[Closed] What bike thieves carry around with them

Scary....

he's not single, . . . . there are two walkie talkies, . . someone somewhere loves him?

... probably his dealer

😯 that puncture is going to take some fixing...

interesting though...

Assume that's for just nicking badly locked up bikes in the open - can't see anything that'd help gain entry to a shed/garage, or to defend themselves from a set of bombers.

Shows that all you can really do is make it look harder to steal than the next one in the rack.

There is a very interesting article and interview with an ex-bike thief in the latest issue of the BMX mag The Albion.

Novel use of an inner tube to hang the croppers around the neck. Although I imagine that is someone equiped to steal from the street/station there is enough kit there to get into most sheds.

PS - what's their marital status got to do with it..? 😆

the pipe cutter is one I've not seen before.
what's that used for? going through frames?
he must have hidden his junior hacksaw somewhere a bit more intimate...

I really must upload a pic of how I disappointed a thief with my Abus Steel-O-Flex X-Plus
[img] [/img]

They managed to put through the plastic outer, and just slid off the inner jacket. Wish I'd seen their faces when it wasn't a "Lock Shaped Object".

BTW That was right at the main entrance to Bradford Uni, at about Lunchtime in a weekday 😯

I guessed the pipe cutter is for getting through bike stand rails. It's possibly easier cutting a thin walled galvanised tube than going through a decent lock, as long as they haven't locked it through the wheels.

[i]what's their marital status got to do with it..?[/i]

I think he had a bolt cropper down the front of the trews accident falling over whilst running from the law.

Can't believe he didn't spend proper money on a [url= http://www.tooltethers.com/index.php/Tool-Lanyards/View-all-products.html ]decent lanyard[/url] for the bolt croppers.

Fine example there of how poor most locks are- little boltcutters and cable cutters will go through most. What are the green things, tin snips? Garden seccateurs?

I assume the pipecutter is for cutting racks and street furniture, it'd not make much sense for frames, hacksaw would be faster.

He could probably get my commuter with that kit. Maybe not, our racks are cheap steel so not that strong but will be fairly thick, might be too much for the pipecutter. None of those tools will go through a good lock though (and I mean a good one, not just an expensive one)

For some reason the modestly cheapo combination lock on my wife's bike jammed the other day, whilst it was locked up outside school.

Hopped out to the hardware store and bought some small bolt cutters. One quick snip later and we were done. I think that there are only two kinds of locks worth having,

1) Super small, light lock that you can carry anywhere 'just in case'. Won't stop a bike thief, but will stop a casual scally from riding your bike away while you take a crap or whatever.

2) Big F-off lock for securing your commuter/transport bike.

Anything else in between is pretty much a waste of time.

Was in pub in Pecket Well (above Hebden Bridge) a couple of weeks ago enjoying a well earned pint (or two) after a morning of hard riding. Exited pub by front door, towards beer garden, just as car pulled up with bloke in front passenger seat wielding a pair of bolt-cutters. My bike was in the beer garden with my mate, but there were two carbon road bikes outside, locked up with cable locks. If they'd been 30 seconds earlier, or I'd been 30 seconds later, then those bikes would have been long gone. Just goes to show you can never be too careful. Never let your bike(s) out of your sight and always keep them in the house. A big dog helps too 🙂

most opportunist thieves nicking bikes off the street will target bikes that are easy to steal, and that means cable locks.
not many carry around the tools capable of getting through a decent d-lock.
even if you get a decent cable lock, thieves won't know it's a decent one and still have a crack. whereas even a crappy d-lock would be mostly avoided.

Never let your bike(s) out of your sight and always keep them in the house.

Obviously only applies to expensive mountain bikes. If you're commuting etc then a decent D-Lock will usually suffice, unless you commute on an expensive mountain bike in which case an armed guard watching over your steed will probably do the job...

