What are the best anti-theft tricks around?

[jaz]

I personaly wont leave my bike locked up anywhere I cant see it, the only time I do lock it is if I go out to get a takeaway from the chinese or the chip shop & even then I only lock it as they both have glass fronts on the shops so I can see the bike all the time Im in the shops.
Im so paranoid about my bike if I go out without it I will lock it too the cooker in my kitchen so if anyone breaks in they will have to cut the lock off somehow or try & steal the cooker as well
With my last bike I used to leave it outside the odd garage/shop if I needed a drink or something & if I didnt have a lock with me I would put it so I could see it from in the shop & then get a couple of coins & pull the brakes on full & jam a coin in the brake lever gap so if anyone did take the chance of trying to steal it they would find that the brakes were jammed on & that would give me enough time to run out & stop them riding off.
Its not a great anti theft device but it works well enough to let you leave the bike for a few seconds as if someone does jump on it they wont know why the brakes are jammed on & it gives you the time you need to run out & stick one on them..


As for if I have ever had a really nice bike stolen then yes I have.
I had just saved up & bought a brand new mountain bike which was very expensive for me at the time (about 1988/89 as I was still at school), it was a Look bike (dont know if this make still exists but it was quite a big make then) & it had a full Deore DX groupset which was very nice quality.
Being young & stupid I lent it to a friend when it was less than 2 weeks old for him to bike home, get something then return straight away with the promise he wouldnt let it out of his sight.
He returned hours later with some story that he biked back & left it outside a shop (which I told him not to do) to get something only to find it had been stolen, I never believed him tbh I think he sold it as he was an older boy who was allways in trouble with the police & soon after he stopped coming over.
I still cling to the hope I will see him again now & find a way to exact some well deserved revenge on him (what goes around comes around so they say)..

 

[hotlipsmc]

I had a bike partially stipped out the front of a busy building in broad daylight (It was secured with a U bolt, but nothing through the front wheel) So when I rebuilt it, I took a number of precautions.. I engraved the frame and all the removable parts with my name (I am not planning on selling this bike) I drilled out some of the critical allen key heads in the front head stem assembly, so that the front forks cannot be removed with out some serious perseverance. And I bought an additional lock for the front wheel. Four years later the bike is still with me.

I mean I think that most bikes are stolen for profit, so the key is to make resale value of your bike (to a potiental theif) as low as possible. Engraving is an exteme way of achieving this, but I believe it is a good deterent.

 

[J1S]

Buy a folding bike that can fold up and fit in a backpack to take with you. (I wouldnt advise doing any big drops with this bike).

 

[bcskiier]

i hardly ever leave my bike anywhere and if i do its where i can see it all the time, but most of the time when i have it out of the garage im at the MTB park and its safe around there

I tend to ride bikes that cause people to cross the street to avoid, never mind stealing them

 

[stinkycat]

I like the idea about the political stickers. I am sure if you had one that said something akin to "proud gay peddler" the bike would stay put. The down side is obvious though.
Chaining it up is the best thing IMO. A few times I have gone somewhere but forgot my lock. Then, if I had to go inside I made sure it was only for a very short time and that I could keep my eye on it. In addition, after parking it in the highest gear I would turn both shifters to the lowest position. Have you ever tried pedaling after doing that? My hope is the result will give me just enpough time to catch up. A variaton of this is to take the chain off the sprockets, again with the idea of delaying the culprit

 

[King Fisher]

I do not frequent stores that will not allow me to take my bike inside if I forgot my bike lock. If stores want my service they let me walk my bike along with me while I shop. I get a lot of anger and resentment from clerks, managers and owners, but I get my way most of the time. (it also helps that I only shop when I absolutely need to, and I usually spend over $50.oo each time I shop.) My bike is my only mode of transportation.

King Fisher

 

[createdtodestry]

if i have to go somewhere without my bike, i make sure i can see it at all times. i suggest taking off the front wheel and chaining the frame to something, and taking the wheel with you, cause who's gona steal a bike without a front wheel? once i saw 2 matching bikes without seats chained to a rack, im guessing they had the same thoughts, or someone stole their seats. if you have to leave your bike, chain it up on a rack with other bikes, and dont leave it in a spot with no other people around. also get a chain so you can wrap it through both wheels, the frame, seat rail, and possibly anything else, and add a few locks, try one that uses a key, and one that has a dial.

