What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
BennettH
Posts: 11
Joined: 6 Mar 2017, 6:46pm

What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by BennettH »

Used the search function, and I could not find any recent conversations on the topic of security and locks.

I have been running errands recently and just want to know some general tips that people have learned about protecting their bike from theft.

So far, I have been using a chain and padlock. But sometimes I don't feel like there is something secure enough to chain it to.

Is it better to keep the bike close by or lock it to something stable? Is there anything that might not be as stable as it looks?

I know I am probably not even asking the best questions, so any recommendations would be much appreciated!
yakdiver
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Joined: 12 Jul 2007, 2:54pm
Location: North Baddesley Hampshire

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by yakdiver »

With my trike heavy chain with alarmed padlock, if kids are around disc lock as well, also I have another lock on the battery to stop it being slid out.
Tompsk
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Joined: 6 Nov 2014, 9:35am

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by Tompsk »

It sometimes depends on what you are riding. Sadly expensive carbon with all the bells(!) and whistles should be in a secure shed or inside the house or shouldn't really be left out of sight if out and about. Lesser cycles can have lesser security. For me, basic good security in an unkown area, is a U lock to secure the frame and rear wheel to something solid with a steel loop cable to secure saddle front wheel etc. If not on display and on private property (in daylight) I use a simple cable lock to secure the frame and front wheel to something solid. However if someone really wants to steal something they can with a portable angle grinder and then offload offshore.

One theory states all bikes weigh the same - the lighter the bike the heavier the lock that is needed.
rogerzilla
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Joined: 9 Jun 2008, 8:06pm

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by rogerzilla »

Remember that they will just nick the components if the frame is securely locked. An Ultegra groupset buys a lot of drugs, even if you have to hacksaw the frame to get it quickly.
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Paradiddle
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Joined: 7 Jul 2020, 10:39am
Location: London

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by Paradiddle »

Being in London I don't generally lock my bike in public places. When I do it's with a gold standard U-lock to comply with my insurance requirements. The insurance does give an additional peace of mind especially since I've had 2 cheaper bikes nicked in the past, one from a locked bike shed. Both times, the thieves have used either a bolt-cutter or angle grinder to cut through silver/gold standard U-locks.

I keep my bike stored in my flat as my neighbours also do. When I do commute to work, I either lock my road bike in the secure parking area of the office or carry my Brompton to my desk. Occasionally I would cycle to the supermarket and lock the bike in a busy public place, preferably next to a more expensive bike. I also register both bikes and my Brompton came with a bike register sticker.

I've had the police return a bike to me after they found it abandoned by the side of the road because it was registered to me. At the same time my friend who locked his bike at a train station had a lot of difficulties reporting and getting the CCTV footage as he got passed around the Met police and British transport police.
Nearholmer
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Joined: 26 Mar 2022, 7:13am

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by Nearholmer »

This is part of why I have a “posh bike” and a “shopping bike”.

The shopping bike is not the sort of thing most thieves would go for, although the Brooks saddle is possibly a bit tempting, but even that one I will be only leave where I’m confident that a lot of people will be to and fro, and the bike rack is busy with people storing and retrieving their bikes.

The posh bike (not carbon, steel, but definitely “nickable”), I will barely let out of my sight, and am pretty careful about it even at rural cafes, even when D-locked.

Back in the 1980s, I lost two good bikes to theft in quick succession, and in the second case the thieves somehow removed the wall-shackle to which it was locked. At the time there were organised gangs working with vans, so they would get the bike into the van, and presumably do all the angle-grinding stuff back at base camp. Container-loads of bikes were going from the U.K. to Nederlands, and being swapped between towns across the U.K.
Galactic
Posts: 249
Joined: 21 May 2022, 7:42am

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by Galactic »

* Decent (gold rated) D-lock, always locked to something solid.

* Pitlocks on the wheels and saddle stem (not totally convinced by those things - once managed to get my back wheel off when I had a flatty but had forgotten the Pitkey). But better than nowt, and I can't be bothered with locking up the saddle and the front wheel as well as the back wheel.

* Never clean the bike (except for the rims and the go-faster reflective bits), random stickers over the bits advertising the quality of the tubes and the hand-madedness of it, not to mention hammerite daubed on any and all scratches (never the same colour twice). Frayed and worn handlebar tape. Was rather pleased the other day when another cyclist stopped just to sneer at my bike, not noticing the Rohloff or the decent frame. (No, I didn't sneer back at his shiny mass-market racer that will probably land in the skip in a year or two).

* Am currently wondering about a frame lock with a heavy chain that slots into it. It would be a nice extra for when I'm in the big city, but am thinking about using it instead of the D-lock for touring and everyday shopping trips. The problem with the D-lock is that I like to put it through the back wheel and the seatstays, or the chainstays for those stupid bike stands that clasp the wheel (they're dominant round where I live) and I worry that because the D-lock is so low down it makes it easier to use the bolt-croppers on. A frame lock with chain would be quicker and easier and would provide more options for locking the bike to things, although the chain would be even more of a pain to carry than the D-lock.

