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Every bike I've ever owned was stolen in the end - the only exception being my current bike, and that's a matter of time. That's across four cities on two conti

by mrwh 4y ago

Every bike I've ever owned was stolen in the end - the only exception being my current bike, and that's a matter of time. That's across four cities on two continents. Bike theft seems universal. Presumably, if you buy a second hand bike, it was almost certainly stolen. How to get no one to buy a second hand bike though?

atoav 4y ago
I ride the bike regularily for the past 25 years with 15 of those in cities. I never had a bike stolen up to now. Maybe I am just lucky, but at least once a year one of my peers had theirs stolen. The things I did different: - get the best lock you can get - your goal is not to make your bike impossible to steal, just to make it mor attractive to go for the bike next to it - bike should look like shit while being in excellent technical shape (e.g. my frame is a old slightly rusty KTM racing bike frame, but with Shimano Ultegra) - never put the bike into an dark corner, where it is the only bike to steal and thieves can do so unobserved, instead try to put in the spot where a thieve might expect someone to observe them. Nobody ever took a bike dirctly in front of a store exit if it looks like you might return any second now. - don't leave your bike anywhere outside for more than a night if you can't avoid it
- londons_explore 4y ago
  Other tricks: Paint your bike very uniquely. Eg. Bright pink. Thieves can't be bothered to repaint it, and being so unique makes it hard to sell. Write your phone number on every part - wheels, frame, seat, etc. Nobody buys a second hand bike covered in phone numbers without ringing the number.
- tweetle_beetle 4y ago
  None of that is bad advice, but thieves have also moved on from whole bikes due to the value of higher end parts - they are even less trackable than whole bikes, they are commodity parts with only a few manufacturers, they are not worth tracking in their own right and they are much easier to ship. It's not unusual to hear of forks being cut to get fancy wheels or chainstays being cut to get drivetrain components. I imagine cutting frames to get expensive batteries may be next. My anecdata is that I've only had one bike stolen and it was the cheapest, worst one I've ever owned (parents bought on 2for1 offer). It was protected with a good lock which was cut through and surrounded by dozens of nicer ones in a secluded bike garage, some of which had incredibly basic and weak combination locks. These days I just insure my bike and use two big locks (leaving them in situ at places like work). I've also seen a drunk courier (after work) fall off their bike and while they were getting up someone picked up their bike, hopped on and cycled off very slowly in front of dozens of people. 2 police on foot were also there and stalled, pretended to listen to lots of accounts, to kill time and avoid a chase or indeed any action at all. But that's another story.
  - atoav 4y ago
    I mean it is ultimately a stochastic thing we are fighting against. There is no guarantuee to not getting your bicycle stolen, but we can change the odds of that happening into our favour by how we do it. > It was protected with a good lock which was cut through and surrounded by dozens of nicer ones in a secluded bike garage, some of which had incredibly basic and weak combination locks. This is an odd one. Maybe the bike had specific parts the thieves were after? Shitty bikes are often targeted by drunkards who just try to get home (they steal it for transportation, not for money). But they would get stopped by a good lock (provided it is actually locked).

by mrwh 4y ago

atoav 4y ago

I ride the bike regularily for the past 25 years with 15 of those in cities. I never had a bike stolen up to now. Maybe I am just lucky, but at least once a year one of my peers had theirs stolen. The things I did different: - get the best lock you can get - your goal is not to make your bike impossible to steal, just to make it mor attractive to go for the bike next to it - bike should look like shit while being in excellent technical shape (e.g. my frame is a old slightly rusty KTM racing bike frame, but with Shimano Ultegra) - never put the bike into an dark corner, where it is the only bike to steal and thieves can do so unobserved, instead try to put in the spot where a thieve might expect someone to observe them. Nobody ever took a bike dirctly in front of a store exit if it looks like you might return any second now. - don't leave your bike anywhere outside for more than a night if you can't avoid it

londons_explore 4y ago
Other tricks: Paint your bike very uniquely. Eg. Bright pink. Thieves can't be bothered to repaint it, and being so unique makes it hard to sell. Write your phone number on every part - wheels, frame, seat, etc. Nobody buys a second hand bike covered in phone numbers without ringing the number.
tweetle_beetle 4y ago
None of that is bad advice, but thieves have also moved on from whole bikes due to the value of higher end parts - they are even less trackable than whole bikes, they are commodity parts with only a few manufacturers, they are not worth tracking in their own right and they are much easier to ship. It's not unusual to hear of forks being cut to get fancy wheels or chainstays being cut to get drivetrain components. I imagine cutting frames to get expensive batteries may be next. My anecdata is that I've only had one bike stolen and it was the cheapest, worst one I've ever owned (parents bought on 2for1 offer). It was protected with a good lock which was cut through and surrounded by dozens of nicer ones in a secluded bike garage, some of which had incredibly basic and weak combination locks. These days I just insure my bike and use two big locks (leaving them in situ at places like work). I've also seen a drunk courier (after work) fall off their bike and while they were getting up someone picked up their bike, hopped on and cycled off very slowly in front of dozens of people. 2 police on foot were also there and stalled, pretended to listen to lots of accounts, to kill time and avoid a chase or indeed any action at all. But that's another story.
- atoav 4y ago
  I mean it is ultimately a stochastic thing we are fighting against. There is no guarantuee to not getting your bicycle stolen, but we can change the odds of that happening into our favour by how we do it. > It was protected with a good lock which was cut through and surrounded by dozens of nicer ones in a secluded bike garage, some of which had incredibly basic and weak combination locks. This is an odd one. Maybe the bike had specific parts the thieves were after? Shitty bikes are often targeted by drunkards who just try to get home (they steal it for transportation, not for money). But they would get stopped by a good lock (provided it is actually locked).