How to booby trap a bike?

>I want to fix a bike so that a thief would be able to grab it and ride
> it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail, and I would be
> in position to photograph the event and report the attempted theft
> without losing the bike. I work near an alternative school. A lot of
> us ride our bikes to work, and a few hoodlums are always hanging
> around, and several of us have lost our bikes. I don't want to hurt
> anyone, or to dis alternative school students, but if I could nail one
> thief, I bet the problem would go away. I've thought of pushing a
> chain pin almost all the way out, or doing something with a tire
> valve, but I can't think of anything that would give a predictable
> failure after a minute or so. On a car this would be easy!
>
> Any thoughts?

If you're expecting to have something hold up with the police department,
you can forget about it. Leaving a bike unlocked *and* sabotaged... you're
not only talking entrapment, but also liability if someone does get hurt.

"Hoodlums" generally don't have the tools or expertise to steal bikes that
have been locked reasonably well. If you don't like carrying a heavy lock or
chain, don't carry it. Just leave it at the rack.

--Mike--
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com

On Sep 22, 10:32 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> >I want to fix a bike so that a thief would be able to grab it and ride
> > it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail, and I would be
> > in position to photograph the event and report the attempted theft
> > without losing the bike. I work near an alternative school. A lot of
> > us ride our bikes to work, and a few hoodlums are always hanging
> > around, and several of us have lost our bikes. I don't want to hurt
> > anyone, or to dis alternative school students, but if I could nail one
> > thief, I bet the problem would go away. I've thought of pushing a
> > chain pin almost all the way out, or doing something with a tire
> > valve, but I can't think of anything that would give a predictable
> > failure after a minute or so. On a car this would be easy!
>
> > Any thoughts?
>
> If you're expecting to have something hold up with the police department,
> you can forget about it. Leaving a bike unlocked *and* sabotaged... you're
> not only talking entrapment, but also liability if someone does get hurt.
>
> "Hoodlums" generally don't have the tools or expertise to steal bikes that
> have been locked reasonably well. If you don't like carrying a heavy lock or
> chain, don't carry it. Just leave it at the rack.
>
> --Mike--
> Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com

OK. as I said, I only want the bike to stop going. I don't want to
hurt anyone. I live in a very bike-friendly town (not in US), and I
think the local police would be happy to nail a bike thief even if the
bike was not properly locked up. Everyone rides bikes here, and not
everyone is thorough about locking up.
Rob

<[email protected]> wrote: I want to fix a bike so that a thief
would be able to grab it and ride
> it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail, and I would be in
> position to photograph the event and report the attempted theft without
> losing the bike. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You're dreaming. First of all, you would have to hang out until the thief
shows up. This could be days, weeks, or maybe never. Second, even if you
could make the bike fail predictably, there is no way to know what injuries
coulod result. Suppose the guy is pedalling through traffic, and suddenly
loses propulsion. Suppose he's really PUSHING on a pedal and the chain
breaks.

As Mike suggested, lock your bike. BTW, Mike, entrappment would involve
inducing the person to commit a crime that he would not otherwise have
committed. But you're certainly right about the liability if the thief got
hurt.

>> If you're expecting to have something hold up with the police department,
>> you can forget about it. Leaving a bike unlocked *and* sabotaged...
>> you're
>> not only talking entrapment, but also liability if someone does get hurt.
>>
>> "Hoodlums" generally don't have the tools or expertise to steal bikes
>> that
>> have been locked reasonably well. If you don't like carrying a heavy lock
>> or
>> chain, don't carry it. Just leave it at the rack.
>>
>> --Mike--
>> Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com
>
> OK. as I said, I only want the bike to stop going. I don't want to
> hurt anyone. I live in a very bike-friendly town (not in US), and I
> think the local police would be happy to nail a bike thief even if the
> bike was not properly locked up. Everyone rides bikes here, and not
> everyone is thorough about locking up.

Unless you have something on the bike that broadcasts a warning to the thief
that it's about to suddenly stop, it's hard to imagine *not* hurting (or at
least having the potential to hurt) someone.

What you need is something that somehow progressively makes the bike
ever-more-difficult to pedal, so that, by the time they got 50 feet, even
superman couldn't keep it going. But how?

