Current Bike Theft Danger

[PP100]

What is Bristol like for crime? I saw recently that it has the highest incidents of bike theft in the UK. I've also seen quite a few things randomly that made me think it has a crime problem? Probably just some random stuff giving me a force impression of the place.

These figures (below) are from last year and not surprisingly the highest bike theft areas are City of London (commuters as few people live there ) and Cambridge /Oxford (huge student populations and tradition of cycling) . Some others are London boroughs. Bristol didn't figure in the top ten -

Top 10 areas for bike thefts per person:

1. City of London

2. Cambridge

3. Oxford

4. Newport

5. Chichester

6. Warwick

7. Hackney

8. Hammersmith and Fulham

9. Camden

10. Westminster

Top 10 areas for bike theft in the UK

THE City of London and the university cities of Cambridge and Oxford are the worst in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for bicycle thefts, according to official data.

www.express.co.uk

 

[Michael Price]

Main problem with bikes is what you do with them when you are not riding them

Not a lot of point in paying loads of money on a carbon thingy to save a few grammes when you end up carrying a heavy locking device so it doesn;t get nicked while you are work!

The thing that needs to change is work places having properly secure bike areas with limited access

Also - the value of your bike is probably not massively relevant - the bike thieves are mostly numpties so the chances of them recognising the value of the bike is remote. They probably just take what they can get and sell it to someone else
The brains are with the someone else who will sort out value and work out whether to sell the bike for a few quid on Gumtree or sell it off as parts

 

[Nealh]

I shopped at my local Lidl last evening and locked my bike parallel with the Lidl advertising furniture, the front wheel lock looping around said furniture upright an back through the frame also a D lock through frame and rear wheel. When I came out of the store my bike was sitting at a 30 degree angle to the furniture nothing was missing but wondered at the time if someone might have thought about trying to nick it.

 

[RossG]

I shopped at my local Lidl last evening and locked my bike parallel with the Lidl advertising furniture, the front wheel lock looping around said furniture upright an back through the frame also a D lock through frame and rear wheel. When I came out of the store my bike was sitting at a 30 degree angle to the furniture nothing was missing but wondered at the time if someone might have thought about trying to nick it.

Maybe it just had a wobble on and slid a bit Neal unless it was tapped by a trolley or someone's arm.
I'm a firm believer in cycle alarms, as soon as your bike moves off it goes. I've set mine off accidently outside a store before and people came out to see what was going on, they definitely work.
On some very high end bikes they're fitting them as standard which is good to see.

 

[andrewelectricbike1]

UK customs aren't interested in the legality of such imports in my experience.

That would need customs to be joined up. To be fair they just seem to take the tax. It isn't illegal to own one over 250w. You just break the law if you ride it in public. Colin Furze has a jet powered bike and hasn't been pinged yet.

 

[Nealh]

Maybe it just had a wobble on and slid a bit Neal unless it was tapped by a trolley or someone's arm.
I'm a firm believer in cycle alarms, as soon as your bike moves off it goes. I've set mine off accidently outside a store before and people came out to see what was going on, they definitely work.
On some very high end bikes they're fitting them as standard which is good to see.

Not in this case the bike uses a bipod centre stand, to move the bike it needs to ne physically shifted.
I put my faith in two good cycle locks

 

[RossG]

Like me Neal two locks and a cable in my case, I reckon that lot weighs more than the bike...good job it's got a motor

 

[joelectric]

Who are you talking about?
If you meant Stark Bikes, you are converting the US Dollar very badly to UK pounds.....why?
Do remember, that only one of the offered Bikes is fully legal in the UK and Europe, the one with the 250 Watt motor, for US$399.
Though it might be possible to get one of the others "downgraded" motor wise........
I just checked online US$ to UK Pound, and a $399 bike, works out to be £320,96, without transport and import dues......
That happens to be the exact one I bought in 2017.
I got most of the extras and paid with everything around €930, or £839,79!
Till now, other than a heavy rain shower, that needed drying the throttle out in my lounge, no problems whatsoever!
Prices have increased since 2017, but not by the amount you mention or believe!!
Andy
PS for anyone who is an adequate DIYer, they are an excellent purchase, see here:- https://starkdrive.bike/

Talking about theft, I think you were robbed also Andy if you paid £839 for one of those bikes.

 

[nigelbb]

I shopped at my local Lidl last evening and locked my bike parallel with the Lidl advertising furniture, the front wheel lock looping around said furniture upright an back through the frame also a D lock through frame and rear wheel. When I came out of the store my bike was sitting at a 30 degree angle to the furniture nothing was missing but wondered at the time if someone might have thought about trying to nick it.

