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I live in the Netherlands and have not had my bike stolen in 25 years. Just use a good lock and only park in secured parking locations with gated access and cam

I live in the Netherlands and have not had my bike stolen in 25 years. Just use a good lock and only park in secured parking locations with gated access and cameras. And don't buy a bike without knowing the full history and paperwork, otherwise you are shooting yourself in the foot by supporting criminals and raising your chance of having your bike stolen in the future.

PhasmaFelis 8y ago
> I live in the Netherlands and have not had my bike stolen in 25 years. Just use a good lock and only park in secured parking locations with gated access and cameras. That works well as long as you only want to ride between places with secured parking locations with gated access and cameras. In the US I have noticed a bit of a disconnect between bike hobbyists (put your bike in your car and drive to the place you want to ride) and people whose bike is their primary mode of transportation. I'm sure it's different in the Netherlands, but a lot of places here you're lucky to find a single bike rack near your destination. "Secured parking locations" don't exist outside of the occasional upscale apartment complex.
mrsuprawsm 8y ago
I also live in the Netherlands, and if I restricted myself to only parking in secured parking locations with gated access and cameras, I would only be able to cycle from my office... to my office. This (obviously) precludes you from cycling anywhere you might want to go (home, the shops, your friends houses, a restaurant, a bar, a cafe). If you restrict yourself to parking in locations with cameras (e.g. stations), your bike will still probably get stolen, especially if it is expensive (I know people who have had their bikes stolen from station bike parks with cameras). I myself had the front wheel stolen from my bike that was parked between 3 CCTV cameras, next to a busy metro station, next to a shop with a security guard, and across the street from the main police station in the city.
- systemtest 8y ago
  If I go to a bar or shop I will park my bike in a nearby secured location and walk the last couple of minutes. At home I put the bike in a locked brick shed.
vanderZwan 8y ago
> Just use a good lock and only park in secured parking locations with gated access and cameras. I can sadly say from experience that this does not help when you live in student housing. Also, one lock? You've been lucky. Two locks of different brands is a better bet (junkies tend to specialize in unlocking one particular type quickly)
coltonv 8y ago
I have a friend from the Netherlands and his bike was stolen, despite having a lock on it, the very first week he was in the US. He was completely dumbfounded, the idea of a bike getting stolen was just ridiculous for him, growing up in a such a high median income, highly developed country. And when he was in the US he was staying on campus at a presigious University. As far as my + his anecdotal evidence goes, the Netherlands is just much much safer in terms of not getting your bike stolen.

PhasmaFelis 8y ago

> I live in the Netherlands and have not had my bike stolen in 25 years. Just use a good lock and only park in secured parking locations with gated access and cameras. That works well as long as you only want to ride between places with secured parking locations with gated access and cameras. In the US I have noticed a bit of a disconnect between bike hobbyists (put your bike in your car and drive to the place you want to ride) and people whose bike is their primary mode of transportation. I'm sure it's different in the Netherlands, but a lot of places here you're lucky to find a single bike rack near your destination. "Secured parking locations" don't exist outside of the occasional upscale apartment complex.

mrsuprawsm 8y ago

I also live in the Netherlands, and if I restricted myself to only parking in secured parking locations with gated access and cameras, I would only be able to cycle from my office... to my office. This (obviously) precludes you from cycling anywhere you might want to go (home, the shops, your friends houses, a restaurant, a bar, a cafe). If you restrict yourself to parking in locations with cameras (e.g. stations), your bike will still probably get stolen, especially if it is expensive (I know people who have had their bikes stolen from station bike parks with cameras). I myself had the front wheel stolen from my bike that was parked between 3 CCTV cameras, next to a busy metro station, next to a shop with a security guard, and across the street from the main police station in the city.

systemtest 8y ago
If I go to a bar or shop I will park my bike in a nearby secured location and walk the last couple of minutes. At home I put the bike in a locked brick shed.

vanderZwan 8y ago

> Just use a good lock and only park in secured parking locations with gated access and cameras. I can sadly say from experience that this does not help when you live in student housing. Also, one lock? You've been lucky. Two locks of different brands is a better bet (junkies tend to specialize in unlocking one particular type quickly)

coltonv 8y ago

I have a friend from the Netherlands and his bike was stolen, despite having a lock on it, the very first week he was in the US. He was completely dumbfounded, the idea of a bike getting stolen was just ridiculous for him, growing up in a such a high median income, highly developed country. And when he was in the US he was staying on campus at a presigious University. As far as my + his anecdotal evidence goes, the Netherlands is just much much safer in terms of not getting your bike stolen.