bicycle electronic tagging

[Jinx]

The innovations catalogue is selling a transponder that can be inserted into a bike seat tube to
enable the police to identify a stolen bike's owner if it is recovered. At only £11.99 it seems
cheap enough but what do the rest of you think. I would worry that the thief would simply take the
transponder out of any bike they have stolen

Details can be seen on the Innovations web site at www.innovations.co.uk and search for product
number MN5652

 

[Huw Pritchard]

On Tue, 18 Feb 2003 09:51:50 +0000, jinx did issue forth:

> The innovations catalogue is selling a transponder that can be inserted into a bike seat tube to
> enable the police to identify a stolen bike's owner if it is recovered. At only £11.99 it seems
> cheap enough but what do the rest of you think. I would worry that the thief would simply take the
> transponder out of any bike they have stolen
>
> Details can be seen on the Innovations web site at www.innovations.co.uk and search for product
> number MN5652

I've got a Datatag, which is the same sort of idea. The transponder has plastic fins designed to
allow you to push it into the seat tube easily, but it gets lodged once it's in there, making it
virtually impossible to remove.

Of course, these are only useful if the Police actually recover your bike.

--
Huw Pritchard Replace bounce with huw to reply by mail

 

[Pete Biggs]

jinx wrote:
> The innovations catalogue is selling a transponder that can be inserted into a bike seat tube to
> enable the police to identify a stolen bike's owner if it is recovered. At only £11.99 it seems
> cheap enough but what do the rest of you think.

Not a bad idea.

Also see: http://www.bikeregister.com/

> I would worry that the thief would simply take the transponder out of any bike they have stolen

Most bike theives don't know much about bikes and probably wouldn't bother searching that hard, so
you could put it or additional ones somewhere unusual (inside bike frame or a component) or epoxy it
in place. ...Trouble is, the police don't know much about bikes either!

~PB

 

[Danny Colyer]

jinx wrote:
> Details can be seen on the Innovations web site at www.innovations.co.uk and search for product
> number MN5652

My main bike's Datatagged ( http://www.datatag.co.uk/ ). So was my motorbike.

I'd be inclined to stick with Datatag simply because it's a well known brand whereas I've never
heard of Stoptheft. But they both ought to do the job, and both come with stickers that make it
obvious to a thief that the bike is tagged.

The Stoptheft kit doesn't mention the option to etch your security number anywhere though. I can't
think of many places to etch a number on most bikes - I've got my Datatag number etched onto the
seat and the rear dynamo light on my bent.

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( http://www.juggler.net/danny ) Recumbent cycle page:
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/ "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -
Thomas Paine

 

[Jeremy Parker]

> The innovations catalogue is selling a transponder that can be inserted into a bike seat tube

The policeman who came and talked to Barnet Cyclists said, postcode it instead. That's what
police look for.

Jeremy Parker

 

[Graeme Dods]

Jeremy Parker <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> The policeman who came and talked to Barnet Cyclists said, postcode it instead. That's what police
> look for.

Yes, I love the idea of some heavy handed plod stamping my postcode somewhere on my aluminium frame
:-\ I'll stick with DataTag, at least I can update the details on that when I move rather than being
stuck with one incorrect postcode.

Have fun!

Graeme

 

[Geraint Jones]

[email protected] (Graeme Dods) wrote: ( Yes, I love the idea of some heavy handed plod stamping my
postcode ) somewhere on my aluminium frame :-\

You could always postcode it yourself.

( I'll stick with DataTag, at least ) I can update the details on that when I move rather than being
stuck ( with one incorrect postcode.

Good grief, someone rich enough to contemplate moving oftener than he wears out a frame.

 

[J-P.S]

On 20 Feb 2003 11:57:27 -0000, Geraint Jones scrawled: ) Good grief, someone rich enough to
contemplate moving oftener ) than he wears out a frame.

Or poor enough, for that matter. How long do your frames last? How many fingers am I holding up?

J-P
--
If you try to imagine something like a gay version of Cheers where they serve consecrated tawny Port
rather than beer, you'll be almost there, except that St. ****'s is not so churchy.

 

[Geraint Jones]

J-P <[email protected]> asked: ( How long do your frames last?

Er, hard to tell. I've had one stolen forgot one in a garage when we moved office (it's now the
Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, if anyone finds a Connaught Green BSA still in the
garage there) and had one accidentally walled up in the basement of the present office. One did fall
apart on me; I decided too much of it needed welding or replacing and scrapped it, but it wasn't new
when I acquired it. I'm not sure I have sufficient data there.

( How many ) fingers am I holding up?

Good grief, you mean you have fingers somewhere on that thing?

 

[Ian Walker]

On Thu, 20 Feb 2003 13:01:29 +0000 (UTC), j-p.s <[email protected]> wrote:

> On 20 Feb 2003 11:57:27 -0000, Geraint Jones scrawled: ) Good grief, someone rich enough to
> contemplate moving oftener ) than he wears out a frame.
>
> Or poor enough, for that matter. How long do your frames last? How many fingers am I holding up?
>

It's not necessarily a question of wearing out frames. It's just that cyclists' other halves
understand buying new houses before the old one breaks but can't apply the same principle to bikes.
For some reason.

Ian

--
Ian Walker Remove the yummy paste in my address to reply. Homepage: http://www.drianwalker.com

 

[J-P.S]

On 20 Feb 2003 13:36:18 -0000, Geraint Jones scrawled: ) ( How many ) ) fingers am I holding up? ) )
Good grief, you mean you have fingers somewhere on that thing?

"MY OTHER BIKE IS OPPOSABLE."

J-P
--
The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary: he is poor company at dinner parties.

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On 20 Feb 2003 13:36:18 -0000, [email protected] (Geraint Jones) wrote:

>(it's now the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, if anyone finds a Connaught Green BSA
>still in the garage there)

Nice colour - my very first car, a Mini van, was Connaught Green

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

[Geraint Jones]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote: ( On 20 Feb 2003 13:36:18 -0000,
[email protected] ) (Geraint Jones) wrote: ( >(it's now the Wellcome Institute
for the History of ) >Medicine, if anyone finds a Connaught Green BSA still in the garage ( >there)
) ( Nice colour - my very first car, a Mini van, was Connaught Green

So was my father's 1100, which was written off while I was driving it. A Volvo coming the other way
unexpectedly tried to park on the back seat, taking my door pillar with it -- fortunately I wasn't
wearing my seat-belt.

That is how I came to have enough Connaught Green touch-up paint to do a whole bike (and a
wonky spine).

"Why would you need touch-up paint to do a wonky spine?" you are asking.

 

[Just Zis Guy]

Geraint Jones wrote:

> "Why would you need touch-up paint to do a wonky spine?" you are asking.

One step ahead as always ;-)

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104