# Did you ever have your bike stolen if so what happened?



## Anonymous1502 (28 Jun 2020)

If so, do you think there was anything you could have done to prevent the theft? What was the location that your bike was stolen?


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## vickster (28 Jun 2020)

Near London Bridge, outside a bike shop while I was inside. Gone within 15 minutes. Cable lock, so my own fault I guess. Home Insurance paid out.
D lock would have prevented


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## Tom B (28 Jun 2020)

Left my dad's bike outside the papershop I was delivering papers for and it was stolen. Found a few months later hung up outside a local second hand shop and reclaimed thanks to the really distinctive bullbars it had.

I could have locked it up. I did after that. I wouldn't be surprised if my Dlock that i ost the key for is still locked around their gas pipe 25 yrs later


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## Specialeyes (28 Jun 2020)

1) Left in college bike shed too long (i.e. about a term), never to be seen again

2) Brompton leaning in doorway of Chinese takeaway in Bow, East London with me sat on the chair next to it, within touching distance. In the time it took me to step up to the counter, collect the takeaway and ask for plastic forks, it was gone.

It's an early one, with several distinctive features and I'd had it resprayed so it was easy to identify from the website and fortunately, as I use it for work I had lots of recent survey photos with it in shot.

Reported it stolen straight away, got a crime reference number, then spent the next few weeks searching eBay and Gumtree and sure enough, it came up for sale in Cambridge. Reported it to the Police who went and got it back. So it was nicked in Bow, retrieved by Cambridgeshire (from the well-known fence/aunt of the well-known scrote/nephew) and collected by me from Buckingham Palace Road nick, so it had had quite a journey! Couldn't have been happier with the service from the Police forces involved.


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## Sharky (28 Jun 2020)

Outside Woolies in Prescot in 1962 (ish). Left my Hill Special, my first road bike (and fixed as well) unlocked for about 10 minutes and when I came out it was gone.

I was a very naive and trusting 12 year old and it was a time when you would leave your front door open.

Lesson learned and now I NEVER leave my bike unattended.


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## Sharky (28 Jun 2020)

vickster said:


> Near London Bridge, outside a bike shop while I was inside. Gone within 15 minutes. Cable lock, so my own fault I guess. Home Insurance paid out.
> D lock would have prevented


Was that the shop in Tooley Street (On yer Bike)? Spent many a lunchtime walking round looking at bikes in that shop. And one day surprisingly saw Tony Gowland working there.


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## Julia9054 (28 Jun 2020)

My son has had 2 bikes stolen since being at uni in Manchester. The first, he used to keep in the back yard of his end of terrace house. One day, he realised he had forgotten the key to the yard. In the < 20 seconds it took him to go through the house and open the yard from the inside, the bike had gone.
Replacement provided by a very nice member of this forum.
Lasted 18 months.
He left the replacement locked up overnight outside Lidl due to torrential rain, running late and the offer of a lift into college. Unsurprisingly, when he went to retrieve it the next morning, someone had cut the lock and it had gone.
Lessons in the big city life school of hard knocks when you have grown up in sweet little Tiny Town!


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## fossyant (28 Jun 2020)

Touch wood, none. Never left anywhere. Had two break-in attempts on garage, but has multiple levels of security so didn't get in.


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## vickster (28 Jun 2020)

Sharky said:


> Was that the shop in Tooley Street (On yer Bike)? Spent many a lunchtime walking round looking at bikes in that shop. And one day surprisingly saw Tony Gowland working there.


Yep! Now behind Southwark cathedral

no idea who Tony Gowland is


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## PeteXXX (28 Jun 2020)

I had an MTB stolen from outside the front door of B&Q, under the gaze of security and security cameras. I was only inside for 10 minutes. 
No D lock, but two other 'decent' (!) locks, 'secured' to metal railings. 
I reviewed the cctv footage with their security staff and it was 4 scrotes. It took them 30 seconds, if that, to wander off with my bike. 
B&Q didn't seem to care, and I never saw my bike again. 
Now, if I ride there, I lock my bike up inside the shop, by the security desk. Maybe, just maybe, they'll spot a theft taking place! Possibly..


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## Sharky (28 Jun 2020)

vickster said:


> Yep! Now behind Southwark cathedral
> 
> no idea who Tony Gowland is


Look him up - he was the British hero of the Skol Six


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## MichaelW2 (28 Jun 2020)

I had my rear derailleur stolen from my bike locked up in public view. It was even parked deraillieur side in.