More likely someone bumped it with a full trolly.

 

[sjpt]

For towing naughty children.

 

[Nealh]

More likely someone bumped it with a full trolly.

I can't see how, it was parked parallel tight up against Street furniture signboard.

 

[Gavin]

I can't see how, it was parked parallel tight up against Street furniture signboard.

Although this is worrying Nealh, the fact that you've still got the bike means that you've made the right security decisions and beaten the thieving b@stards!

 

[Nealh]

This is the first time I have had cause to think about possible tampering/theft of a bike.
Though there are some low life's who use and hang around the lidl/Iceland stores where I visit. Two good locks beats a crappy siren/alarm.

 

[Gavin]

In motorcycle circles, a bike cover is considered an effective deterrent.

 

[RossG]

A few years ago on a visit to B&Q I was on my old Ridgeback MTB and I locked it up in their bike stand using a huge thick chain lock. When I came out of the store the bike was still there ok but two small children were messing around with the ancient gear levers on the bars probably fascinated by the shape & design of them.
I'd have given them a clip round the ears but their father was hovering around so I had to grin and bear it.
That's where an alarm comes into play, it would have started screeching and their father would have told them to leave it alone.
No harm done anyway but still a very loud alarm is a good deterrent against anyone who wants to risk hanging around attempting to force a lock open, it attracts attention so passers by tend to look and take notice.
A small alarm you can hide under your seat costs around £12, they're rechargeable and have their own remote control, they even have a built in very bright rear light.

 

[PP100]

I once left my locked non E Bike outside a small local Tesco - there was a dodgy character (all too common in London) hanging around outside I barely noticed before I went in .
I expected to be (and was ) only 3/4 minutes inside the shop and when I came back to the bike it was obvious someone had had a quick look inside my pannier bag - as the flap was left open in a way that couldnt have been accidental.
SO now I always unclip and take my pannier bag with me when popping in a shop - the bike may be relatively secure in that time but chancers are around who will hope to knick whatever of value that you carry around .
I imagine some pannier bags are quite expensive and have some resale value on the black market - they will knick anything for a few pounds - specially if they have a drug habit. but mine are cheap and the missing bag would have been obvious when you return to it.

 

[PP100]

Clever. The bike itself is the lock. Cut the lock and you render the bike useless to ride. Hopefully it never jams though.

YERKA®: Commuter Urban Bikes | Integrated Theft-Proof Lock

World's First Theft-Proof Bike. Design, Safety & Usability. Shipping to all Europe. Shop Online

yerkabikes.com

 

[PP100]

Oh dear.

 

[BazP]

A few years ago on a visit to B&Q I was on my old Ridgeback MTB and I locked it up in their bike stand using a huge thick chain lock. When I came out of the store the bike was still there ok but two small children were messing around with the ancient gear levers on the bars probably fascinated by the shape & design of them.
I'd have given them a clip round the ears but their father was hovering around so I had to grin and bear it.
That's where an alarm comes into play, it would have started screeching and their father would have told them to leave it alone.
No harm done anyway but still a very loud alarm is a good deterrent against anyone who wants to risk hanging around attempting to force a lock open, it attracts attention so passers by tend to look and take notice.
A small alarm you can hide under your seat costs around £12, they're rechargeable and have their own remote control, they even have a built in very bright rear light.

I agree that an alarm can be an asset but it also needs a good lock.
When I had my bike stolen it had an alarm under the seat and a rather poor cable lock on it. A witness said that the thief bent down as if to tie his shoe laces and cut through the lock in about 3 seconds. I ran out of the shop and could hear the alarm going off as the thief rode off. Presumably he disabled it at the first opportunity.
We can put locks etc. on our bikes but what is really worrying is the current trend of gangs robbing solo cyclists, sometimes at knife point, as happened recently on the TPT In Sheffield.

 

[RossG]

I suppose you have to view the whole bike lock scenario realistically. We all know there is no such thing as a lock you can't cut through given the right equipment and enough time.
If those bolt cutters in that video were ten foot long with heavy steel bars they would chop through solid tungsten easily enough, of course most bike thieves don't carry bolt cutters that long. Also the real top quality cutters can cost £400 or more and from what I've heard and seen villains tend to throw them away having done the deed for a quicker getaway. I always extol the virtues of an alarm for what it is, a noise making device to alert. Of course it won't stop a determined thief who will just ignore it but it's still another weapon in the arsenal of crime prevention.
I'm still a bit surprised when you see alarms fitted to all cars, most new motorbikes even pushchairs and mobility scooters yet cyclists are seem on the uptake. I reckon the day will come when all new bikes are fitted with alarms just as they are reflectors.