Someone nearly .... Very nearly... Got through my big beefy cable lock, when I'd nipped into the bank. The bike was out of my sight for 2 minutes, tops! The only thing that could have done it was a wopping set of bolt croppers! This was at 9am in Piccadilly gardens in Manchester! I must have interrupted them as I came out of the bank

So, not only is someone tooled up and looking for bikes at that time in the morning, they're quite happy to have a go with hundreds of people walking past! ****s!!!

I think that there are only two kinds of locks worth having

Home:
[img] [/img]

Cafe stop:
[img] [/img]

Work:

[None] - I work in a secure compound with an army of security guards 😉

EDIT:

when I'd nipped into the bank.

BTW That was right at the main entrance to Bradford Uni, at about Lunchtime in a weekday

Ive got all that stuff in my van, except the inner tube and walkie talkies

But then i fit security stuff.

can't see anything that'd help gain entry to a shed/garage

really? Those bolt croppers wont get thru a padlock hasp?

Wire cutters for cutting cables if all they can do is strip parts. The bolt cropper necklace has caught on round our way too.

Youre right about

Shows that all you can really do is make it look harder to steal than the next one in the rack.

though. I watched CCTV of scrotes working their way along bike racks, more often than not they find a bike that is totally unlocked. They'll take that, then ride around town looking for a better bike to have away if the opportunity presents itself.

Caught a guy on a stolen Cannondale Bad Boy, as he was so stupid he rode straight to the the nearest 24hr petrol station to buy some fags 🙄 😆

really? Those bolt croppers wont get thru a padlock hasp?

Doh. Should've said MY shed/garage. I've always taken a more rigorous approach to locks rather than trusting a padlock dangling on the door.

wwaswas - will be 'darn sarf' soon wiv me readies, hope me steamer's still cushtie!! 🙂

How would someone use the crimping tool (green handle) in this context?

I can imagine that the tape is to make them more 'discrete' / quiet as I doubt you can get tacticool PVD versions (from your local pound shop 😉 ) ... but I can't think how I'd use them for stealing bikes.

I do often think about how to steal [my] bikes, as this makes me more objective in how I secure them, following general 'think-like-a-criminal' advice from a crime-prevention officer ages ago.

Apparently this guy's an amateur. He hasn't got a hand held battery powered angle grinder.

I am told this is the gold standard of scummery.

How would someone use the crimping tool (green handle) in this context?

At a guess, cutting brake hoses etc to nick forks, or to cut the outer plastic part of cable locks?

When they are caught no need for prison.They should have their tools or proceeds of their ill gotten gains shoved up their arses, that'll stop the ****ers.

Err a Travellers Ford Transit can contain that and more..

err shall i use the race of your wife for my example? 🙄

all vehicles would have space for that [what with it being found on a person ]......and more.

A big sticker to cover up the small security sticker would make a good addition to that kit.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/those-pulse-id-tags-given-away-free-with-a-subscription

I live in Manchester. At least three times a week I see travellers in my road/on a neighbours drive etc. Its a cul de sac so no 'just passing through'.

I think Im talking from first hand experience.

Doh. Should've said MY shed/garage

fair enough - my garage is a daisy chain of D-locks and massive chains, I'm not complacent but it takes ME 5 minutes to get anything out of it!

Time for me to trot out the "All bikes weigh 50lbs rule" again...

It works like this:

A 20lbs bike is very desirable, so it needs a 30lbs lock, total weight 50lbs
A 30lbs bike is desirable, so it needs a 20lbs lock, total weight 50lbs
A 40lbs bike is is barely worth nicking, so it only needs a 10lbs lock, total weight 50lbs

A 50lbs bike? Nobody steals a 50lbs bike...

I'm not sure those cable locks, even the steel o flex ones, are any good.

I use one of these for quick stops in 140mm size
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-MAGNUM-BIKE-13MM-SHACKLE-COIL-LOCK-COMBO-2-LENGTHS-AVAILABLE-LK3102-03-/310690174455

And A 16mm thick d lock for locking up the commuter

Lfgss locks that work is worth reading http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html

I don't think the above tools would get through a 16mm d lock.

