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I've heard rumors that lots of stolen bikes are exported on container ships leaving the US. The argument is that the shipping is basically free, since most shi
by midas 14y ago
I've heard rumors that lots of stolen bikes are exported on container ships leaving the US. The argument is that the shipping is basically free, since most ships are carrying large deliveries to the US and are empty on the return trip.
Does anyone know if this is fact or fiction?
- webandy 14y agoI was at a Wal-Mart in Shenzhen China and noticed a lot of used bicycles. I couldn't explain why they stocked used bicycles. Could have nothing to do with what you're saying, or they could have been stolen bicycles from somewhere else. In the US, bicycles sold at retail stores like Wal-Mart are new. http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyatkinson/392577801/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyatkinson/392577801/
- lallysingh 14y agoNot terribly hard to find out -- the bike generates its own power, and is run outside. A few bikes with GPS and call-home device (powered by the bike) would draw traces to their destinations pretty quickly.
- mrclark411 14y agoWould love for someone to do a long form sting. Install gps on 10 bikes and follow them as they get stolen and passed around.
- agumonkey 14y agoI now have napkin designs of just this. I got hit by what seems to be some kind of paradox: old casual bikes are targeted more often than expensive flashy ones.
- brk 14y agoMe too. Especially of it were a factory installed option. You could probably encapsulate the electronics in one of the frame tubes, which would mean it would be welded in to the bike. Impossible to detect casually, and nearly impossible to easily defeat without destroying the bike itself. Given the ratio of hours ridden to power draw of a small tattletale device, you could probably put a couple of magnets on the crank assembly (inside the tube the connects the crank to the frame), along with a couple hundred coils of wire and create a very nice charging circuit. It might take even 100 hours of riding to build up an initial charge, but I'm guessing that would be no problem in a typical scenario, even if it took 2 weeks to get there.
- pavel_lishin 14y agoIsn't this something that would be trivially bypassed by passing a big spark through the frame? Burn out all electronics, without harming the rest of the bike.
- agumonkey 14y agoGood point, but how much current would it require ? wouldn't this be too big to carry noisy and even smelly ?
- brk 14y agoMost likely not. First, how you are going to pass a "big spark" through the frame? Carry around a big ass battery while you're on the hunt for bikes? Secondly, the current would follow the path of least resistance, through the frame itself. Unlikely to really affect a module inside the frame, especially if that module is wrapped in an insulator.
- pavel_lishin 14y agoI imagine it wouldn't be done on the spot - pedal to where you parked your theftomatic van, which comes with a nice, big battery pre-installed.
- wiredfool 14y agoMetal tubes make a nice Faraday cage.
- agumonkey 14y agoFor a reason I can't reply to you brk but I used the same ideas. My last question was about communicating openly or not about it. - Openly would make robber aware and probably come up with attacks or blocking means, but that would surely render their activities a lot more complicated. Could be mass-produced. - Secretly a few people would have it and use it as bait, and authorities being aware of the scheme would casually catch robbers later. No mass-production Oh one more thing, I was thinking about using a cellular module with custom firmware to reply to text messages with gps position but I'm not sure it's feasible.
- pavel_lishin 14y agoSometimes I don't see a reply link on certain comments; clicking on the direct link for those comments, though, shows me the "reply" button.
- donretag 14y agoOutside Magazine had a story about doing just that: http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/biking/Who-Pinched-My-Ride.html?page=all http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/biking/Who-Pi...
- matsur 14y agoThis has been implemented in Madison, WI and is supposedly effective. http://www.uwpd.wisc.edu/crime-prevention-bait-bike-program.htm http://www.uwpd.wisc.edu/crime-prevention-bait-bike-program....
- brokentone 14y agoAgreed. I would fund this on Kickstarter, such stings should be positive externalities in the metro they are set up in. I wonder if there have been any sting initiatives on Kickstarter thus far and what laws would allow for (it's been done before, to catch a predator, anyone?)
- pavel_lishin 14y agoA pair of low-res cameras - one pointing forward, and one pointing upward - would result in some fantastic shots as well. (Though there may be privacy and legal concerns.)
- agumonkey 14y agoWith recent circuit sizes we could all turn our bikes into wheel powered google cars. distance sensors front,back,driver cameras automatic brakes gyroscope balancer whatever ...
- pavel_lishin 14y agoI think a bike is already a gyroscope balancer. And I do not want my bike to put on the brakes for me - that seems like a great way to send me flying into whatever obstacle it detected.
- agumonkey 14y agoRight but it can only do so much. I was just wondering how far could we go, a foot driven segway ?
- ralfd 14y agoSpeaking of cameras: I wonder if bike theft is lower in the UK because of widespread CCTV surveillance?
- March_Hare 14y agoAlmost everyone I work with in London has had a bike stolen (or a least a wheel or two), and everyone I know who owns a bike also has insurance. Not great evidence, but I'm not sure theft is any lower.
- fromhet 14y agoIs all the cameras in the UK effective in any way? I mean, to know that the criminal wore a black hoodie and black pants at the time of the crime doesn't give more information than maybe sex, hoodie, pants and maybe a rough estimation of age. Is it a potent law-tool for Londoners? What was the reasoning for getting so very many? How do people generally feel about them?
- brlewis 14y agoFrom the article: it’s heartbreaking to find out someone stole your bike; bikers love their bikes Sounds like your idea addresses a real need. I wonder why I haven't heard about this kind of thing already implemented? Price maybe? http://www.gizmag.com/spybike-gps-tracker/22999/ http://www.gizmag.com/spybike-gps-tracker/22999/ says $153.58 plus a pay-as-you-go SIM card. Also http://www.zoombak.com/products/service-plans/ http://www.zoombak.com/products/service-plans/ I wonder what it would take to make it more economical.
- Loopsnut 14y agoThese guys are doing that and making a tv show about it: http://www.tocatchabikethief.com/ http://www.tocatchabikethief.com/
- mseebach 14y agoA bike doesn't generate it's own power. An in-hub generator is rather expensive and thus rare, so might serve as a hint to the sophisticated thieves to check the bike for the phone-home device.
- justincormack 14y agoI doubt they would think of it. Mind you they should sell those generators with GPS included, sealed in. I would buy one.
- sharkweek 14y agoit's very common for the US to export scrap metal back to China (or any number of manufacturing countries)-- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/13/business/china-s-need-for-metal-keeps-us-scrap-dealers-scrounging.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/13/business/china-s-need-for-...
- tcdent 14y agoWhen I was younger, I worked for a company that exported cardboard back to China.
- pavedwalden 14y agoI've heard that was a very lucrative business for a while.