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## raleighnut (28 Jun 2020)

Bike thieves really are scum, unfortunately the feds/courts seem to do very little to deter them


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## si_c (28 Jun 2020)

Had a bike nicked at uni. Was locked inside a secured padlocked bike shed and a chain lock and padlock to a Sheffield stand inside. Scrotes climbed over a fence and lifted it over never to be seen again. Took them less than 5 minutes.


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## ColinJ (28 Jun 2020)

I had my bike stolen from the bike sheds at school when I was 13. I had a little chain and combination lock at the time so that was probably what I'd used. No use, obviously! It would have been possible to cut it off pretty easily and those combination locks are very easy to unlock by feel anyway.

It was insured but I made the mistake of spending the money on music equipment rather than a replacement bike so it was 20 years before I cycled again!


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## Edwardoka (28 Jun 2020)

Had a couple stolen, and caught one in the attempt.

The first theft was entirely my own fault. As a teen, rushing for a bus, unthinkingly locked it to a wooden fence.
Returned to find the fence broken and bike gone. Idiot.

For the unsuccessful attempt, the bike was properly locked up to a metal fence at the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, came out of an establishment to see a couple of people kicking the lock, the fence and the frame. Chased them before realising that if they turned on me I was screwed. Luckily the bike was intact.

The last is the most painful. I'd just dropped a stupid amount of money on it, and was fulfilling a lifetime dream of touring Europe. 
Since most places I'd visited were extremely sleepy towns I clearly got complacent.

I left it unlocked outside a shop in Italy while I went in for 2 minutes to get water, in plain view right in front of a pair of charity workers.

When I came back out, no bike. The charity workers saw nothing. Someone just walked up casually and lifted my bike.
Everything I owned in the entire world was on it except my phone and wallet (the phone got smashed when I dropped it two days later while trying to sort out an emergency passport.)

I subsequently found that the town in question had a large bike theft ring. The carabinieri were completely useless, took my report, never gave me a crime number, and sent me to a consulate that had been shut down years prior.

Still not even remotely over it.


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## oldkit (28 Jun 2020)

I had one disappear from out of my car about 1994, replaced by house insurance, 
One went from inside the house,about 3 grand new at that time, roughly 1998.
Called the Feds they turned up couldn't have cared less. again, house insurance to the rescue although didn't get full replacement value. Both very distinctive, never to be seen again. The second one was fitted with Hope discs on a non disc frame with a custom made torque arm on the rear, made by myself. I went to Hope factory and watched them make my hubs as they didn't have any in stock at that point.
Really annoyed even to this day.


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## Brandane (28 Jun 2020)

My yellow Puch Alpine, from a close in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh, late summer 1977.
That bike cost me £45 in 1976 and I worked the whole school holidays that summer to pay off the loan from my parents to buy it. It was my pride and joy (at age 14), and normally was very fussy about locking it. I slipped up once, and it was gone.
Months later, it was spotted by an eagle eyed friend in a second hand shop a few miles away, and seized by Police. I got it back, but it had been trashed and was never the same again. I sold it and bought a Raleigh Scorpio, and a bigger lock!


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## steveindenmark (28 Jun 2020)

Again. Why is this question being asked?


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## Anonymous1502 (28 Jun 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> Again. Why is this question being asked?


So i can get an idea of how effective a good lock is at preventing bike theft by learning the possible reasons that people experienced bike theft. I am mostly interested in whether people with a gold standard lock experienced theft so I can whether they actually deter thieves or not really.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (28 Jun 2020)

A lock will only deter an honest thief


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## ColinJ (28 Jun 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> Again. Why is this question being asked?


I am beginning to get a whiff of '_forum cheerleader_'!


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## beepbeep (28 Jun 2020)

is this another ''im an engineering student from The Uni' of Life and Im preparing a project''.................thread ?


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## fossyant (29 Jun 2020)

beepbeep said:


> is this another ''im an engineering student from The Uni' of Life and Im preparing a project''.................thread ?


The OP is asking half a million questions...


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## lane (29 Jun 2020)

fossyant said:


> Touch wood, none. Never left anywhere. Had two break-in attempts on garage, but has multiple levels of security so didn't get in.



One successful in the garage (3 bikes) NOW I have multiple layers of security


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## MntnMan62 (29 Jun 2020)

I once had my 1970s era Raleigh Record 10 speed bike stolen and I know I could have done more to prevent it. I was about 15 at the time and I was working at a diner restaurant. I was running a little late and so I locked my bike up to one of those tall poles that prevents the garbage truck from backing into the fence surrounding the dumpsters. It was pretty tall but obviously not tall enough. When I went back out after work it was gone. Someone likely just came by with a pick up, had someone below lift the bike up to him so he could slide over the top of the pole. That one hurt. It was a nice bike.


