problem is with long term parking like all day for the commuter and parking repeatedly in the same place at the same time, and that's where cabinets are often suitable. I don't think they are necessary at all outside shops and the like. I've been shopping for almost eight years now with three different e-bikes in the Borough of Croydon which has one of the highest bike theft rates in London. Using just one cable or chain lock I've suffered no loss of bike or bike part in the 5 to 30 minutes that my various shop visits need. Thieves aren't so stupid as to tackle the lock on a bike that may see the owner return at any moment when there are safer options.
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[Orraman]

Trouble with such systems, Dave, is that you can STILL pick up the bike and chuck it in the back of a large van, and sort out the disarming of the six-inch spike mounted in the seat-post later on.

A

emit smoke and a persistent dye with odour of skunk when triggered.

Add sound, vibration and motion sensors to warn and trigger.

Dave

The intention was to add to the problems of the thief while he was working on the lock or moving the bike.
The smoke produced by such a stack of chemicals would fill and render uninhabitable several large vans and could continue to generate for many minutes. The stuff I mentioned was truly poisonous and debilitating, ask me.

I commend the spike on the seatpost, I had only thought to tilt the seat.

Dave

 

[morphix]

Dont waste your money on £120 bike locks like abus or new yorker ...get a tracker!

YouTube - Gone In 60 Seconds - The Bike Crime Wave Part 1

Scary. The professional thief just looked like a cyclist who had lost his key and he was so relaxed and casual that passers by thought that was the case.

If all the locks can be broken so easily should we be looking at alarms? Or perhaps just get insurance cover with the minimum standard of lock the insurance company approves and just accept that your bike may get stolen and you can buy a new one.

In cities there seems a real need for proper bike sheds with security personnel there.