Even a mains powered angle grinder takes a while to get through a d lock and you need to cut both sides of a good one.
There's a vid on YouTube somewhere I think

The scumbag who nicked my bike used a hack saw as the pub CCTV showed, seems like they have batman belts with the appropriate tools for the job.

I really must upload a pic of how I disappointed a thief with my Abus Steel-O-Flex X-Plus

I have a cropped Steel-o-flex hanging on my kitchen radiator 👿 . Fortunately the back-up Kryptonite New York lock is still intact.

Oh, and I think the cropper necklace is a great idea . . . nice long inner tube and ooops! 😈

Best pack a Kevlar vest if he comes round my way.

?

Which one mamadirt?

Hora - some of those travellers are pitched on the park between chorlton waterpark & the princess parkway at the mo if you want to pay them a visit!

At least three times a week I see travellers in my road/on a neighbours drive etc

binners - Member

Someone nearly .... Very nearly... Got through my big beefy cable lock, when I'd nipped into the bank. The bike was out of my sight for 2 minutes, tops! The only thing that could have done it was a wopping set of bolt croppers!

Nah, moderate sized cable cutters will go through bike cable locks like butter. Armoured ones like the steel-o-flex can do a little better but it's still a delaying tactic, it just takes a few moments to open up the outer.

(quite often mag reviews test cable locks with bolt cutters, wrong tool for the job... Think about trying to cut gear cables with the wrong tool, it's much harder than just using a tiny pair of cable cutters. Same applies, just a matter of scale.

As far as I know, Sold Secure Gold still includes no large boltcutter or medium cable cutter attack.

It was one of the armoured jobs northwind. Hence by suspicion that bolt croppers were involved. I've learnt my lesson though. The bike rarely leaves my sight. And if it does then its a gert big **** off D lock FTW!

As far as I know, Sold Secure Gold still includes no large boltcutter or medium cable cutter attack.

Isn't a boltcutter the first thing a thief will try? Doesn't make 'Sold Secure Gold' sound very reassuring!

Isn't a boltcutter the first thing a thief will try? Doesn't make 'Sold Secure Gold' sound very reassuring!

If true, that is a bloody joke. I had two SS Gold locks snipped last week and lost my bike. D-locks from now on I suppose.

Is there a rating that's worth looking for?

Apparently there's a German rating called ART that supposed to be better...

The only purpose of Sold Secure is to satisfy insurance requirements, it's a bad lock test. (they were still passing locks as Sold Secure Gold with the round locks, even after responsible lock companies were withdrawing them all from sale as they don't work)

I'm out of date now so don't take this as gospel but certainly as of a couple of years ago they were testing with small pocketable croppers, which you can see here isn't what's being used. ART used 24s which are a bit more realistic.

This is the older steel-o-flex:

The newer one, with the coiled/wrapped armour, it's basically a 2-step process, saw it done at the bike show... Won't describe here but it's best done with a medium-ish boltcutter and a cable cutter, but can be done with just a cable cutter- it's more a technique thing than a tool thing to get around the armouring rather than brute forcing it. Took the boy from Almax about 30 seconds to do the current steel-o-flex, totally silent too 🙁

[url= http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/buyers-guide-to-bike-locks-20408/ ]The largest manufacturers also submit to the German and Dutch ART1 to 5+ standards. These are a very tough standard and worth looking out for.[/url]

Edit: link fixed

gofasterstripes - Member

?

Which one mamadirt?

An older Steel-o-Flex similar to the one in Northwind's clip.

Looked like this originally (although it lost its plastic locking mechanism cover) . . .

[img] http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRfmaAWQaWzaN_AUXmYhut7Ied04joK6KNx8ccwuFcVmsSRXJ4a [/img]

Now looks like this . . .

[img] [/img]

The inner braided cable was scary thin 👿

Are those "hip-lock" chains any good?

Camped there? I bet when they leave there will be the customary piles of rubbish etc left. With all those transits etc you'd think they'd drive it 2miles up the road to the council tip..