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## raleighnut (29 Jun 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> So i can get an idea of how effective a good lock is at preventing bike theft by learning the possible reasons that people experienced bike theft. I am mostly interested in whether people with a gold standard lock experienced theft so I can whether they actually deter thieves or not really.


since the development of battery powered angle grinders no lock is safe.


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## Johnno260 (29 Jun 2020)

Raleigh Activator 2, I locked it up with a heavy duty piece of chain from my step Dads building site and padlock to a metal railing outside the leisure center, while inside the receptionist watches a white van pull up and cut it off with bolt cutters, she thought they had lost the key..

it was found abandoned 4 months later totally wrecked, it had taken me forever to save up for it sometimes doing 4-5 paper rounds a morning to cover other people.


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## ozboz (29 Jun 2020)

I had my surly knocked off twice, and got it back twice,
very fortunate!


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## ozboz (29 Jun 2020)

Get it on the national bike register , that’s how I got mine back on onr occasion, and good lock , krypton good deterrent


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## Rowano (30 Jun 2020)

Had my much loved and will used d24 storm from Cardiff uni when I worked there in 2012. Locked to a Sheffield stand with a cable lock and cheap D lock. Not many bikes about add it was winter time, cold and wet but I commuted from Bristol cycling between train stations. 

I got a crime reference number from Cardiff police, reported to admiral insurance the following day, cleared up the miscommunication that I had a _bike_ stolen, not a _bag _and they paid out within the week.


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## Hugh Jampton (30 Jun 2020)

My best (worst?) was my first ever full suss MTB. A Cannondale EST 2000. That week, I had just fitted Rock Shox forks to replace the Girvin flex stem on the front. Rode into work. Locked up with a cable lock. An hour later, security inform me some bikes had been stolen and one of them was mine.

Now my place of work is a well known security printing firm in Essex. Secure car park. Lots of cameras and a large contingent of security guards. The bike shed i locked up in, was next to the security gate with several cameras trained on it. 

A bunch of local pikeys had driven into the car park in a van. Cut the locks off of several bikes and chucked them in the van. Were approached by a security guard, who didn't tangle with them, when they threatened him. They made it through the security gate before it was closed. And when the police visited, the CCTV was not clear enough to get a registration.

Bike wasn't recovered. Police visited the pikey camp, but found none of the stolen bikes. I bought a Marin East Peak with the insurance money, but wasn't as nice as the Cannondale. Made sure i had a heavy duty Motorcycle lock to lock it up after.

Oh, and security at my place of work was beefed up after. It was quite an embarrassment that someone could waltz in and out of the premises so easily.


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## Anonymous1502 (30 Jun 2020)

Angle grinders are meant to be the only tools that are able to break gold standard locks. How common is theft with angle grinders when a gold standard lock is used? From what I have heard is that theft seems to be common if a cable lock is used.


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## Drago (30 Jun 2020)

They are very common. Not a single one went to prep school or uses received pronunciation. They make cockerney chimney sweeps seem posh.


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## rogerzilla (30 Jun 2020)

I doubt they're commonly used except by professional thieves of the type you get in London, Oxford and Cambridge. The average junkie won't use one but will rely on cheaper and less sparky methods (preferably targeting completely unlocked bikes).


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## classic33 (30 Jun 2020)

Just avoid areas with building work going on nearby. People will be used to seeing power tools being carried, so probably won't think twice about someone carrying one.


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## Sharky (30 Jun 2020)

Hi, you've asked a lot of questions on here but given very little feedback on why you are asking or what your conclusions are with the answers. A little more dialogue about your reasons will stimulate the threads more and I'm sure you will get more constructive replies.

A little more about yourself? What sort of cycling are you planning? are you a vegan? do you like guinea pigs?

Happy cycling


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## Johnno260 (30 Jun 2020)

fact is, if they want the bike they will take it, it's no different to a car thief, if they decide your car is the one they want it's gone, locks and alarms deter the low level thief the organised ones it slows them down a little but it won't stop a determined organised group.

Same with locknuts on alloy wheels, they slow people down, they don't stop them.

My friend had his expensive motorbike stolen, he had an anchor point in his parking spot wall, alarm and CCTV but the bike still was stolen, the police weren't even interested in the CCTV which showed the direction they took and pretty much gave mugshots of the scum who took it.


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## screenman (30 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> They are very common. Not a single one went to prep school or uses received pronunciation. They make cockerney chimney sweeps seem posh.



Dowhatmate.


