[Closed] Bike Security - why bother?!?

good luck getting mine

decoy bikes in the ourside shed (check, several times over)

locked 10ft gates (check)

big fark off unpickable door lock (check)

alarm (check)

dog (useless)

cat (vicious ****er)

bikes kept in room at the end of a fairly long non descript coridoor, if you didnt kow better youd just asume it had been used for storing magazies for the last 300 years.

Seems to be a common misconception amoungst STW'ers....

Is it tho?

Nice straw man argument you got going on there.

Big motorbike chain snaking through frame & wheels as they hang by saddle from big ****-off girder in garage roof. Couple of cheaper cable locks also deployed. Decoy bike is probably the wifes or my road commuter. Garage door secured with 2 mahoosive padlocks, frame is floor-bolted to brickwork with additional steelwork behind frame to prevent kicking the door in. If they want them they'll get in but will make one hell of a noise. Oh, & alarm waiting to go in also. Few other ideas floating around, involving lots of steel. 🙂

"Big motorbike chain snaking through frame & wheels as they hang by saddle from big ****-off girder in garage roof. "

Same here. I have a death-trap chair under them: it looks safe, but collapses when you stand on it!

At last count I think I had about £200 of security on my stuff and Im consiering a further £100 of additional hardware - and I live in a very low crime area.

But then that doesnt even come to the old 10% rule of security cost versus bike(s) value.

They are of course fully insure, but we all know that it can be a ball ache trying to replace something loveling put together part by part by yourself and get it paid for by an incredulous insurer....

Mine live in the house, where people would have to go past the dog, me, 3 tvs, computers, laptops. Plenty to put them off.

mine are on the other side of my house mate's extensive DVD collection and a very large rucksack.

Is it tho?

Nice straw man argument you got going on there.

errrrrrm i'd say fairly 'common' considering the amount of reported thefts from garages - i did not say the 'majority' of STW'ers that would of (maybe) have been a falicy - but yes i would say that it is common so no strawman argument here!

a bit off topic but reading about recent bike thefts made me think of this (taken from another forum):

[b]Topic: Violent bike theft[/b]

Article taken from Saturdays S Wales Argus.
THUGS left this Gwent teenager needing facial surgery after they robbed him and his friends of their mountain bikes.

James Storey, 18, from Cwmbran, now needs an operation to reconstruct his broken cheekbone after the attack at Tredegar's Bryn Bach Park.
A gang confronted Mr Storey and two friends, Adam Page, 18, and a 14-year-old boy, at the park at 7.50pm on Thursday.

The trio, keen mountain bikers, had been riding their bikes and were putting them back into their car when the incident happened.

The group asked if they could have a ride, but became violent when they were told no.

One attacked Mr Page, who was holding his bike, pushing it into his ribs and breaking one of them.
Mr Storey was punched in the face and fell to the floor. The 14-year-old boy ran to get help.

All three bikes, worth around £3,500, were stolen and the mountain bikers gave chase in their car, but couldn't find the attackers.

Mr Storey's mother, Beverley, 42, said he now has bone floating in his cheek and one side of his face is flat.

Mr Storey, a bike mechanic, is having surgery in the Royal Gwent Hospital next week to pull his cheek out.

If this doesn't work, he will need a metal plate inserting in his face.

He said: "For the next few weeks or even months, if I go out I'll have someone with me and I wouldn't go back up to Bryn Bach, I'm worried they could come back at any time."

The keen downhill rider will now miss the rest of the season as he can no longer wear his helmet as there is a danger it could force part of his cheekbone into his eye and blind him.

His mother said: "Riding's a major part of his life, that's all he does, for him it's devastating, it's like the end of the world."

Since the attack, Mrs Storey said her son has been really quiet and can't eat solid food or speak properly.

He was also left with with blurred vision in one eye, severe bruising to his face and one of his eyes has closed up.

Mr Page, from Newbridge, said: "I'm angry about what happened - it could happen to anybody up there because a lot of people use the park."

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said one bike was recovered and five men and teenagers from Rhymney have been arrested.

A 31-year-old man was bailed, but four other men, including a 16, 18 and 19-year-old, were still being questioned on Friday.

