Author Topic: Theft prevention  (Read 27701 times)

ourclarioncall

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2021, 08:16:31 pm »
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Danneaux

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2021, 10:16:27 pm »
Sadly, I live in a very high-theft area so there are no ironclad solutions. Their preferred method is to cut the frame in two at the top and downtubes using an angle grinder (or hacksaw if noise is a problem but time is not) and take both halves away to harvest the components at leisure in casual "chop-shops", in most cases homeless camps by the river. Parts are not serially numbered like frames and can be turned quickly on Craigslist (our Gumtree), via eBay or in person. Top and downtubes are only about 0.5-0.6mm between the butts, so it doesn't take long to get through them.

It is hard to guard against such no matter what lock you use. On my daily 8km walk today, I spotted another four frame "halves", stripped of parts. In a sweep by the parks department a couple years ago, over 350 frames were recovered from one smallish park area off the bike path.

Best approach is to avoid physically leaving your bike unless it is locked inside a secure location where parts cannot be harvested off it. When traveling, I have found it helpful to ask if I can lock my bike at an attended petrol station while shopping for groceries nearby, offering to bring the operator a coffee and pastry on my return. It has worked out well.

Another method sometimes used by thieves here is the "grab and go", where bikes next to where one is standing are grabbed and ridden away while the owner is either taking a photo, changing a jacket or pushed to the ground. For any casual stop like this, I use my frame-mounted ring-lock. It is always with me so I can't forget and I chose the kind that retains the key while unlocked, so I won't forget the key at home. I use a coiled wrist band and clip to keep it with me off the bike.

I use a ring-lock on several of my bikes with a choice of plug-in cable or light or heavy chain, depending on circumstances. The saddle gets its own cable, secured through the bolt of the ring-lock and this also threads through my underseat bag. The ring-lock cable secures the anti-theft tethers on my Ortlieb panniers. The handlebar bag always, always, always goes with me so I don't even take a key for its locking mount. I also have a remote controlled motion-sensing alarm under each bike's saddle.

Whenever I stop to use a public toilet, I bring the bike in with me...and lock it while I take care of business. I carry a small rubber doorstop so the spring-actuated outside door won't catch the rear mudguard on the way in or out. Also handy if you're stowing or recovering your bike from a cloak/storage room or concierge closet at formal lodging.

So far -- using care! -- I have not had a bike stolen, but it has come close with my Nomad as a thief tried unsuccessfully to run away with it while the ring-lock was secured and the plug-in cable wrapped 'round a picnic table bench. I was glad I had taken the precaution, especially as it happened while I was seated eating my lunch at the other side of the table(!). Apparently he didn't notice the ring-lock or the cable, which was plugged in and secured on the other side of the bike. Moments before, the thief appeared to be just a guy in the park, pausing momentarily by my table  to check his cellphone. They're bold, our local thieves.

Best,

Dan.

Mike Ayling

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #17 on: January 08, 2021, 10:28:31 pm »
Crikey Dan, things are bad in your neck of the woods!

A coffee shop slower downer for those who use helmets is to place the helmet on the front wheel behind the fork  and close the strap through the spokes.

Mike

ourclarioncall

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2021, 12:00:00 am »
Wow Dan, where do you live ?!

I’m up in east Scotland and things are pretty safe here. I could tie my bike up with a cheap £10 cable lock to a handrail and leave it all day and I would have no fear of it being stolen .

So I’m extremely nieve to what goes on in other parts of the world and to what extent

ourclarioncall

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2021, 12:35:34 am »
Lots of good comments here to consider

One thought I was having which someone else touched on is , the potential damage to your bike ,  from an attempted theft in relation to  either the type of lock you use or where specifically you place it on your bike

Those ring locks for example , could your spokes/rims be damaged if a person were to repeatedly try to force the wheels to turn or just by trying to ride it by jumping full weight onto the pedal ?

Or if your ring lock has one of those chains that plug into it , could the chain damaged the ring lock if someone tries forcefully to ram the bike forward repeatedly to break the lock/chain?

Also what about people supergluing your padlocks out of spite/cruelty ? Especially those big heavy duty chains /locks that people might leave permanently somewhere?

Is there best practices with which areas of the bike  you secure your bike with your locks ? For example if you know someone might try an angle grinder, maybe it would be better to keep the lock away from the frame if possible , well , I guess that might not be possible but youl understand what I mean

The other thought is , what should I secure my bike to?

The other night I was outside Asda supermarket looking for a place to lock my bike up against and saw some railings , but they were not secured properly and a thief could literally have pulled them up out of the ground , so I went to a bike rack around the corner

I reckon a lamp post is a good option as they are not going to angle grind through that , but maybe a lamp post is too thick for a D lock

ourclarioncall

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #20 on: January 09, 2021, 12:38:11 am »
I like the idea of having two locks

For example if you have a chain and cable lock

And a thief comes with bolt cutters, he might get through the chain but no hope when it comes to the cable

And vice verse

Unless he has an angle grinder to get through both

Danneaux

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2021, 02:10:50 am »
Quote
Wow Dan, where do you live ?!
Eugene, Oregon USA...upper-leftish corner of the country 100km from the Pacific Ocean, 100km from the summit of the Cascade mountain range, at the southern foot of the Willamette Valley.

Unfortunately, most property theft here is driven by the drugs problem, which is also big. Eugene is also a university town, so there's lots of student bikes as well.

Also, the local police department has decided that due to funding and staffing shortfalls, they will not investigate any property crimes whatsoever. They have decided to no longer offer bicycle registration. If you need a police report for insurance purposes you have to file it online yourself.

A perfect storm.