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## raleighnut (30 Jun 2020)

Wear 'Hi-Viz and carry a clipboard, no one will even notice you., they think you're acting on someones authority.


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## Randomnerd (30 Jun 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> Angle grinders are meant to be the only tools that are able to break gold standard locks. How common is theft with angle grinders when a gold standard lock is used? From what I have heard is that theft seems to be common if a cable lock is used.


Tell us more. What bike do you ride? Where do you park it? Are you laying out big cash for an aero race job or commuting on your mum's shopper? What's your story, goldilocks?


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## roley poley (30 Jun 2020)

cordless angle grinders are £25 from Aldi ... £25.27 to hire for a day at HSS and free if stolen in the first place so the answer is an obvious unfortunate yes .you can find these facts out with a simple 5 min Google why ask us??


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## Andy_R (30 Jun 2020)

roley poley said:


> cordless angle grinders are £25 from Aldi ... £25.27 to hire for a day at HSS and *free if stolen* in the first place so the answer is an obvious unfortunate yes .you can find these facts out with a simple 5 min Google why ask us??


Hmmm. Imagine the irony of using a bike to steal an angle grinder....


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## MontyVeda (30 Jun 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> Angle grinders are meant to be the only tools that are able to break gold standard locks.


What makes you think that?


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## oldwheels (30 Jun 2020)

raleighnut said:


> Wear 'Hi-Viz and carry a clipboard, no one will even notice you., they think you're acting on someones authority.


A friend of mine has an ex works van for his personal transport. It has orange lights on top and he has a dayglo waistcoat and a hard hat. He claims that he never has problems with parking as he drops his wife off for hospital appointments and has to wait for her return. Must suggest the clipboard to him.


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## MontyVeda (30 Jun 2020)

roley poley said:


> cordless angle grinders are £25 from Aldi ...


but come with neither a battery or charger.


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## rogerzilla (30 Jun 2020)

Another disguise used by thieves is to dress as a cyclist - helmet, hi-viz, messenger bag or backpack. If challenged as to why they are cutting a lock, they say they lost the key and are just releasing their own bike. As bikes aren't registered, there is no way to disprove this. Bit advanced for the average smackhead but ideal if you're stealing bikes to order.


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## roley poley (30 Jun 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> but come with neither a battery or charger.


the things you buy on a whim and find you can't use ..back to the gunpowder and hacksaw for me then


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## raleighnut (30 Jun 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Another disguise used by thieves is to dress as a cyclist - helmet, hi-viz, messenger bag or backpack. If challenged as to why they are cutting a lock, they say they lost the key and are just releasing their own bike. As bikes aren't registered, there is no way to disprove this. Bit advanced for the average smackhead but ideal if you're stealing bikes to order.


Yep


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## Blue Hills (30 Jun 2020)

Johnno260 said:


> police weren't even interested in the CCTV which showed the direction they took and pretty much gave mugshots of the scum who took it.


Have heard similar things about police and cctv. Seems odd. Anyone know why this is if true - you'd think it would be handy to say the least to the police.


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## vickster (30 Jun 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> Angle grinders are meant to be the only tools that are able to break gold standard locks. How common is theft with angle grinders when a gold standard lock is used? From what I have heard is that theft seems to be common if a cable lock is used.


A bottle jack can too, hence leaving as little space as possible to insert anything. A large sledgehammer could probably smash one too. Angle grinders are quicker though (if noisy)

Leave your bike with its 2 gold D Locks in a visible high traffic area during the day, I'd say it is extremely unlikely to get stolen (the saddle or other components may do though if not secured).

Leave it somewhere quiet and at night, it's at much higher risk and that includes alleged secure bike cages at flats etc. Keep it indoors or in a well secured shed/garage. AND INSURE IT


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## MontyVeda (30 Jun 2020)

There used to be a video compilation on YT of all sorts of top end bike locks being breached in seconds using a big set of bolt croppers... can't seem to find it though. Maybe it's been removed as it also revealed the perfect technique, making it a wonderful how-to guide for thieves.


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## roley poley (30 Jun 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> There used to be a video compilation on YT of all sorts of top end bike locks being breached in seconds using a big set of bolt croppers... can't seem to find it though. Maybe it's been removed as it also revealed the perfect technique, making it a wonderful how-to guide for thieves.


yes some times I feel we can brief the thieves to the best tactics by trying to inform concerned bike owners


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## CH99 (30 Jun 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> Have heard similar things about police and cctv. Seems odd. Anyone know why this is if true - you'd think it would be handy to say the least to the police.



