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> you can go anywhere and dont need to think about parking I don't know where you are in the UK, but I don't agree with this in the general European case. I'd

> you can go anywhere and dont need to think about parking I don't know where you are in the UK, but I don't agree with this in the general European case. I'd be very concerned with theft. I have a friend who almost got his ebike stolen while waiting in line in London. It was attached and everything, but apparently some dude went and came back with tools. He was lucky some passerby scared the thief away. In Paris, where I live, I'd never leave a bike unattended in the street, either. It's the main reason why I don't ride around town on my own bike: if I'm not certain that I can keep it somewhere behind a locked door, I don't bother.

BoxOfRain 4y ago
Yeah I live in Oxford and bike theft is rampant. I like the idea of an ebike but I'm going to keep riding a piece of rubbish I won't be devastated by when it inevitably gets stolen.
MaysonL 4y ago
Software defined bikes can resist theft in quite a few ways, making theft impractical. See https://weel.bike/ https://weel.bike/ for some details.
iknowstuff 4y ago
Consider that a bike stolen once a year is still 1/10th the cost of car payment+insurance+fuel. Also Lemonade has bike insurance for like $7/month. It's fine.
sleepybrett 4y ago
In tokyo it seems to not be a problem. Tons of bikes, no locks, just parked a little out of the way in a ally. Crazy.
pjmlp 4y ago
A friend's motorbike was properly locked, parked closed to a police station in Cardiff, and it got stolen, she even got the watch the robbery afterwards in the police station as it was on tape via CCTV. The police never found the dudes that got it.
underdeserver 4y ago
I live in a big city and it is the exact opposite. In a car, you know you might find street parking and you know that there are multiple paid parking garages. It might be expensive but you'll find parking. Outside of home, work, and maybe friends, there's nowhere you can go by bike, because there's nowhere you can leave it without it being stolen.
- specialist 4y ago
  Isn't it weird that paid parking hasn't adapted to accommodate bicycles?
dijit 4y ago
It's an enormous shame that people are driven to cars by crime. Isn't it possible to increase the pain of stealing a bike to similar levels as stealing a car? Maybe GPS or mandatory registration? Both?
- pjc50 4y ago
  Actual enforcement? (mandatory registration "solves" the problem by pushing people back to cars, like mandatory helmets)
  - adrianN 4y ago
    Enforcement without registration seems difficult to me. But it might be effective to increase pressure on organized gangs that move bicycles across borders.
  - eecc 4y ago
    I'm starting to wear a helmet in Amsterdam, too many fatbikers chillin' around at 30 km/h on the bike lane for my taste.
  - robotnikman 4y ago
    This is a big one I think. If a stolen good can be tracked, the police should be forced to go and retrieve it. Heck, there was a story recently where a guy found where is stolen car was and the police refused to get it back for him. So he ended up resorting to vigilante justice with deadly consequences.
    - ClumsyPilot 4y ago
      > police should be forced to go and retrieve it. I think there are stories where police did nothing to protect a person being maimed or killed right next to them - and they suffer no consequences
  - m463 4y ago
    I was surprised years ago where most cities have retired bike registration.
AndrewSChapman 4y ago
Agree! I am in the UK and have an electric bike, but I only use it for trips where I know I can safely store the bike and where I know the roads intimately. The UK needs to solve this, in addition to improving the safety of roads. There's too many pot holes, poor visibility due to people being allow to park pretty much anywhere, and not enough dedicated bike lanes.

BoxOfRain 4y ago

Yeah I live in Oxford and bike theft is rampant. I like the idea of an ebike but I'm going to keep riding a piece of rubbish I won't be devastated by when it inevitably gets stolen.

MaysonL 4y ago

Software defined bikes can resist theft in quite a few ways, making theft impractical. See https://weel.bike/ https://weel.bike/ for some details.

iknowstuff 4y ago

Consider that a bike stolen once a year is still 1/10th the cost of car payment+insurance+fuel. Also Lemonade has bike insurance for like $7/month. It's fine.

sleepybrett 4y ago

In tokyo it seems to not be a problem. Tons of bikes, no locks, just parked a little out of the way in a ally. Crazy.

pjmlp 4y ago

A friend's motorbike was properly locked, parked closed to a police station in Cardiff, and it got stolen, she even got the watch the robbery afterwards in the police station as it was on tape via CCTV. The police never found the dudes that got it.

underdeserver 4y ago

I live in a big city and it is the exact opposite. In a car, you know you might find street parking and you know that there are multiple paid parking garages. It might be expensive but you'll find parking. Outside of home, work, and maybe friends, there's nowhere you can go by bike, because there's nowhere you can leave it without it being stolen.

specialist 4y ago
Isn't it weird that paid parking hasn't adapted to accommodate bicycles?

dijit 4y ago

It's an enormous shame that people are driven to cars by crime. Isn't it possible to increase the pain of stealing a bike to similar levels as stealing a car? Maybe GPS or mandatory registration? Both?

pjc50 4y ago
Actual enforcement? (mandatory registration "solves" the problem by pushing people back to cars, like mandatory helmets)
- adrianN 4y ago
  Enforcement without registration seems difficult to me. But it might be effective to increase pressure on organized gangs that move bicycles across borders.
- eecc 4y ago
  I'm starting to wear a helmet in Amsterdam, too many fatbikers chillin' around at 30 km/h on the bike lane for my taste.
- robotnikman 4y ago
  This is a big one I think. If a stolen good can be tracked, the police should be forced to go and retrieve it. Heck, there was a story recently where a guy found where is stolen car was and the police refused to get it back for him. So he ended up resorting to vigilante justice with deadly consequences.
  - ClumsyPilot 4y ago
    > police should be forced to go and retrieve it. I think there are stories where police did nothing to protect a person being maimed or killed right next to them - and they suffer no consequences
- m463 4y ago
  I was surprised years ago where most cities have retired bike registration.

AndrewSChapman 4y ago

Agree! I am in the UK and have an electric bike, but I only use it for trips where I know I can safely store the bike and where I know the roads intimately. The UK needs to solve this, in addition to improving the safety of roads. There's too many pot holes, poor visibility due to people being allow to park pretty much anywhere, and not enough dedicated bike lanes.