Here is the local police webpage with stats and parking/locking tips:
https://www.eugene-or.gov/951/Bicycle-Safety-Theft-Prevention#:~:text=Like%20most%20college%20towns%2C%20Eugene,victim%20of%20a%20stolen%20bike.
https://blogs.uoregon.edu/raw123/about/
https://bikeindex.org/news/what-to-do-when-your-bike-is-stolen-in-lane-county-coburg-cottage-grov
Best,

Dan.

UKTony

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #22 on: January 09, 2021, 10:51:00 am »
All very interesting. In UK we have bikeregister.com for free registeration of details of your bike(s) and police have special access to search the bike registrations eg to check ownership of any suspect stolen bike they might find. You can also buy tamper proof stickers and micro dots to apply to all components so they could be traced. You can also check your postcode area for bike theft risk on a heatmap. Generally as you’d expect the hottest areas are cities and larger towns.

JohnR has mentioned Ring Locks. Be aware that unless you’ve got back-up defences these could be circumvented by using a hacksaw to saw through the tyre and alu rim at the point where the ring goes through the wheel. After that I imagine the wheel could be released from the frame without too much trouble.

leftpoole

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #23 on: January 09, 2021, 11:08:33 am »
Contrary to the use of  Kryptonite New York lock which I own but have never used.
I actually use something called a 'coffee stop lock' which is a thin (couple of mm) wire connected to a humble plastic/metal combination clasp.
This I use almost every time I park a bike up. If I go into outdoor toilets, indeed I also must admit to taking the bike in with me (smilar to Dan).
The only time I have ever had a bike stolen was when locked with a heavy Abus 'D' style lock! The thieves left the lock behind, opened!

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Abus-Combiflex-Roll-Back-Cable-Lock_107768.htm?sku=399976&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAxeX_BRASEiwAc1Qdkfo2U8WiIFVqnKFPi1ZwZHiOKKv_debK0QSVsIaOI0jzDKiO1fY9ehoCN9QQAvD_BwE

PH

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #24 on: January 09, 2021, 11:11:38 am »
I like the idea of having two locks
If I don't know where I'm parking, the D and chain offer plenty of options.   If the D won't go round whatever I have to lock to, it'll lock the bike to itself and the chain to the object.  You're also at an advantage in a group, if you get six bikes locked together, most covered by two or three locks, doesn't really matter if they're locked to anything else.
The ideal thing is not that the lock beats the theft methods, but that the thief decides there's easier pickings.  If a thief decides to try and take my bike, they'll either succeed because they have the knowledge and tools, or make a mess of the bike because they don't, I want to avoid both.
At least half the bike thefts I know of have been down to carelessness not  weak locks, that isn't a criticism, I don't always take enough care myself.  The most recent was a work colleague who leant his bike on the front of his house while he walked through unlock the side gate.  45 sec at most, opened the gate to see the thief riding off....   or someone who could only get the lock around the QR front wheel, or the time I locked my bike really well in a city centre but left the keys in the lock, thankfully I got away with that one  :-[

UKTony

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #25 on: January 09, 2021, 12:34:03 pm »
In the 1930s my father used to cycle from Stockwell to Highbury to watch Arsenal play. The bike was left (no bike lock -  was there such a concept then?)  outside the Ground and was always still there after the match. In the 1970s living in Paddington, Central London, I kept my bike locked to railings in the open porch by the front door of the building. The bike was a half  decent 5 speed Falcon Reynolds 531 Plain Gauge £99.95 new from F W Evans original shop in Kennington. The lock was just a length of chain from the ironmonger and an ordinary padlock. Over 6 or 7 years - no thefts. Mind you the black enamel paint job was well camouflaged against the railings.
All a far cry from where we find ourselves now!

PH

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #26 on: January 09, 2021, 01:27:02 pm »
JohnR has mentioned Ring Locks. Be aware that unless you’ve got back-up defences these could be circumvented by using a hacksaw to saw through the tyre and alu rim at the point where the ring goes through the wheel. After that I imagine the wheel could be released from the frame without too much trouble.
I was tempted enough by this idea that I've just dug out one I'd had on a bike years ago, not for my Mercury, but the bike I'll often use for errands. Unfortunately it doesn't fit around that bikes big tyres and guards, though I may look for one that does.
A quick look shows there are models rated SS Silver, which surprised me for the reasons you give.  Though having sawn through a tyre once it's not as easy as you might think. These locks really come into their own because they're habit forming - When just popping into a shop, with the bike mostly in sight, there's a temptation not to get the lock out the bag and find the key in a pocket, it is easy to become complacent, I do so myself... I don't know any statistics, but from anecdotes, this sort of opportunistic theft of unlocked bikes is fairly common and it's this that these locks are really designed to prevent rather than as an option for leaving the bike for any time.

PH

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #27 on: January 09, 2021, 01:42:42 pm »
In the 1930s my father used to cycle from Stockwell to Highbury to watch Arsenal play. The bike was left (no bike lock -  was there such a concept then?)  .........
All a far cry from where we find ourselves now!
The 1948 classic Italian film "Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette)" shows that it isn't such a modern problem, in Italy anyway and I doubt the the UK was much different.
You're probably right that it's become worse though, there's several factors - how easy it is to sell stolen goods is IMO the major one. 

ourclarioncall

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #28 on: January 09, 2021, 02:25:08 pm »
Leftpoole

Wow,

What model of Abus D lock was it ?

And what year would this have been?

Also where do you live ?

Do you think they have learned how to pick these locks then ?

ourclarioncall

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Re: Theft prevention
« Reply #29 on: January 09, 2021, 02:31:53 pm »
PH

yeah, I was thinking things through for safety in all parts of the world.

I like the D lock + chain or cable combo

Just thinking if I was in an African village or something and no lamppost . I guess the cable or chain can go round a tree.

Two D locks are maybe only good for those metal rail things that line up nicely with both your wheels and frame.