Anyone with information relating to the thefts can contact Gwent Police on 101.

-
A friend of mine was attacked by two guys who wanted his DH bike. Thankfully he managed to stay on the bike but got a black eye and swollen lip for his troubles. Just as well really, because he couldn't have afforded to replace it.

Disgusting and this country/world is starting to sicken me.

Been training in a school and it's easy to see why-the teachers don't have any power and the kids don't want to learn and don't have money-steal.

China and India will have more people with top I.Q's than the whole population of the U.K.

But nobody cares until they're a victim.

I feel for the guy attacked, I hope they catch these criminals. If there is any punishment for them.

People are just going to buy weapons to defend themselves.

If they can get in to my garage they deserve the bikes. If I ever lost my keys it would take me days to break in.

Anyone tries to take one off me on a ride will get a screwdriver in the neck.

Mine are in the shed in the yard which has no rear ally. They would have to climb over three 10foot walls then break into the shed and then break the cable lock. The dog will bark which gets me up straight away as he stays in the kitchen at night over looking the yard. The other option the scum may have is to kick down two gates as they are both only able to be opened from from the inside, which again should get the dog going.

Many years ago some twunt tried to push me off the bike by standing in front of me! all he go was an x-lite bar end to the ribs at 15mph, he dropped to the floor like a stone!

If the scum really want it they will try anything to get it! so the thing to do is make a proper pain in the arse and try not to attract attention when out.

try not to attract attention when out.

I think that's how a lot of theives get to know what you have - you only have to wait at a sevice station that's on route from a trail centre on a Sunday evening on a major route [u]into[/u] your thieving city of choice and you can follow any number of folk home i'd imagine - just pull out and follow them the last few miles back to theirs, jot down the details, then back to do it again, a few hours spent doing this and i'm sure you'd have quite a busy week robbing. Add to this the previous jobs they've done and put in their thieving diary a few months down the track once the insurance pays out!

It's time I think that folk faced up to the reality of why they are being singled out.

I always put my bike in the cack of my car - covered up - plus if it's not on the roof your saving 20% on your fuel bill - how cool do you think putting your bike on the roof is making you look anyway?

Maybe its a case of worrying more about getting it nicked off you in person than nicked from your house,garage etc.

Come on sensible (living in the real world) people - show how a garage bikes should be secured (and preferably without advertising your identity/location/property/value of your bikes)at the same time.

So basically the thrust of your argument is that when someone has a bike nicked, it's not the thieves' fault, it's theirs?

Mr Agreeable,

I assume you are trolling there, the question that you have quoted is clearly a request for people to post pictures of how they are securing their bikes but to do it in a way that neither reveals where the person is located nor reveals what the security device is securing.

I am sure there are more than a few scumbags that browse forums like this in the belief that someone will display their bike in a way that discloses where it is kept and in which area of which town/village it is.

Just trying to make it clear that I was referring to the OP, and not the other posters on this thread.

We had a lot of theft going on where I used to live. It stopped when the scum was caught and dealt with by the residents. Luckily it wasn't UK as we all would be in jail.

My bike is on plain view in my living room (which gives directly onto the pavement), and I often forget to lock the front door, but no one has bothered to nick it...

@ Mr agreeable - look i'm trying to be helpful here - how do you make yourself not a victim - there are bad elements out there - yes there is!!! and no amount of rose tinted glasses is going to change that, i'm talking defensive messures here, be realistic, i daresay you should know more than many.

@ Mr agreeable - look i'm trying to be helpful here - how do you make yourself not a victim - there are bad elements out there - yes there is!!! and no amount of rose tinted glasses is going to change that, i'm talking defensive messures here, be realistic, i daresay you should know more than many.

I wouldn't even hint at my security arrangements on a public forum nowadays.

@ kingtut - because they are lacking, you don't like to brag, or Bristol is just too damn a sh1te place to leave a bike longer than 5 minutes unattended?

@ kingtut - because they are lacking, you don't like to brag, or Bristol is just too damn a sh1te place to leave a bike longer than 5 minutes unattended?

