Came home last night from a little pootle round London town, was just taking my bike into the house when a group of punks rode past and spotted me… cue them stopping to loiter and make smart arse comments along the lines of 'nice bike mate… want to sell it?' followed not long after by 'don't worry, we'll be back later to steal it'… I basically just ignored them and went inside (though did throw back a 'why don't you **** off' before heading in).

I'm usually very careful with this, if I see anyone even remotely shady I'll ride on by home before coming back for a second go (paranoid I know!) but on this occasion I was caught out 🙁 Now I'm kinda concerned they might follow through on their threat, there's £5k+ worth of bikes in my flat so it'd be worth their while if they did…

I have appropriate bike insurance, but I'm not overly confident in it covering me 100% tbh, I suspect the locking arrangement on our front door might not be exactly what they're after (deadbolt with a secondary lock), plus our front windows don't have any bars or anything (basement flat), though they do have locks

What security arrangements can I put in place to make my flat a safer home for my bikes? I've brought one to work today just cause I'm so worried about it!

cheers 😀

Leave via front door making plenty of noise, walk around block, enter back door/window. Sit in rocking chair sporting a 12 bore with the lights off. Wait.

Buy a chest freezer.

What security arrangements can I put in place to make my flat a safer home for my bikes?

A huge dog.

your door lock requiremnts will be in you home insurance schedule, and if you can maintain a mountain bike you can probably fit a door lock…

its usually a 5 lever mortice lock that you need, thats the type with the big old fashioned looking key, and all windows will also need to be lockable, thats the min to get you insurance freindly, and to be honest for your own piece of mind..

I learnt all this last year when I got burgled…. and you have probably seen my shed just got done.

I dont know where you keep your bikes but I would be tempted (if you own the flat) to fit a security ring to the floor or wall to be able to lock your bikes up. Alternatively, lock them together so they have to cut through the lock to get them out. Obviously that will only help if they break in, and wont protect any other possesions.

A better door lock would always help, especially if you have insurance as they would be more likely to pay out if your flat is more protected. Ring them as well because they have a minimum security policy.

ive got a 12bore you can borrow? and some ssg shot 😆

lol, +1 for MTTs suggestion
thats pretty rubbish, i dunno how seriously your taking it, but i know i would be pretty gutted.
even if you DO keep the bikes secure, if they got in and found nothing, they could still nick your telly, etc, and make a lot of mess doing so.
i figure, if they go for it, they know what to exepct, they will come equipped.

either, buy a MONSTER lock and ground anchor, or hide them!
can you put all but the one you need for the next few weeks in the attic?
you could buy some noise makers too?
rape alarm style jobbys, that when they pull on a wire around the bikes, are set off, permentantly (until they run out of gas)
a few of those might scare them off?

big dog?
a sign that says "i live here" in the front window, with a picture of clifford the big red dog on it (or cerberus)

or move them! put them in a friends house for a few weeks?

good luck!

IP Camera saving to an off site location?

one of them or hide it under the bed chained to something like the dogs leg??

…..chained to the dogs nuts

sounds like a whole load of bravado to me to impress their mates.

any self respecting thief isn't going to tell you that they are going to rob you.

…any self respecting thief…

Yeah, get a lot of those…!

I really feel for you psychle. It seems to me that you'll be spending the next few weeks living like Will Smith in 'I Am Legend'.

Go home alone on their asses?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90FR8m-zEH4

Check you insurance. You've paid for it so you might as well make sure they will pay out in the event of a claim. I have found when getting contents insurance they ask what locks you have and if you don't know, they say "oh, you've probably got x, y & z so that's fine". I suspect if you claim, it won't be as the locks won't match what they have written down.
Also make sure you have receipts for everything & they are in a safe place and take some photos of you with said bike in case of queries over ownership.

As for security, perhaps look at beefing things up in terms of what is on the doors/windows & also what you use in the house to secure the bikes.
Could be a pfaff/expense but worth it in the long run.

In the short term, as suggested, could you move some of the bikes somewhere else until you feel confident you are covered.
The last place I worked was happy for bikes to be left there overnight inside & security was rock solid.

