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#1
01-31-2012, 03:24 PM
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how best to protect bike/s from thieves
i'm pretty new to the world of cycling and am looking for advice on how best to protect my bike (soon to be 2 ... hurry up ben). here in the bay area there seems to be a rash of missing bikes -- weekly reports of stolen high-end bikes out of garages and apartments.
aside from locking up your bikes indoors and common-sense security, how do you protect your bikes? any thoughts on purchasing an insurance rider? thanks in advance, geoff 
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#2
01-31-2012, 03:29 PM
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Well, an insurance rider is insurance, and will not 'protect' the bike itself. So, if your concern mostly monetary in nature, insurance would be a way to go. Another way to go, if the bike is custom/irreplacable, make sure your apartment or wherever you store your bike is well secured and the bike is locked.
Unfortunately, a determined thief (given enough alone time) can probably get through most any security. So that brings me to the real way to keep your bike safe, don't let any other people know where you keep it, or know that it is valuable. Don't draw attention to your bike, and you should be ok. I could easily win most races, I choose not to race, so as to keep my bike safe from prying eyes 
__________________
And we have just one world, But we live in different ones
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#3
01-31-2012, 03:33 PM
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If someone really, really wants it....
I never leave my roadbike; if I can't take it into the shop (or find someone I trust to watch it), I don't go. For short trips to the bagel shop or the gym, I ride the beater, an old Trek 800. Depending on the errand, I might just lean it against the shop window (or put it in the bike stand on the street if there is one). Otherwise, I use a cable lock, pull the front tire and run the cable through the stays, both tires, and the seat rails, locking it to whatever (trees, bike-stands, etc.)
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#4
01-31-2012, 03:38 PM
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Hi and welcome!
The good bikes are never left out of my sight when out on rides. Never. The rest of the time they are in the locked basement adjacent to the locked garage (in the 'burbs). To be as secure as possible, your new Serotta should be always with you or locked in your house somehow. Other than that you are balancing the benefits of wondering off to explore, grab a coffee, use the restroom etc. vs. the likelihood that a bad guy will take your prized bike. I often feel paranoid when I stop at a convience store and lug the bike in on my shoulder, but we had a bike stolen once -- a fairly cheap one -- and it hurts. So what kinda new bike is Ben building ya?
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#5
01-31-2012, 03:59 PM
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1. Minimize its exposure...don't leave it over night, try to be unpredictable in your locking patterns.
2. Spend the extra money on a high end ubolt like the NY'r. Use cables for the wheels. Make sure it's anchored to something secure (not a chain link fence). 3. Record photos and your serial number...my bikes are mostly unique enough that if someone took one, it would stick out like a sore thumb. I'd put a bounty out with the messengers and have a good shot at getting it back. Put a photo of you with the bike, dated, in a tube...or maybe just your name. Something to indicate it's yours in a dispute. 4. Avoid locking it in areas with low foot traffic, or darkly lit areas. 5. Avoid locking it near construction sites...one common ploy is for the person to approach a construction guy with a sob story and ask them to cut their lock. 6. I put Huffy stickers on the bike I've been using most lately...it'll help it stick out if it gets stolen (any bike shop will know instantly it's not a Huffy) and it MIGHT dissuade undo attention (though most thieves in my area are junkies who don't know the bike values anyway). 7. Take your saddle/seatpost with you...it makes the bike harder to ride away and more obviously stolen. 8. clipless pedals do the same, though they may make the bike more clearly valuable. 9. Avoid MUPS alone at night...smash and grabs are big out here. I have addendum articles to my home owner's insurance for my bikes and use a high quality combination deadbolt on the door. Last edited by Aaron O; 01-31-2012 at 05:58 PM.
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#6
01-31-2012, 04:13 PM
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thanks for the feedback!
some additional info i've become aware of lately: according to a local riding club's google group (mission cycling) there was word that thieves in cars were following riders home. also, people were posting their strava ride maps which originated from their home. the stava profiles also included what type of bikes the rider rode.
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#7
01-31-2012, 04:24 PM
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If you're in the city on a road bike keep it next to your bed. Locked to your bed frame when there's a house party.
If you ride whatever for transport it will probably get jacked at some point. The Strava thing - pretty ingenious use of it to curb show off-ism.
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#9
01-31-2012, 04:43 PM
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Quote:
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#10
01-31-2012, 04:56 PM
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Quote:
__________________
And we have just one world, But we live in different ones
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#11
01-31-2012, 05:47 PM
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just commute on a beater
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#12
01-31-2012, 06:34 PM
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If you plan on riding ANYWHERE where you might leave your bike unattended, then ride a bike that would be undesirable to thieves. Be it a POS or just a bike you don't care about, leave the good bike at home.
Never own a bike that you can't afford to lose on Sunday, then replace on Monday.
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#14
01-31-2012, 08:25 PM
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Wow, people using strava? That's nuts. Reminds me of Gloucester this year where very specific bikes we grabbed during the race like the thieves knew what to look for beforehand.
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#15
01-31-2012, 08:33 PM
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Bring your bike with you at public restrooms if at all possible. I had a person question me about that
 and I told them my bike was worth more than most people make in a month. I also lock my bike with a heavy cable & lock when it's inside my car and the cable is wrapped around my front car seat frame too! 
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