Bicycle security

[Brian Deakin]

I live in the United Kingdom and my son attends York University At the start of the new term in September he took his bicycle to York Sadly even though it was locked the bicycle has been stolen

I have purchased a replacement bicycle off Ebay and plan to take the following steps

(1) Purchase a Abus granite x plus bicycle lock

https://www.abus.com/uk/Mobile-Security/Bike-Safety-and-Security/Locks/U-locks/GRANIT-Plus-51

(2) To secure the wheels to the frame and lock use a length heavy duty Cargo belt into which I would secure eyelets

(3)Additionally I would attach two lengths of cargo belt to form a tube then place this over the D bar of the lock

My rational is the fabric would be to cut

My question would this work or can anyone make any other suggestions

[Lee Schierer]

What is cargo belt and how would it deter a thief?

I would get two locks. One to secure both wheels to the frame. Use the second lock to anchor the bike to an immovable object..

Or buy a really ugly older bike.

Many bikers remove the front wheel and take it with them while locking the rear wheel to the frame and bike rack.

[Myk Rian]

Cargo belts are the straps truckers use to tie down loads.

The idea may work. Those belts are difficult to cut. It would also make it harder to get to the lock.

[Matt Day]

I worked at a bike shop on a college campus for about a decade. The fact of the matter is that if a bike thief wants your bike he’s going to get it one way or another. If he doesn’t get the whole thing he’ll take as many parts as he can.

The best thing to do is to keep it inside while at home, which also reduces corrosion. If you lock it to the side of your house, or on the porch overnight, that their will come at 3am and snatch it.

Lock it up in a well travelled public area when away from home. If your front wheel is quick release, take it off and lock it up with the frame and rear wheel.

And most thieves are looking for low hanging fruit. The bike with no lock at all will get stolen before your bike even if it has a dinky little cord lock.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I live in the United Kingdom and my son attends York University At the start of the new term in September he took his bicycle to York Sadly even though it was locked the bicycle has been stolen

I have purchased a replacement bicycle off Ebay and plan to take the following steps

(1) Purchase a Abus granite x plus bicycle lock

https://www.abus.com/uk/Mobile-Security/Bike-Safety-and-Security/Locks/U-locks/GRANIT-Plus-51

(2) To secure the wheels to the frame and lock use a length heavy duty Cargo belt into which I would secure eyelets

(3)Additionally I would attach two lengths of cargo belt to form a tube then place this over the D bar of the lock

My rational is the fabric would be to cut

My question would this work or can anyone make any other suggestions

Your precautions look good but my experience shown me it will work depending the alternatives bikes in the area...

...to choose a humble bike looks me more logical. The son of one of my best friends uses a very cheap bike to go to and from University. Never had problems ( he is in their third year there)... but I cannot imagine anyone coveting it!

[Frederick Skelly]

...to choose a humble bike looks me more logical. The son of one of my best friends uses a very cheap bike to go to and from University. Never had problems ( he is in their third year there)... but I cannot imagine anyone coveting it!

I was thinking the same thing!

[Wade Lippman]

Or buy a really ugly older bike.



A friend in college had a really crappy bike. He tied it up with a rope; not sure why, but perhaps to discourage stealing parts.
Someone stole it a couple times a year, but always abandoned it within a quarter mile.

[Lee DeRaud]

A friend in college had a really crappy bike. He tied it up with a rope; not sure why, but perhaps to discourage stealing parts.
Someone stole it a couple times a year, but always abandoned it within a quarter mile.I had one like that in grad school: rescued it from the storage locker of an empty apartment in my building, restored it to working order with $10 or so of parts, and used it to ride to/from my evening job. I quit the job before graduation and left the bike, unsecured, in the rack outside the store where I worked. It was still there when I left town three weeks later.

[Matt Day]

I road a beat up fixed gear bike around town a lot, and always grinned while imagining a thief riding away with my stolen bike then suddenly realizing there is no freewheel, a split second before becoming a projectile over the bars.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

I may stand corrected, but I believe a small tracking device welded to the frame could help at least recover it. Still, my 2 riders keep their BMX bicycles in the living room.

[William Adams]

As noted, you don't want to be the nicest bike at the rack, with the most easily defeated lock --- that's the one which gets stolen.

One thing which seems to help is multiple locks which require multiple tools / strategies to defeat, so the Abus U lock _and_ a second locking system to secure the easily removed parts (don't forget the seat).

Some folks will also put small ball bearings (held in place w/ cyanoacrylate glue or wax) into hex bolt heads to make component removal more difficult.

[Jim Koepke]

Bike thieves carry bolt cutters. Any lock or chain that can be opened with a bolt cutter is insufficient.

Some thieves carry a can of freeze spray and a big hammer.

Many locks are easy to open with a piece of scrap metal, see Youtube videos on how to open locks before buying a lock.

One effective way to discourage bike thieves is to have a quick release on the seat and take the seat with you.

jtk

[Brian Deakin]

A huge thank you to everyone for your replies and advice

It has been 7 days since the bicycle was stolen and I am still angry My son at present has to walk to university and is limited in where he can easily shop for food
It is a sad reflection on society that in the Uk last year there were at least 400000 bicycle thefts
I am also disappointed there appears to be no concerted attempt by the police to address this issue

Locking cycles in known hot spots and using cctv and gps trackers to apprehend the offenders would be a proactive approach

[Jerome Stanek]

When I worked construction I would paint my tools pink and green nobody wanted to steal them as everyone know whose they where.

[Jim Koepke]

I am also disappointed there appears to be no concerted attempt by the police to address this issue

The police do not have enough people to track bicycle theft. If your bike is recovered by the police you likely will not be notified.

The police do not think of bicycle theft as a serious crime. This is crazy since some bicycles are expensive enough to push it into the realm of grand larceny or a felony.

The part that makes it a real nightmare is bicycles registration isn't enforced and bicyclists do not have to have a license. If registration and bicycle licensing were taken seriously, it would be much easier to take bicycle theft more seriously.

jtk