Impossible to say without the incidents context. Police would never turn down CCTV if it assisted their enquiries and they had an audited trail of collecting and booking it. If it was some ropey image with no time/date and didn’t offer any additional evidence then it would make no sense to spend the resources booking, reviewing & taking through the court process.

Plus if it was on a mobile the phones owner would be without the steamy pics of their missus for a while


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## Phaeton (30 Jun 2020)

Couple of junkies around here got one of the cordless ones, they were cutting a hole near the centre of garage doors, putting their hand through & opening the door. They were quite blatant about it & clearly identifiable on CCTV when they tried my daughter & SIL's garage, that was until they inadvertently robbed the sister of one of the biggest drug dealer in the area. They weren't able to hold an angry grinder for a few weeks & had to be fed through a straw, strange set of injuries for falling down some stairs.


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## Phaeton (30 Jun 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Another disguise used by thieves is to dress as a cyclist - helmet, hi-viz, messenger bag or backpack. If challenged as to why they are cutting a lock, they say they lost the key and are just releasing their own bike. As bikes aren't registered, there is no way to disprove this. Bit advanced for the average smackhead but ideal if you're stealing bikes to order.


Is this actually true, or just Fecesbook fake news?


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

I would assume the least common of theft equipment for stealing bikes overall. Presumably due to noise. They will get through any gold rated lock but you are more likely to get your bike stolen with a cable lock and less so with a gold standard bike lock. So to my mind if they were very common that would not be the case. Obviously some places they will be more common than others.


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## Anonymous1502 (30 Jun 2020)

Sharky said:


> Hi, you've asked a lot of questions on here but given very little feedback on why you are asking or what your conclusions are with the answers. A little more dialogue about your reasons will stimulate the threads more and I'm sure you will get more constructive replies.
> 
> A little more about yourself? What sort of cycling are you planning? are you a vegan? do you like guinea pigs?
> 
> Happy cycling


I have recently bought a road bike currently it is on my balcony but when i go to uni it will be Kept in a bike shed and a might sometimes be locked in the city briefly. I am really worried about bike theft so I want to educate myself on this matter.
I am a vegan and I like animals however I am not sure that it is relevant.


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## DSK (30 Jun 2020)

*Have you had a bike stolen* : Yes 
*What happened* : Walked home carrying the cut chain from college cursing the thieves.


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## Anonymous1502 (30 Jun 2020)

Randomnerd said:


> Tell us more. What bike do you ride? Where do you park it? Are you laying out big cash for an aero race job or commuting on your mum's shopper? What's your story, goldilocks?


I have a new road bike currently I keep it on my balcony but I will take it to uni in September and it will be Kept in a bike shed and perhaps round the city briefly.


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

Check out these guys for good information and education about bike security. https://securityforbikes.com/

I am afraid it won't be very reassuring but will give you a good idea what you are up against. Their D lock appears to be good and a reasonable price and you can purchase various different lengths of shackle which could be useful. Otherwise a New York Kryptonite type lock is a good choice for high risk locations. Although myself if I was leaving a bike in the city center I would purchase the cheapest and crappiest bike I could find.


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## vickster (30 Jun 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> I have recently bought a road bike currently it is on my balcony but when i go to uni it will be Kept in a bike shed and a might sometimes be locked in the city briefly. I am really worried about bike theft so I want to educate myself on this matter.
> I am a vegan and I like animals however I am not sure that it is relevant.


Have you researched insurance yet as your other posts?


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

Here a direct link to their D lock. https://securityforbikes.com/padlocks.php#dlock

https://securityforbikes.com/DIB-D-Locks.php

Interested to know what others make of this

The lock picking layer thought it was a good lock.


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## byegad (30 Jun 2020)

Pros steal to order. A late friend of mine lost his recumbent tandem trike to one. They broke into his garage, ignored about £15ks worth of folders, uprights, racers and a recumbent trike (solo), taking his tandem trike, worth about £5k. By the time it was discovered, the next morning, it would be miles away. Despite a hue and cry among the recumbent community, which is small and the recumbent tandem one smaller still, it never resurfaced. We suspected it had gone abroad.


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## rogerzilla (30 Jun 2020)

Phaeton said:


> Is this actually true, or just Fecesbook fake news?


https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/red-brompton.254544/#post-5776668


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## rogerzilla (30 Jun 2020)

lane said:


> Check out these guys for good information and education about bike security. https://securityforbikes.com/
> 
> I am afraid it won't be very reassuring but will give you a good idea what you are up against. Their D lock appears to be good and a reasonable price and you can purchase various different lengths of shackle which could be useful. Otherwise a New York Kryptonite type lock is a good choice for high risk locations. Although myself if I was leaving a bike in the city center I would purchase the cheapest and crappiest bike I could find.