I use one of those motorbike chains, with a nylon sleeve & a big padlock. It's quite heavy but its all I've got.
If they're going to nick them then they will nick them. I'm just slowing them down a bit.

As regards a U-lock, is there a particular model/type that I should go for ?

Get the right sticker...

[img] [/img]

[img] http://www.gaiaphage.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=13764 [/img]

And this shows why you can't rely on anyone for help..

Thats Zanx, (Big bloke with the shaved head in the clip up there) a good mate of mine from a few years back on Visordown (before Ben sold it)
He was nothing to do with Almax, just lived in Ilford, with no garage and was fed up with scrotes nicking motorbikes, so came up with a load of alternative protection.
His most famous was the "Bucket-o-crete" ground anchor
He then found Almax and started championing them against Bigger named "sold secure" locks...... to my knowledge there is still nothing better than an Almax lock and chain combination.
They do a small version for push bike use but its still very heavy.

As for d-locks....... bottle jack, pipe freeze spray and a BFO Hammer will sadly see most of them fail.
Use the smallest one, and lock it tight (so they cant get a jack in)
Or the tool of choice appears to be Li-ion cordless grinder with a 1mm slitting disc...... not much is going to withstand that for long.

In the M-Bike world, sadly unless its locked to something immovable, then its likely to end up lifted by 2 blokes into a refrigerated van, still locked and alarm going off.
Once the doors are shut you can`t hear the alarm and they can disable the security later in a workshop at their leisure 😥

As regards a U-lock, is there a particular model/type that I should go for ?

takisawa2 - I asked that on here a while back, and Kryptonite New York's were repeatedly recommended

[img] [/img]

They're a proper beefy bastard of a thing

In the M-Bike world, sadly unless its locked to something immovable, then its likely to end up lifted by 2 blokes into a refrigerated van, still locked and alarm going off.
Once the doors are shut you can`t hear the alarm and they can disable the security later in a workshop at their leisure

Yip. I don't doubt thats exactly the way 3 of my bikes went AWOL 🙁

As regards a U-lock, is there a particular model/type that I should go for ?

Just read this... (link on 1st page too)
http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html

I've not heard of anyone having a normal-ish commuter bike nicked (i.e. no carbon fibre road bikes or expensive full-sussers) when its locked to something solid with a 16mm d-lock.

Yes, you could use an angle grinder but it takes ages and makes a lot of noise. This is a mains powered one and it took over 6 minutes

On the train the other day and some hoodie-wearing lad got off at Brinnington (the suspected base of operations for a gang of bike thieves who've nicked loads from Stockport/Manchester area recently, check out the threads on here).

As he got off there was a loud clang and a massive spanner/wrench fell out of his trouser leg. He bent down, picked it up and ran off.

Definitely going equipped for burglary, he didn't look like your average handyman...

akisawa2 - I asked that on here a while back, and Kryptonite New York's were repeatedly recommended

I'd just hacksaw through your frame- one slice, take me 2 mins then bootd your seat/top or downtube - one kick to slide your bike away- bin the frame later and keep the rest to sell on Ebay.

I had my suspicions that's been bloody you the last 3 times it's happened!!!

On the upside, I've nearly made another frame from the bits of seat-tube and top tube you left. Can you leave me some seat stays next time please?

Still makes me shudder that one night I left my bike out on the drive propped against the wall all night in full view unlocked here in Manchester and no one pinched it!

they probably bounced the forks and decided it would be more trouble than it was worth.

🙂

They probably just couldn't be arsed doing the warranty claim on the forks 😀

EDIT: beaten too it!

[img] [/img]

I left my then new SWorks Enduro on the drive one night...!!!

Milkman knocked the door to tell me...

😳

can't decide if it's ironic or just typical that right after reading this thread I went to Sainsbury's and saw MBUK this month comes with a free cable lock that looks less secure than the plastic bag it comes in.

Hora - the travellers have been moved on, left a lot of tipping behind. No bikes amongst the piles of sh1t though. Transits are too high for Stretford tip, they'd have had to pay to use Northenden also I think?