I'm not telling.

Just don't leave anyting on your roof rack!

Just seems like a variant on the old "well what do you expect, riding round on an expensive bike" argument. It isn't helpful to people who've had their bikes nicked.

Security measures are a good idea, no doubt about that. However you aren't going to be able to guard against a really determined thief, or keep your bike under lock and key at all times.

Theft gets discussed on here a lot and the topic of security usually comes up a lot, as well as the pointless "bring back national service" type comments. How about looking at things from a different angle? Who is buying these nicked bikes? How do you know your eBay or classifieds bargain isn't too good to be true? Have you made any steps to recover your nicked bikes, instead of just writing them off and taking the hit on your insurance?

simonfbarnes - Member

My bike is on plain view in my living room (which gives directly onto the pavement), and I often forget to lock the front door, but no one has bothered to nick it...

And it's just taken me about a minute to find your address!

""Security measures are a good idea, no doubt about that. However you aren't going to be able to guard against a really determined thief, or keep your bike under lock and key at all times.""

errrrm no i diagree - in the last 2 weeks there have been at leat 4 reported thefts in here and other wise from garages ajoining houses whilst the occupants were asleep and didn't here a thing - so my point is, yes it is happaning, yes it could well happan to you, yes they WILL target you because your bike is worth something - so get real, get an alarm fitted to your garage and do what it takes to make things as diffeicult as you can for these toe rags, what's your issue with that Mr Agreeable?

And it's just taken me about a minute to find your address!

well the bright orange Singletrack 2007 award for best snapper in the window is a bit of a give away :o)

is that address number 4 or number 47 ?

And also Mragreeable take your agrument to conclusion and we would all coherantly form a task force disasembling all fencing techniques incorporated by bike thieves - wrong - stop them nicking them, they won;t have anything to fence, security of your own proprty starts and ends with you, writing a letter to the MD of ebay ain't going to help!

4

security of your own proprty starts and ends with you

So it's nothing to do with the person stealing it?

writing a letter to the MD of ebay ain't going to help!

eBay are shit at tackling theft which is just one of a long list of reasons not to use them.

[url= http://www.ecurieneep.co.uk/NeepForum/viewtopic.php?t=1249 ]Never ever leave your bike on your bike rack overnight.[/url]

Not me BTW

""So it's nothing to do with the person stealing it?""

No - they are not responsable for your security messures, only the reason you need them!

""eBay are shit at tackling theft which is just one of a long list of reasons not to use them.""

Indeed they are - hence the reason the theifs use them to flog your knicked bikes - are you getting my point yet?

4

that's my work address - alarmed, site camera observed, nil bike content :o)

Not quite sure what this "argument" is about...

Wonder if anyone else has the same lock as me - called a Serious 500. Used to be advertised in the back of the MTB mags. Basically a chunky rack that bolts to the wall with a locking arm to secure the bike.
No-one has attempted to crack it, so I'm not sure how well it would work under pressure. Especially with all the power tools sitting around in the same garage.
An alarm is needed really.

People nick stuff. It is annoying and depressing, but hardly the end of the world as long as nobody gets hurt. I fasten things to solid objects, lock doors and keep an eye out, but ultimately my bikes spend a lot of time minding their own business in a building with wooden walls.

The single most effective way of preventing people nicking your stuff is not to have the stuff in the first place. People have broken into my homes on spec twice in the last few years and have left without stealing anything, presumably because most of what I own looks like it was filched from off the pavement outside a charity shop. I'm not willing to approach owning bikes in that way, which involves a bit more of a risk. But I just don't regard a mixture of fortifications and paranoia as a sensible response to that risk.

Shoefiti, what is your point? That you'd rather have a go at the victims of a crime than do anything to help them?

Bruneep, that's an example of what I'm talking about. No-one on that forum asked for a more detailed description, said they would keep an eye out or anything remotely helpful. It was more like "what a numpty, left his bike where someone could nick it". 🙄

decoy bikes in the ourside shed (check, several times over)

Thats a well good excuse to buy more bikes..