I see they recommend the Restrap belt holster for D-locks. I actually have one but stopped using it when it was pointed out to me that falling on a mini-D strapped to the base of my spine would solve my bike security problem permanently, by paralysing me from the waist down.


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

OK. still find them good for bike security though.


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

However what interest me is that the lock below is claimed Motorcycle grade. But having that lock and the New York Forgetabout...

The New York lock the shackles are quite a bit thicker


*DIB D-Lock Suitability*
The SFB DIB-Series compact D-Locks are proper Motorcycle-grade D-Locks


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## rogerzilla (30 Jun 2020)

Doesn't "motorcycle grade" just mean "really heavy so you need a motorised vehicle to carry it"?


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## figbat (30 Jun 2020)

All this talk of super-mega-gold-diamond-titanium-rock-hard locks is irrelevant when they are used to secure your bike to mild steel street furniture...





You can bet the grinder went through each of these bars in seconds. I've also heard (anecdotally) that such frames may be pre-cut and have a sleeve or sticker placed over the cut so the rascals can come back and help themselves at will.

As for the noise and sparks, there are plenty of videos on FaceTube of motorbikes being nicked in broad daylight, watched by phone-wielding onlookers as the perps grind their way through whatever security is in place.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (30 Jun 2020)

Maybe, I wouldn't be carrying my Oxford chain too far, the disclock alarm has a beefy 16mm shackle


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

Don't think so

*Security Ratings/Approvals*
The SFB DIB D-Locks have the following approvals: Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold, Bicycle Gold, Quad/ATV Gold, Motor Scooter Gold and are also _Police Preferred Specification._ (Approvals are pending for the DIB-260.)


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

Yep I know someone who chained their bike to the railings with a good lock. Came back to find the railings cut.


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## Phaeton (30 Jun 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/red-brompton.254544/#post-5776668


Total conjecture that was why he was wearing it, for all you know he cycled there.


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## Drago (30 Jun 2020)

Johnno260 said:


> My friend had his expensive motorbike stolen, he had an anchor point in his parking spot wall, alarm and CCTV but the bike still was stole...


Yet he did nothing to protect the perimeter of his property, and once they're over the threshold they can work quietly and unobserved. That's a failure of planning by an amateur, not an illustration of "if they really want it theyll take it."


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## gavroche (30 Jun 2020)

The main reason I think is the lack of solution to the problem: there is no punishment when you catch the thief and no deterrent to make them think again. I have always been in favour of: cut one finger off for each theft. This would be a good deterrent and a thief would only have ten chances. It may sound harsh but society has gone far too soft nowadays and needs to toughen up a bit and care more about victims than law breakers.


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## classic33 (30 Jun 2020)

gavroche said:


> The main reason I think is the lack of solution to the problem: there is no punishment when you catch the thief and no deterrent to make them think again. I have always been in favour of: *cut one finger off for each theft.* This would be a good deterrent and a thief would only have ten chances. It may sound harsh but society has gone far too soft nowadays and needs to toughen up a bit and care more about victims than law breakers.


Angle grinder or bolt cutters?


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## Binka (30 Jun 2020)

I used to work on a university campus, the covered bike rack was off the street and very visible by the side of one of the entrances to one of the main buildings. A van pulled up in the middle of the day, 2 guys jumped out with angle grinders and within minutes had loaded 5-6 decent bikes in the van and were gone.


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## vickster (30 Jun 2020)

gavroche said:


> The main reason I think is the lack of solution to the problem: there is no punishment when you catch the thief and no deterrent to make them think again. I have always been in favour of: cut one finger off for each theft. This would be a good deterrent and a thief would only have ten chances. It may sound harsh but society has gone far too soft nowadays and needs to toughen up a bit and care more about victims than law breakers.


NHS hand surgeons are already rather overstretched without having to amputate criminal's fingers


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## vickster (30 Jun 2020)

@Anonymous1502 if you really are concerned, as has been said on your other threads, get a £30 hack bike for university and a decent lock


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> Yet he did nothing to protect the perimeter of his property, and once they're over the threshold they can work quietly and unobserved. That's a failure of planning by an amateur, not an illustration of "if they really want it theyll take it."



What do you suggest would be appropriate @Drago ? Secure gate, garage door additional security, bars at garage window, anchor point into concrete floor, sold secure gold chain, garage alarm? Anything else?


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## ColinJ (30 Jun 2020)

I was so traumatised that I can still remember the frame number of the stolen bike 51 years later - _*4867715*_!

