4 ms·

I really enjoyed my e-bike when I bought it in 2018 or so. The pedal assist really felt seamless: you can get to the top speed of 20mph by pedaling with as much

by kccqzy 5y ago

I really enjoyed my e-bike when I bought it in 2018 or so. The pedal assist really felt seamless: you can get to the top speed of 20mph by pedaling with as much effort as it took to get to maybe 12mph on a regular bike. Unfortunately, the bike being worth thousands of dollars, it was a prime target for theft. My bike was stolen in San Jose and I decided to replace it with a sub-$1000 regular bike.

darkwizard42 5y ago
This really is my biggest fear with owning these. I think going to and from the office is a safe one since you can park the bike indoors, but for errands or outdoor casual riding it feels too risky!
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Yes, this is a problem. I have a pretty beefy lock with my e-bike and still I don't feel comfortable leaving it outside a store for more than three minutes or so (which is probably still plenty of time to steal it).
akvadrako 5y ago
You should probably get them insured then you don't need to worry much about theft. It's not very expensive - like €10-15/month for a good bike.
- deanclatworthy 5y ago
  Here in Finland best you can do is 1% depreciation a month. So after two years you’ve lost 24% value of your bike if it’s stolen. That’s a significant amount of money on top of a deductible to cough up to replace a stolen bike. Considering the probability of having it stolen is far far higher than a car too… I know people who have had 2-3 of these bikes stolen. I use mine for commute at the moment and that’s it.
rcMgD2BwE72F 5y ago
>sub-$1000 regular bike. Sounds expensive to me. I ride a Decathlon Triban 100 FB that cost me 150€ (new). Better than most 1K+ gravel bikes and not a target for thieves in Paris bc it's too common.
- bambax 5y ago
  Decathon Triban 100 new is €300, not 150. Still an excellent choice though. https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-route-homme-cyclotourisme-rc100/_/R-p-305831 https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-route-homme-cyclotourisme-rc...
acomjean 5y ago
My cousin tried the really cheap bike route. I think a little over $100. Lamentably it didn't matter, it was still stolen.
- dddddaviddddd 5y ago
  I think the goal of that strategy is to reduce the cost of replacement as much as it is to deter theft.
- rnotaro 5y ago
  I bought a 80$ used bike at my local community bike repair shop earlier this year and I'm keeping it outside every day without getting it stolen. I just bought a Kryptonite + a Kryptoflex and nobody tried to steal it yet. My locks were more expensive than my bike but it seems to work for now.
  - drran 5y ago
    I use steel chain with steel lock[0] for last 5 years. No problems so far. [0]: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1UMz3k8yWBuNkSmFPq6xguVXar/1pcs-Reinforced-Metal-Heavy-Motorbike-Motorcycle-Bicycle-Chain-Lock-bicycle-accessories-4-size.jpg https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1UMz3k8yWBuNkSmFPq6xguVXar/1pc...
  - asdff 5y ago
    As a former kryptonite lock and bike owner, it works until it doesn't.

by kccqzy 5y ago

darkwizard42 5y ago

This really is my biggest fear with owning these. I think going to and from the office is a safe one since you can park the bike indoors, but for errands or outdoor casual riding it feels too risky!

jacquesm 5y ago
Yes, this is a problem. I have a pretty beefy lock with my e-bike and still I don't feel comfortable leaving it outside a store for more than three minutes or so (which is probably still plenty of time to steal it).

akvadrako 5y ago

You should probably get them insured then you don't need to worry much about theft. It's not very expensive - like €10-15/month for a good bike.

deanclatworthy 5y ago
Here in Finland best you can do is 1% depreciation a month. So after two years you’ve lost 24% value of your bike if it’s stolen. That’s a significant amount of money on top of a deductible to cough up to replace a stolen bike. Considering the probability of having it stolen is far far higher than a car too… I know people who have had 2-3 of these bikes stolen. I use mine for commute at the moment and that’s it.

rcMgD2BwE72F 5y ago

>sub-$1000 regular bike. Sounds expensive to me. I ride a Decathlon Triban 100 FB that cost me 150€ (new). Better than most 1K+ gravel bikes and not a target for thieves in Paris bc it's too common.

bambax 5y ago
Decathon Triban 100 new is €300, not 150. Still an excellent choice though. https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-route-homme-cyclotourisme-rc100/_/R-p-305831 https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-route-homme-cyclotourisme-rc...

acomjean 5y ago

My cousin tried the really cheap bike route. I think a little over $100. Lamentably it didn't matter, it was still stolen.

dddddaviddddd 5y ago
I think the goal of that strategy is to reduce the cost of replacement as much as it is to deter theft.
rnotaro 5y ago
I bought a 80$ used bike at my local community bike repair shop earlier this year and I'm keeping it outside every day without getting it stolen. I just bought a Kryptonite + a Kryptoflex and nobody tried to steal it yet. My locks were more expensive than my bike but it seems to work for now.
- drran 5y ago
  I use steel chain with steel lock[0] for last 5 years. No problems so far. [0]: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1UMz3k8yWBuNkSmFPq6xguVXar/1pcs-Reinforced-Metal-Heavy-Motorbike-Motorcycle-Bicycle-Chain-Lock-bicycle-accessories-4-size.jpg https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1UMz3k8yWBuNkSmFPq6xguVXar/1pc...
- asdff 5y ago
  As a former kryptonite lock and bike owner, it works until it doesn't.