Unfotunatly bigdummy many people it would seem have had their homes/garages etc broken into so that unpleasant folk can relieve them of their possesions - it's not just about the loss of the bikes that's an issue it's the inconvienience and sense of helplessness and distress it can cause. many folk on here do spend a good portion of their disposable income on bikes, it would be nice to know that your property was as safe as it could be - to mitigate the experiance of loss. I am fully aware that worse things happan, yes people die, yes people get spots, yes there is nothing on tv - but for christs sake bit don;t make it all worse by having your bike knicked!

@ Mr agreeable - did you even read the start of the thread or just jump straight in with the shouting down?

Not quite sure what this "argument" is about...

Indeed.

shoefiti - Member

@ Mr agreeable - did you even read the start of the thread or just jump straight in with the shouting down?

You post something on a public forum and have a hissy fit when someone takes a different point of view?

🙄

I was not trying to start an argument if you read back through the thread you'll see that. All i wanted to get out of people was what are the best security messures to prevent bike theft - now if for any reason you have problem with that then i give up.

jesus - this is unbelievable - are you condoning bike theft now?

Are you talking to yourself like a crazy person?

did you even read the start of the thread

Yes I did. Seemed like an exercise in stating the obvious to me. If you do happen to personally know lots of mountain bikers who leave their bikes on roofracks overnight, lean them up against the window when they go in the shop, or put pictures of their poorly secured sheds up on Google Earth, fair enough I guess.

No! No I am not. I hate you. You make no sense.

Jesus wept.

Mr Agreeable - Member

Shoefiti, what is your point? That you'd rather have a go at the victims of a crime than do anything to help them?

Bruneep, that's an example of what I'm talking about. No-one on that forum asked for a more detailed description, said they would keep an eye out or anything remotely helpful. It was more like "what a numpty, left his bike where someone could nick it".

No-one (i was one of the posters) asked cause I would never leave a bike out in that area overnight, doubt if I would leaver it there in daylight. If you're dumb enough to put a bike out overnight you don't deserve to expect it to be there in the am.

[i]You post something on a public forum and have a hissy fit when someone takes a different point of view?[/i]

As far as I could see it wasn't a "point of view" post - more a "how do you..?"
To disagree with that seems rather silly -just find another thread to reply to.

A trawl through the last 2 months of STW forum or your blog would demonstate such activities yes, however i was suggesting ways that people could secure their garages against theft i.e. locks - alarms - more secure doors etc etc. a high horse won't get your bike back.

thank you dezb.

I think this thread was started with the aim of having a go at thicky mountain bikers who don't set man-traps in their garages, but anyway.

Re your point about the security measures people are taking, I'd want to talk to a locksmith about what's right for my particular property. Judging from the responses on here there are any number of security measures you can take, ranging from blank shotgun cartidges, to trained attack cats, to erecting a wall of DVDs.

Unfortunately, with the advent of light, powerful, and portable power-tools any lock or chain is, at best, a deterrent or inconvenience to a thief. For example, last year thieves systematically knocked a hole in a garage wall to steal DH bikes, in our local news area.
IMHO the only solution is enough security to deter a casual thief, and good insurance just in case. A determined thief will either trash everything to get his prize, or mug you for it.

Anyway bristol bike theft zars besides i've bought one of these as my garage is 10 yards from the house. I also use a ground anchor and a few chains. Luckily in Wilstshire bike theft isn't as bad as many other areas - otherwise i'd spend quite a bit more.

[img] [/img]

now if anyone wants to shout me down for trying to show that there are cheap and effective ways to alert you to folk trying to break into your garage then go ahead i can't be bothered anymore.

And also kids - never ever ever leave a bike on a roof rack unatended.

I think this thread was started with the aim of having a go at thicky mountain bikers who don't set man-traps in their garages, but anyway.

Aye, thats how it came across to me too.

For security measures, I'd suggest as much of the best security you can afford is a good idea. Shocking eh? There have been plenty of threads on here regards the common bike storage locations - garages and sheds.

Trying to say 'This is how you secure a garage' isn't going to work. People have different budgets, insurance, value of collections, other requirements on space and accessibility, locations, opinions and experiance on the vast amount of security 'solutions' etc etc. All you can do is read the threads for ideas, look out good standard locks, chains, anchors, alarms, identify the weak areas and install the level of security you deem appropriate for your individual, unique, case.