(Yet I can't remember 10 hour bike rides from less than 5 years ago... )


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## Tripster (30 Jun 2020)

classic33 said:


> Angle grinder or bolt cutters?



Blunt Junior hacksaw with rust on the blade


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## rogerzilla (30 Jun 2020)

Phaeton said:


> Total conjecture that was why he was wearing it, for all you know he cycled there.


It's not my thread but, assuming it is accurate and three bikes were taken, it would take a Dominic Cummings-like stretch of credulity to believe anyone was so unlucky as to lose the keys for three locks.


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## DSK (30 Jun 2020)

Very common - only way you will get through a serious lock and make mince meat out of something less.

These were the tools of choice of motorcycle thieves and no doubt the regular thieves will just use these now as they are small, portable and they will use them to lash out at anyone who comes near them.


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## Johnno260 (30 Jun 2020)

Drago said:


> Yet he did nothing to protect the perimeter of his property, and once they're over the threshold they can work quietly and unobserved. That's a failure of planning by an amateur, not an illustration of "if they really want it theyll take it."



Well he lives in a terraced house with no access to the rear garden unless through the house.

He has a low wall and a front gate, the bike anchor was into his property as well, he did what he could with what he had.

Still highlights you can do an awful lot and still be stolen from.


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## vickster (30 Jun 2020)

lane said:


> What do you suggest would be appropriate @Drago ? Secure gate, garage door additional security, bars at garage window, anchor point into concrete floor, sold secure gold chain, garage alarm? Anything else?


Rabid tiger


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## Blue Hills (30 Jun 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> I see they recommend the Restrap belt holster for D-locks. I actually have one but stopped using it when it was pointed out to me that falling on a mini-D strapped to the base of my spine would solve my bike security problem permanently, by paralysing me from the waist down.


Yes a daft idea. Still see folk round london with locks in their pants though. Have the impression they think it looks cool, or maybe they get a buzz out of a certain imagined bdsm aesthetic.
Seem to remember that my aversion to hard bits of metal/locks draped on my body came from sage advice in a motorcycle book read when I used to ride vespas. (Dangerous enough themselves)


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## Profpointy (30 Jun 2020)

A friend of a friend had his garage broken into to steel his very well chained up bike and they cut the frame to nick it. Seemingly they were just after the (high quality) components more than the complete bike.


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## Profpointy (30 Jun 2020)

vickster said:


> NHS hand surgeons are already rather overstretched without having to amputate criminal's fingers



The trainees could do it for practice; no need for qualified people, or nurses, anethsetists or anything like that


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## lane (30 Jun 2020)

Profpointy said:


> The trainees could do it for practice; no need for qualified people, or nurses, anethsetists or anything like that



I think it would be possible to recruit and provide some rudimentary training to volunteers.


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## roley poley (30 Jun 2020)

gavroche said:


> The main reason I think is the lack of solution to the problem: there is no punishment when you catch the thief and no deterrent to make them think again. I have always been in favour of: cut one finger off for each theft. This would be a good deterrent and a thief would only have ten chances. It may sound harsh but society has gone far too soft nowadays and needs to toughen up a bit and care more about victims than law breakers.


unfortunately if they had 9 other offences to be taken in consideration we would all be left looking after them


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## Tripster (30 Jun 2020)

roley poley said:


> unfortunately if they had 9 other offences to be taken in consideration we would all be left looking after them



ok, leave them a couple of thumbs and take another limb instead 😈


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## raleighnut (30 Jun 2020)

As I've posted many years ago I'd bring back public stocks, a few days sitting in them would be a good deterrent for bike thieves and shoplifters.


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Jun 2020)

vickster said:


> Rabid tiger



Because they’d obviously ignore a placid tiger


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## Landsurfer (30 Jun 2020)

When cordless angle grinders first appeared all of our vans had one .... the amount of illegal clampers in Edinburgh that lost their clamps was amazing ......


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## Profpointy (30 Jun 2020)

lane said:


> I think it would be possible to recruit and provide some rudimentary training to volunteers.



I wouldn't go that far - maybe a twitter feed of suggestions from the public would more than suffice


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## Brandane (30 Jun 2020)

Sharky said:


> A little more about yourself? What sort of cycling are you planning? are you a vegan? do you like guinea pigs?


.........and why?


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Jun 2020)

Do guinea pigs carry angle grinders?


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## captain nemo1701 (1 Jul 2020)

Was working away from home, bike parked in bike shed at work, locked to Sheffield stand. Got a call on site that the bike shed had been broken into...you can guess the rest. Thieving scum climbed over 6ft wall/metal fence smashed door in & actually un-bolted the stands from the floor. Bike stands now have deadbolts. My bike was one of three nicked, they just took the stand, bike & lock. C***s


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## Sterlo (6 Aug 2020)

lane said:


> I think it would be possible to recruit and provide some rudimentary training to volunteers.