IP Camera saving to an off site location

How could I set up one of these so I could monitor it at work (I'm only 10 minutes away at a run, probably less if I'm fueled by adrenaline!)

Alternatively, lock them together

Bikes are stored on a 'bike tree' arrangement, so could wrap a great big chain around them, would certainly make life harder if that's all they were after…

a 5 lever mortice lock that you need, thats the type with the big old fashioned looking key, and all windows will also need to be lockable

I think I need to get someone out to take a look at the locks and window security… just to make sure that if the worst happens my insurance won't have a way out of paying me out!

sounds like a whole load of bravado to me to impress their mates

Probably right, but it has put the fear in me, I'm definitely feeling a tad nervous about it!

Sounds like a good time to sort out a ground anchor and a heavy-duty motorbike chain. I'd agree with Jambo though, it's not likely that they would announce their intentions.

psychle, yep you need to get flat checked that your insurance freindly.

Right and listen to this bit, take pictures of your bikes, make sure you got the frame numbers, and anything easily identifiable (spelling) all in pictures.

Yes also do the chain thing.

[/quote]How could I set up one of these so I could monitor it at work (I'm only 10 minutes away at a run, probably less if I'm fueled by adrenaline!)

You would plug it into your broadband, then you can put the IP address of the camera into your web browser and you will see whatever is going on. You would want it saving somewhere though as you can bet the buggers would doit when you were in the loo, or chatting on here!

Could have done with thinking on your feet, told them, yep, it was up for sale at a bargaintastic price, n made out your were a local criminal mastermind!

They'd most likely give you a wide berth next time!

have a look at these;

http://www.torc-anchors.com/products.php?cat=7

House alarm? they sound spretty amateur, they'd scoot off pronto if an alarm went off and they found they couldn't just grab and dash.

Generally thieves won't break in unless they can get in pretty quickly. Windows on the ground floor and basement should be fitted as standard with locking devices and an outer pane of glass that's toughenede and 6.5mm min thickness. It's pretty hard to get in through a window anyway and if anything they will try from the back especially if it's unguarded. You haven't got a front door that's recessed have you? You need to check your insurance details on what they require ie 5 lever etc. Is there easy access into your back garden?

Don't really have a back garden, it's a teeny tiny courtyard, this is below the level of the proper back garden that belongs to the flat/house above us (we're in their basement really!). Wouldn't think this is easy to access… the back door is a sliding jobbie with a proper turnkey lock, so this is fairly secure.

Get a couple of those plug in timer things and set them to come on randomly through the day – lights and radio coming on, going off etc? Not gonna stop a "proper thief" but could prob help deter the casual scrote…

a webcam can be set up to only film when it senses changes.
ive had free programs that do this.

if you leave them on over a day, you get a 2 min run down of the day, as it takes single frame photos with the changes of light levels, if anyone comes in, it films it from the second the program spots the door moving, to the second it closes.
we were fiddling wiht one at school, the video was quite cool, like a speeded up view of the sun going down through the window, intersperced with it coming onto normal speed as the cleaners tootled around, and then back to speeded up view after they had left.

would involve leaving a computer on though.

Landmine under the front door mat ?

Although TBH i would be more worried about them waiting for me outside/round the corner next time i went out on it. Most of these type of kids haven't got the brains or the balls to actually break in to your house and are more likely to try doing you over with their mates to get the bike next time they see you out if they really want it.

Most of the time its just them winding you up as they feel they have a reputation (which for some immature reason they are proud of) to live up to. Perhaps they have seen you cycle past your house instead of going inside before and were just winding you up as they had caught you out.

Sorry I'm not helping much am i. Hope all stays safe.

the local scrotes saw me wheeling my bikes in and out, they now live up north with my parents(9the bikes not the scrotes!)

They never did anything about it though.

The locals here think I have rubbish bikes, they tend to see my lack of suspension and gears on the mountain bike and then there is the fact my other bikes have drop handlebars. I usually tell them there bikes are better as well!

you need one of thease:

and some of thease:

one of thease:

and for legal reasons one of thease

😆 😈