* Finally, I have a visitors bike (new brake blocks and chain are worth more than the rest of the bike) for leaving at the station.
Nearholmer
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Joined: 26 Mar 2022, 7:13am

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by Nearholmer »

As a PS: the bike that I managed to retain for 25 years, I deliberately “filthed up” the day I got it. I sprayed the entire thing with hot, black waxoyl, which instantly made it look old and tired. It was a bit mucky to maintain, but the waxoyl prevented corrosion as well as deterring thieves. That bike was used to and from the station, shops etc, as well as for what would now be called”gravel riding”.

So, I think making your bike look rubbish does help.
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TrevA
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Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by TrevA »

It depends on where and for how long. I too had 2 bikes stolen in quick succession in the 1980’s and learned the lesson of leaving a bike locked all day with a feeble lock. I often nip into our local small town on my Dawes Super Galaxy bike as it’s quicker than walking and car parking is a nightmare. If I’m only going to be half an hour I’ll just use a cable lock, as it’s a low crime area. If I was leaving it all day at, say a railway station, then I would use a couple of big-ass, top rated U locks. I have an Onguard and a Kryptonite lock that are both pretty beefy.
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PH
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Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by PH »

If the financial loss would matter to you, then insure it, doesn't have to be expensive, I pay £7 a month for as many bikes as I own up to £3,000 each in value, that also includes accident damage (Which I've claimed on)
Other than that, you can just make it as hard as possible, but if someone who wants it knows what they're doing they'll have it. Or as suggested strip it, or if they fail to do so they may wreck it trying, or out of spite. I had a nice Cannondale Hybrid kicked to death outside a railway station, I was only inside booking tickets, ten minutes, I'd rather someone had stolen it.
I use an E-bike for deliveroo, I often have to park it where I'd prefer not to, Sold Secure Gold rated chain and a fitted wheel/frame lock (AKA Nurse's Lock) Some places I'd rather have it locked to itself in sight than to something solid out of sight. And insured of course, though for commercial use it's considerably dearer. Earlier this year I had someone try and snatch it while I was sat next to it! Some people don't care about getting caught, so I don't know how you deter them.
Stevek76
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Joined: 28 Jul 2015, 11:23am

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by Stevek76 »

There is a sold secure diamond rating now. Possibly related to the slight issue of the litelok gold being quite rapidly dispensed with hand tools providing you had a quality pair of steel rated cable snips.

Diamond is broadly a guarantee of will need an angle grinder which is really about as good as you're going to get unless you want to spend a small fortune on an angle grinder fouling lock like the altor SAF or the hiplok d1000.

Not sure if any sensibly sized chains are diamond. In terms of d locks the cheapest I'm aware if is the onguard brute but more money will get you lighter and/or tougher locks

As for security generally, the key parts i think are a combination of a pub bike that's already unattractive to the more organised angle grinder equipped outfits locked up with a diamond rated lock that will discourage the hand tool equipped drug addicts that will grab anything to flog for a few quid. Also lock properly, fill the inside if it's a d lock, don't just lazily sling it over the top tube; don't leave chains on the ground etc.
Last edited by Stevek76 on 15 Jun 2022, 8:59pm, edited 1 time in total.
The contents of this post, unless otherwise stated, are opinions of the author and may actually be complete codswallop
evag72
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Joined: 8 Jun 2022, 12:16pm

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by evag72 »

Good suggestions so far for D-lock + secondary. You might also want to add a movement alarm abus
The See Sense lights have a theft detection feature. You connect to the light via Bluetooth, then turn on the theft detection in their app (which also turns the light off). If someone bumps or tries to move your bike, it’ll send you a notification. I don’t use it much but seems to be fairly reliable. Sometimes it can take a few seconds to come through.
Last edited by evag72 on 25 Jun 2022, 10:55am, edited 1 time in total.
David2504
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Joined: 11 Mar 2021, 5:29pm

Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by David2504 »

rogerzilla wrote: 14 Jun 2022, 7:55am Remember that they will just nick the components if the frame is securely locked. An Ultegra groupset buys a lot of drugs, even if you have to hacksaw the frame to get it quickly.
If you are seriously worried about that happening you’re leaving your bike in a location totally unsuited for security of any kind.
Jules59
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Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by Jules59 »

Bike security is a huge problem. Before I retired I frequently cycled to work. There was a bike rack near the hospital main entrance. I used two Gold U locks and left them attached to the rack when I went home as they were heavy. When I upgraded to a carbon bike I also took the front wheel off and kept in the operating theatre changing rooms. But after several bikes were stolen in broad daylight in front of the entrance cafe and were long gone before security got there I decided to simply carry my bike through A&E and upstairs to my shared office. In fact several of us did the same thing and often there were more bikes in the office than people.

I would use my bike for local shopping if I was confident that it would still be there when I came out, but sadly I'm not.

Can you get movement triggered sirens for bikes - like really loud ?
rogerzilla
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Re: What Are People Doing For Bike Security?

Post by rogerzilla »

David2504 wrote: 16 Jun 2022, 6:05pm
rogerzilla wrote: 14 Jun 2022, 7:55am Remember that they will just nick the components if the frame is securely locked. An Ultegra groupset buys a lot of drugs, even if you have to hacksaw the frame to get it quickly.
If you are seriously worried about that happening you’re leaving your bike in a location totally unsuited for security of any kind.
Like the whole of London!
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