I think this thread was started with the aim of having a go at thicky mountain bikers who don't set man-traps in their garages, but anyway.

There is a happy medium between man trap and a red carpet with a nice bike, cup of tea and some jammy dodgers at the end of it Mrdevilsadvocate.

People have different budgets

disproportionate to bike costs it would seem - argument doesn't stand up.

Blimey Shoefiti, that alarm looks like it would have Ethan Hunt scratching his head.

[img] [/img]

that's as maybe - but if anyone opens the door i here it in the house - job done.

shoefiti - Member

that's as maybe - but if anyone opens the door i here it in the house - job done.

The problem being that you have to be in when they strike.

He might be housebound. That would explain more than just his approach to security.

well that's 90% of the time covered as i work from home. when i'm on holiday or away i lock them in my cellar and my house is alarmed. I know not everyone has this option, but i'm making the best of my current situation.

And what praytell is your approach - you seem to be the oricle of all knowledge? I have a steel door - my garage has no windows - i use ground achors and decent chain and locks - plus an alarm - i've never had a bike knicked - you have - you can not really give me any useful advice.

Au contrare, people that have had bikes stolen are invaluble, as you can examine the methods used.

My advice would be not to tell people you exact security measures, its often pretty easy to find out where forumites live, depends how paranoid you are. Otherwise it'd be pretty easy to select your tools accordingly, wander round your gaff when your not in, crow & bend your garage door, knock your alarm off the wall before it goes off, and nip through your chain with a handheld angle grinder.

Yes fair enough!

😆 Oh dear lord.

As I've said above, talk to a locksmith if you're concerned about security, not randoms on here. For Bristol people Taylor at [url= http://www.kodasecure.co.uk/ ]Koda Secure[/url] knows his stuff and is used by shops as well as quite a few mountain bikers.

Thank you - something useful - see it wasn't that hard was it?

Whilst these threads can offer some useful advice, they seem to have the effect of raising my paranoia further!
Time to deply the laser guided minks and ACME drone rats methinks....

I was trying to be in someway helpful - albeit through shock tactics - and yes paranoia isn't healthy - just as it's helpful or useful to shout down and belittle anyone that try's to draw attention to a problem - and it's a real shame that the people trying to do this are people that themselves have been victims of bike theft and offer little constructive content to the discussion other than trying to shoot down the original poster - for that i think they should be ashamed.

Shoefiti, have I just replaced Matt Carr at the top of your hitlist? 🙂

Oh get off your high horse.

a) just becuase we might disagree on some points, dosn't mean we're tryign to shout you down, or belittle you

b) 99% of this has been covered before, at length, if you'd approached it in a different matter, it might have been more constructive

c) I've never been the vicitm of bike theft. *touches wood*

Yes Mragreeable you can have that title - he has done little of note lately - not even rising to my ribbing at the BBF.

@anotherdead hero - which points of mine did you disagree with exactly?

I was trying to be in someway helpful - albeit through shock tactics

Shock tactics, where?

Whilst I appreciate what you were trying to do, your point came across very badly in your first post, your subsequent posts didn't help much either.

What do you have against Matt Carr?

The title itself - 'why bother' is that not in some way inflamatory? and your posts were helpful? and RE matt carr - i just got fed up seeing him on the cover of magazines - that space should be reserved for those that have achieved soemthing.

You sound very bitter shoefiti.

Re Matt Carr, I don't know the chap but I think the reason he gets on magazine covers is his friendship with the Future Publishing bike journos, who also appear on the front of magazines.

Oh and the thread tile comes across as more of a troll, although I don't think that's what you were trying to do.

I'm not keen on it if that's what you mean, so i stopped my subscription. Again this is getting away from the point of the thread - i fail to see how me pointing out how thieves operate and how people are being targetted is unhelpful. I suppose you drive round with your bike on your roof in complete oblivion to what may happan - or do you have a story that may be of use to readers of the forum that may highlight something that they have not of thought of?