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Almost all e-bikes and cargo bikes have removable batteries. The bike is usually not worth stealing if you take the battery out (a battery replacement will cost

Almost all e-bikes and cargo bikes have removable batteries. The bike is usually not worth stealing if you take the battery out (a battery replacement will cost more than the thief could sell an used bike for and it is not that easy to flip parts) My e-bike is pretty expensive, but removing the battery, a good lock and insurance let me sleep easily with my bike outside Although I would say the main reason to NOT leave it outside is rain and snow, it damages the gearbox and chain. If you oil regularly it alleviates the problem a bit

Semaphor 4y ago
> The bike is usually not worth stealing if you take the battery out E-Bikes without batteries are worth less (to thieves) than normal bikes? Because regular bikes, even very basic models, get stolen all the time.
- m000 4y ago
  Regular bikes are lower risk to steal and easier to sell: The owner is less likely to go after you, and the purchaser also less likely to ask for proof of ownership. Stealing a bakfiets is pretty much like stealing a car: you need to have operate in a network to make a profit. Otherwise you are stuck with an expensive stolen bicycle, with the owner very likely trying to track you, and nobody willing to buy it without you proving that you own it.
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    That makes sense, thank you.
dotancohen 4y ago
How is it that we have normalized leaving the car out at night, but not the bicycle? What would it take to normalize the bicycle as well? Proper parking spots with locks, not simply ad-hoc sidewalk space? Cars have just as many, if not more, parts to steal without moving the vehicle.
- MagnumOpus 4y ago
  Grand Theft Auto is prosecuted as a felony and gets you sent to jail. Bike theft even of a $5k bike gets zero prosecution and lots of ridicule of the victim by police.
  - abdullahkhalids 4y ago
    My idea to reduce theft is that the city should provide not just the bike racks, but also the bike locks with those racks. Which means thieves have the option of either cutting the bike frame, or destroying city property which the police would probably have to actually pursue more seriously and which might be treated as a felony.
    - prmoustache 4y ago
      The best idea to reduce theft is make selling stolen items more difficults. Most bike thieves don't keep the bikes for themselves. Which means global mamdatory ownership registration. Having said that it is very easy to steal only a handful of parts with mostly basic tools but I guess we could also have a tool to associate parts with ownership using serial numbers. The rest is just bandaid.
      - dotancohen 4y ago
        > Which means global mamdatory ownership registration. As a private citizen, this sounds like an excuse for a surveillance state.
        prmoustache 4y ago
        This is done for real estate or cars, do we talk about surveillance state?
        Symbiote 4y ago
        It can be done after the theft. The shop writes the serial number of the bike (stamped on the frame) on the receipt. If the bike is stolen, the owner reports the number to the police. The police can check any bike in their database of stolen bikes [1]. People purchasing second hand bikes will be wary if the seller doesn't have the original receipt. They can also check the frame numbers in the police database [1]. [1] https://politi.dk/cykler-og-koeretoejer/tjek-om-en-cykel-eller-et-koeretoej-er-efterlyst/tjek-om-en-cykel-er-efterlyst https://politi.dk/cykler-og-koeretoejer/tjek-om-en-cykel-ell...
stinos 4y ago
it damages the gearbox and chain Especially on electric bikes there's a shift towards 'integrated' gearing (either traditional in the back wheel or the new-ish Pinion systems), plus belt drive, which shouldn't have any problem with weather. That plus all bearings being properly sealed these days should make this a whole lot better than it used to. Still using the word 'should' because I don't have any experience myself apart from just riding through rain; I just cannot get over leaving any of my bikes outside, having been raised with strict 'no metal outside' policies :)
jononomo 4y ago
What do you do with the battery once you've removed it? Doesn't it weigh 15 pounds or more? Do you just carry it with you while you do your grocery shopping?
- Symbiote 4y ago
  For short trips (like shopping or even sitting at work) you lock the bike outside. Removing the battery is for overnight. (In Denmark; might not apply everywhere.)

Semaphor 4y ago

> The bike is usually not worth stealing if you take the battery out E-Bikes without batteries are worth less (to thieves) than normal bikes? Because regular bikes, even very basic models, get stolen all the time.

m000 4y ago
Regular bikes are lower risk to steal and easier to sell: The owner is less likely to go after you, and the purchaser also less likely to ask for proof of ownership. Stealing a bakfiets is pretty much like stealing a car: you need to have operate in a network to make a profit. Otherwise you are stuck with an expensive stolen bicycle, with the owner very likely trying to track you, and nobody willing to buy it without you proving that you own it.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  That makes sense, thank you.

dotancohen 4y ago

How is it that we have normalized leaving the car out at night, but not the bicycle? What would it take to normalize the bicycle as well? Proper parking spots with locks, not simply ad-hoc sidewalk space? Cars have just as many, if not more, parts to steal without moving the vehicle.

MagnumOpus 4y ago
Grand Theft Auto is prosecuted as a felony and gets you sent to jail. Bike theft even of a $5k bike gets zero prosecution and lots of ridicule of the victim by police.
- abdullahkhalids 4y ago
  My idea to reduce theft is that the city should provide not just the bike racks, but also the bike locks with those racks. Which means thieves have the option of either cutting the bike frame, or destroying city property which the police would probably have to actually pursue more seriously and which might be treated as a felony.
  - prmoustache 4y ago
    The best idea to reduce theft is make selling stolen items more difficults. Most bike thieves don't keep the bikes for themselves. Which means global mamdatory ownership registration. Having said that it is very easy to steal only a handful of parts with mostly basic tools but I guess we could also have a tool to associate parts with ownership using serial numbers. The rest is just bandaid.
    - dotancohen 4y ago
      > Which means global mamdatory ownership registration. As a private citizen, this sounds like an excuse for a surveillance state.
      - prmoustache 4y ago
        This is done for real estate or cars, do we talk about surveillance state?
      - Symbiote 4y ago
        It can be done after the theft. The shop writes the serial number of the bike (stamped on the frame) on the receipt. If the bike is stolen, the owner reports the number to the police. The police can check any bike in their database of stolen bikes [1]. People purchasing second hand bikes will be wary if the seller doesn't have the original receipt. They can also check the frame numbers in the police database [1]. [1] https://politi.dk/cykler-og-koeretoejer/tjek-om-en-cykel-eller-et-koeretoej-er-efterlyst/tjek-om-en-cykel-er-efterlyst https://politi.dk/cykler-og-koeretoejer/tjek-om-en-cykel-ell...

stinos 4y ago

it damages the gearbox and chain Especially on electric bikes there's a shift towards 'integrated' gearing (either traditional in the back wheel or the new-ish Pinion systems), plus belt drive, which shouldn't have any problem with weather. That plus all bearings being properly sealed these days should make this a whole lot better than it used to. Still using the word 'should' because I don't have any experience myself apart from just riding through rain; I just cannot get over leaving any of my bikes outside, having been raised with strict 'no metal outside' policies :)

jononomo 4y ago

What do you do with the battery once you've removed it? Doesn't it weigh 15 pounds or more? Do you just carry it with you while you do your grocery shopping?

Symbiote 4y ago
For short trips (like shopping or even sitting at work) you lock the bike outside. Removing the battery is for overnight. (In Denmark; might not apply everywhere.)