Sugru in your bolt heads: anti-theft

I’m converting my old 26er ht into a town bike, but it has some decent bits on it which I’d be keen to try to secure.

Has anyone used sugru on their stem bolts, top cap, seat post collar etc? Can it be removed easily but not too easily?

Ball bearings for the win. If you get the right size bearing, a blob of thick grease will hold it in. I can’t imagine Sugru coming out without a fight, and securing the parts on your bike is only ever going to deter opportunist thieves

Would torx head bolts be an easier solution?

It removes far too easily it’s just a silicon so fairly soft.

Ball bearings +1. But you need to get just the right size bearing and hammer it in! 😮

No thief is going to get it out if you do that. Of course, neither will you!

Chemical metal. Needs a hammer and small hardened pointy thing to get it out.

Ball bearing and super glue. When it comes to removal time acetone is your friend.

Do scrotes often take the time to disassemble bikes in the street?

I thought it was generally all about attacking the lock with some bolt croppers…

The Security Screws should do the trick as well:

, but it has some decent bits on it which I’d be keen to try to secure.

Remove them, pop them in the spares box and replace with crap looking stuff

Have you seen the quick release skewers with built in ball bearings? You need to turn the bike upside down for them to undo. The idea is that you chain the bike up so you can’t remove the wheels, seatpost etc.

Do scrotes often take the time to disassemble bikes in the street?

Oh yes – if you use a big enough lock they will sometimes take things off instead.

I always use a motorbike chain left in situ. But iv had a saddle taken while in the pub and also a brake caliper years ago when I was at Uni – not the lever JUST the caliper – which I only discovered while trying to brake for traffic lights.

i used these…

https://pinheadlocks.com/store/en/16-locks-for-bikes-with-quick-release-wheels

never had any components nicked….

two or three bolts and 5 seconds with a pair of wire cutters could get you a pair of shifters and a fork. The bars and stem are an added bonus.
Easy to sell on and expensive. I sometimes see them on eBay.

I’d get some of those security hex or torx screws…

Do scrotes often take the time to disassemble bikes in the street?

Yes, some barsteward stole my raceface turbine cranks years ago when the bike was locked up 🙁

cookeaa – Member

Do scrotes often take the time to disassemble bikes in the street?

Bloke I used to work with rode his bike to the pub & locked it to some heavy railings just outside on the other side of the road. It was a Marin hardtail, about £750-800 worth so nice, but nothing outstanding.

When he came out of the pub, the frame was still there (and the headset & cables, I think) but every other bit had been nicked. On the CCTV from the pub, they saw a transit van drive up & park on the pavement effectively blocking the bike from view – they then completely stripped the bike while hidden by the van & drove off.

Apparently it only took them a couple of mins….

stumpy01 – Member
I’d get some of those security hex or torx screws…

Very easy to defeat, the pips can be knocked out with a screwdriver and minimal effort.

Eskay – Member
stumpy01 – Member
I’d get some of those security hex or torx screws…

Very easy to defeat, the pips can be knocked out with a screwdriver and minimal effort.

This^.
They can be bent/snapped off with a terminal driver.

Yes, I know they aren’t foolproof…..but they might stop an opportunistic thief.

Of course if someone really wants to defeat them, they’ll just use the correct torx/allen tool, rather than cocking around breaking the pips off…… 🙄 😆

Hmm depressing stuff. The bike is sufficiently nice that everything on it would be nickable. The threshold for nickability doesn’t seem to be set terribly high, and current locks/security measures etc are so easily circumvented.

I’ll have to either drive or buy a really crappy rat bike from somewhere.

I’d get some of those security hex or torx screws…

Very easy to defeat, the pips can be knocked out with a screwdriver and minimal effort.
Probably irrelevant tbh. A prepared thief who’s got a set of normal hex keys with him will probably have the security ones. In fact if you’ve got the security ones you can still turn normal hex bolts so it makes sense to only carry the security ones.

Probably irrelevant tbh. A prepared thief who’s got a set of normal hex keys with him will probably have the security ones. In fact if you’ve got the security ones you can still turn normal hex bolts so it makes sense to only carry the security ones.

True, but a prepared thief is one carrying a pair of bolt croppers and/or a bottle jack. They might carry a set of allen keys. They’re not going to have every available combination of security allen or torx keys, a bottle of acetone, etc etc.

A good lock will deter 90% of thieves, two good locks of different types (D and chain) 99%, two good locks, and security bolts to stop the removal of the seatpost, saddle, stem, brakes etc, 99.99%.

My pub bike has something like these on the wheels (came as standard)

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.ETC-Triple-Set-Secuity-Fit-Skewers_19284.htm?sku=26446&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=AdwordsProductAds&utm_campaign=Adwords&gclid=CI-MzcvZuMoCFRKeGwodqJkKJQ#

, Sora components and looks like a beat up piece of crap (which some here may class it as such).

Never had anything nicked off it.

I’ve lost a front wheel before, but generally if I’m leaving the bike somewhere that this is a concern I’ll take the front wheel off and lock through the wheels rather than buying any more devices (i.e. front wheel off the bike, alongside the rear wheel, then lock(s) go through both wheels, frame and whatever it is you’re locking it to) – the downside can be a risk to the bottom of the forks and the brakes with the wheel not there, so I wouldn’t do this in a railway station rack with 300 other bikes locked haphazardly around it…

..which leads me to my top urban bike security tip – location, location, location!! For instance, my favourite rack in Leeds City Centre during the day, midweek, is right outside the Crown Court – where there are always lots and lots of police around.