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

> As Mike suggested, lock your bike. BTW, Mike, entrappment would involve
> inducing the person to commit a crime that he would not otherwise have
> committed.

But if the crime wouldn't have happened if it had been locked?

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
"Leo Lichtman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
>
>
> <[email protected]> wrote: I want to fix a bike so that a thief
> would be able to grab it and ride
>> it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail, and I would be in
>> position to photograph the event and report the attempted theft without
>> losing the bike. (clip)
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> You're dreaming. First of all, you would have to hang out until the thief
> shows up. This could be days, weeks, or maybe never. Second, even if you
> could make the bike fail predictably, there is no way to know what
> injuries coulod result. Suppose the guy is pedalling through traffic, and
> suddenly loses propulsion. Suppose he's really PUSHING on a pedal and the
> chain breaks.
>
> As Mike suggested, lock your bike. BTW, Mike, entrappment would involve
> inducing the person to commit a crime that he would not otherwise have
> committed. But you're certainly right about the liability if the thief
> got hurt.
>

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I want to fix a bike so that a thief would be able to grab it and ride
> it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail,

Open the rear quick-release skewer (or loosen the locknuts if no
quick-release) ?
Pedal pressure will shift the tire to rub against the chainstay.

- Skip

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] writes:

> I don't want to hurt
> anyone, or to dis alternative school students, but if I could nail one
> thief, I bet the problem would go away.

The problem won't go away. You might as well try to
dig a hole in water.

If bike theft is a problem, the best thing is for you
and your peers to all get together and collectively
research means & strategies to avoid being victimized
in the first place. That may include petitioning your
organization to provide or allow indoor/secure bike
parking, or up-scaling current security measures.

"A few" hoodlums is easily dealt-with by anyone with a
kicked-off fence picket, a pair of Dayton Black Beauties,
cajones and the willingness to apply 'em all. Remember
that ol' movie: "The Incident"? Artistic subterfuge,
like diplomacy, is wasted on so-called "hoodlums," who
only appreciate the direct approach.

Your choices are:

a: better protect your bikes
b: get rid of the hoodlums.
c: all of the above

None of which will be 100% effective in the long run.

That's just how it is.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I want to fix a bike so that a thief would be able to grab it and ride
> it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail,

Just about any 'Made In China' bike purchased from WalMart
should do that.

[email protected] wrote:
> I want to fix a bike so that a thief would be able to grab it and ride
> it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail, and I would be
> in position to photograph the event and report the attempted theft
> without losing the bike. I work near an alternative school. A lot of
> us ride our bikes to work, and a few hoodlums are always hanging
> around, and several of us have lost our bikes. I don't want to hurt
> anyone, or to dis alternative school students, but if I could nail one
> thief, I bet the problem would go away. I've thought of pushing a
> chain pin almost all the way out, or doing something with a tire
> valve, but I can't think of anything that would give a predictable
> failure after a minute or so. On a car this would be easy!
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Rob
>

I kinda like a couple ounces of explosive and a small radio-operated
detonator built into the saddle, but that's just me.
~

>> I want to fix a bike so that a thief would be able to grab it and ride
>> it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail, and I would be
>> in position to photograph the event and report the attempted theft
>> without losing the bike. I work near an alternative school. A lot of

Fixed gear, no brakes? SO I'vew heard, anyway. And it's a legitimate bike
(except maybe for the no brakes part).

Say, weren't you trolling for Fox TV earlier?

--
mac the naïf

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I want to fix a bike so that a thief would be able to grab it and ride
> it like a hundred feet, and then it would somehow fail, and I would be
> in position to photograph the event and report the attempted theft
> without losing the bike. I work near an alternative school. A lot of
> us ride our bikes to work, and a few hoodlums are always hanging
> around, and several of us have lost our bikes. I don't want to hurt
> anyone, or to dis alternative school students, but if I could nail one
> thief, I bet the problem would go away. I've thought of pushing a
> chain pin almost all the way out, or doing something with a tire
> valve, but I can't think of anything that would give a predictable
> failure after a minute or so. On a car this would be easy!
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Rob
>

Press a pin in the chain most of the way out. It shouldn't get far before
the chain breaks.