I had mine nicked from the garage 18 months back, I'd volunteer.


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## pawl (6 Aug 2020)

Many many years ago I had mine nicked from out side of the pub that Loughborough section of the CTC where we had are club room.Next day I had a call from the police to say it was at another pub and I could collect it from there 

Cops reckoned some scrout had used it to beat closing time which at that time was 10 PM


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## Bobario (6 Aug 2020)

I had one nicked from outside work. I was getting ready to go home when I heard a loud thumping noise from outside. When I went to get my bike someone had smashed the head of the lock off with a lump hammer. If I had been 5 minutes quicker I'd have caught them in the act. My bike was the only decent one in the bike rack, so it was the only one stolen. Since then I've ridden an old bso to work, which never gets cleaned but does get maintained. It looks like a smackheads bike but at least it's unlikely to be stolen.


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## Blue Hills (6 Aug 2020)

pawl said:


> Many many years ago I had mine nicked from out side of the pub that Loughborough section of the CTC where we had are club room.Next day I had a call from the police to say it was at another pub and I could collect it from there


A certain cchat member reckons his bike was stolen by the police.
(told me on a ride, not on here)
Sounds incredible but if he tells you the tale it could seem that it might be true.


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## pawl (6 Aug 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> A certain cchat member reckons his bike was stolen by the police.
> (told me on a ride, not on here)
> Sounds incredible but if he tells you the tale it could seem that it might be true.




If it was one of those sit up and beg jobbies that the local bobbies used to ride I can well believe it👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️


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## Blue Hills (6 Aug 2020)

pawl said:


> If it was one of those sit up and beg jobbies that the local bobbies used to ride I can well believe it👮‍♂️👮‍♂️👮‍♂️


no, was a rather special distinctive fast bike.
Can't say who it was.
a fair few on here will have met them.
They may amble past and tell the tale.


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## razabbs (6 Aug 2020)

A mountain bike a couple years ago. 
I got a puncture on the way to work so I quickly formulated a plan. I pushed/walked the bike for another mile or so and locked it up against a fence at a busy junction. At this junction is where my route joined with a bus route, so when I finished work I could walk back to my bike, unlock and jump on the bus to get home. So i locked the bike up, was concerned about the quick release seat, so I removed it and took it with me to work.

I ran the rest of the way to work and was just about on time. Anyway, I worked from 7-11am, walked back to my bike and it had been nicked. 

So yes, someone stole a very basic (shoot) mountain bike with a rear puncture, and no seat, between the hours of 7 and 11 in the morning


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## vickster (6 Aug 2020)

Maybe the owner of the fence?


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## wafter (6 Aug 2020)

Thankfully not. I only ever leave low-value bikes locked up, and even then with a decent Kryptonite D-lock and ideally within sight / not for long periods.


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## HMS_Dave (6 Aug 2020)

When dead head thieves steal mobility scooters, nothing is safe. It's sad but when considering a purchase of this type, you have to factor in potential losses... The only thing i hope is that i catch them in the act if mine were ever targeted so i can frisbee a fray bentos pie at them that i no longer eat because im slimming


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## Anonymous1502 (6 Aug 2020)

Bobario said:


> I had one nicked from outside work. I was getting ready to go home when I heard a loud thumping noise from outside. When I went to get my bike someone had smashed the head of the lock off with a lump hammer. If I had been 5 minutes quicker I'd have caught them in the act. My bike was the only decent one in the bike rack, so it was the only one stolen. Since then I've ridden an old bso to work, which never gets cleaned but does get maintained. It looks like a smackheads bike but at least it's unlikely to be stolen.


I am sorry that you have experienced this, bike thieves really have no decency.


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## Bobario (6 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> I am sorry that you have experienced this, bike thieves really have no decency.



It could have been worse, it could have been one of my more expensive ones. Though I still miss that bike as I really enjoyed riding it. I've never understood why cycle theft is so common, I mean they don't single out scooters, prams, pushchairs or skateboards but seem to make a beeline for bikes.


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## raleighnut (6 Aug 2020)

Bobario said:


> It could have been worse, it could have been one of my more expensive ones. Though I still miss that bike as I really enjoyed riding it. I've never understood why cycle theft is so common, I mean they don't single out scooters, prams, pushchairs or skateboards but seem to make a beeline for bikes.


easy cash unfortunately.


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