Repeated Seat Theft - Advice?

[henchman21]

Many times thugs and punks steal the seats simpily for fun, as they know it will make your day more difficult.
I would reccomend buying a quick realease seat and taking it with you in a backpack or sachel.

 

[Catsyo]

it's so stupid how people will just steal a bike seat for no reason. I heard about a study someone did awhile back that pointed out that most people on the street wouldn't do anything to stop bike related thefts. I guess it's because a lot of people don't consider bikes to be expensive or something. it makes me paranoid to get a nicer bike but I guess I'll get over it.

I'd definitely go with the quick release seat and carry it with you method. it has the added benefit of deterring the theft of your entire bike since it makes it harder to ride. it's also probably easier than having it welded to the seat. carrying your seat inside your bag probably isn't that inconvenient.

 

[Jerome S]

No matter how much you try to make your stuff secure the thieves will always get them if they really want it. Avoid areas which are known for high incidences of theft and try to avoid night time riding since the bad guys are usually on the prowl at the time.

 

[kylerlittle]

I don't think it's that bad.

 

[dc31]

Have you looked into buying a GPS tracking device? Decent battery powered ones can be found for less than $40. Hide it under the seat somehow(out of sight!) and catch the *******.

I'm not quite sure if I'd want to meet the average bike thief... In all seriousness the cheapest way to avoid getting your seat stolen is to make it look undesirable (e.g. sticky, smells bad, looks 20 years old). Alternatively you could leave your bike in an area where you are confident someone would stop a bike thief.

 

[egrocket]

This is crazy to me! I have never heard of someone having their seat stolen multiple times. Have you seen the seats that have a hole in them for a lock? that would obviously be helpful for you, but I'm not sure about the quality of the seat. I know eBay sells though, but again, not sure about quality. You should look there.

 

[vesterholt]

I made it through the season with no additional thefts. I think the lime green seat I ended up choosing worked out fine. I was discussing it with my boss, who is a pretty avid cyclist and he suggested epoxying razor blades under the seat, which I found to be hilarious.

 

[Corzhens]

I'm not trying to be funny but I wonder why the thief would steal the saddle. Why not the bike? I guess it is because of the chain and lock. Over here, it is unimaginable to lose a saddle for the simple reason that it cannot be sold easily. Like a side mirror of a car, it is easy to sell hence it is a hot item for thieves. But with bike saddles, maybe the thieves would just take the bike.

 

[moneyman]

Mine is tightened so hard that it would need some serious force to remove it without anyone noticing.

 

[Susimi]

What sort of degenerate moron do you have to be to steal someone's bike seat? Bloody idiots.

I recommend to anyone and everyone what moneyman said above, tighten it so it takes some serious effort to remove that will undoubtedly cause some attention. That or try and mod it so that it does up with a star screw or something similar that is not all that common to come across.

 

[mpre53]

Over-tightening the seat clamp can damage the seat post. Here's the best way----either take the whole post and saddle, or just the saddle, with you. It doesn't take that long to re-attach it, it's nowhere near as big a pain in the ass as it is to ride without a saddle.