 

[alphabolt]

Now if wackyscientist can produce a bunch of GPS locators small enough to fit into the seat tube ...YEAH !

uh then again that wuld cost the same as my bike

 

[Snuffleupagus]

I like to make friends with stray pitbulls and then secure them to the bike.

It works only as long as potential thieves don't bring raw meat/milkbones with them

 

[chunkeesid]

There are a number of things you can do. these are from experience of having a spesh s works epic nicked from my garage at home and being a trained locksmith who got ****** one night.

1 Make sure your covered for the full value of the bike (including upgraded parts),keeping receipts and part numbers (sound anal? maybe.)

2 Photograph the bike in situ.

3 Hardened chains with hardened padlocks (and closed sectioned keys) secured through hardened anchors fitted to bothe the floor and wall. sounds like over kill but remember -the harder it is to lock up the harder it is to nick.

4 an alarm can work as a detterent (if only to alert you so you can get the bastards one on one with a piece of 2x4.

5 the second bike trick doesn't always work( they cut through my girlfriends bike which was chained to mine) lock individually with multiple locks all the same standard. the longer it takes the more likley they will get caught or give in.

6 if it gets nicked keep harrasing the cops, they'll get fed up and find it for you miraculously from one of their "sources".

7 fit a electronic id tag.. these are available in the uk at a cost of about £15 ($10) from a company called identifyuk . if the bike is traced its registered to you and you get it back. no questions.

8 chop the bastards hands of like they would in saudi.

 

[harrisgolf]

I'm in agreement. If someone wants it, they're gonna get. Just make sure you're in a position that if it is stolen, insurance buys you a brand new one with zero miles on it!!! Simple as that. That will keep you from having to go to ridiculous lengths to keep it tied up, possibly marring your paint job, etc. Do what you can within reason...if it happens, it happens. File a claim. The law forces you to have insurance, so use it to your advantage by making sure either your homeowners insurance or car insurance has a rider on it that covers such theft. If you don't own a house, or your bike is your car, then look into a policy for the bike itself if it's that valuable. It's probably only a couple bucks a month.

By the way, I loved the bear joke!!!

Jim

 

[peet9471]

Buy a descent clunker from a thrift store. Fix it up with a minimun amount of work. Ride it when there might be a problem or when it's raining. Carry a light chain with a shiny lock. Anything nice will get stolen. But this way you won't get too upset. And think of the experience you get working on bikes as a lobor of love.

 

[tyler_derden]

Rubber vomit left on the seat or handle bars, or plastic doggy-doo on the seat maybe?

TD

 

[William Henry]

Whenever I am riding i like to leave my friend cyclist14 with my bike and he does viceversa for me

 

[Lordjam]

Kill a bike thief and hang his mutilated body across your bike with a sign that reads "slow bike thief, how fast are you?".
Or if you hate blood and the police just draw a body shaped chalk line next to your bike with the words," last person that tried to steal my bike".
It would get my attention!

Anyone want to try steal my bike?

Or, disengage the brakes so that when the thief rides off at high speed into traffic... It won't stop stolen bikes, but it will reduce the number of bike thieves

 

[Dr.Q]

Now if wackyscientist can produce a bunch of GPS locators small enough to fit into the seat tube ...YEAH !

uh then again that wuld cost the same as my bike

i work at an electronic repar shop, i have beed working on a high voltage shock system that could fit inside your seat tube. which will charge your bike to around 25,000-100000 volts. runs off 2 9volt batterys. that should do the trick.

 

[jmitting]

I always used to use a chain and lock as good as I could afford but I knew I was always at the mercy of some goon with LARGE boltcutters. So when a friend and I walked out of a late study session and found boltcutters still hanging of his cable lock I was converted. I think they work because the cable tends to deform considerably before any cutting can happen unlike a chain which deforms minimally before cutting occurs. Another good anti theft trick is keeping a German Sheperd handy at all times, no bones and milk are going to distract that puppy.

 

[supreme being]

Anyone ever had thier best ever bike stolen? About a year ago I had one of the best bikes I've ever had stolen from me out of my own back yard. It was a bike that I built myself from used parts that started out as a just for fun project and ended up being the fastest bike I've ever had.

My question is how does someone keep posession of thier bike without huge chains, heavy "U" locks that can be picked with a ball point pen, a bike locker, or a private security guard?
King Fisher

Take your bike everywhere with you while you,re out (really great for upsetting shop security guards) and when at home forget the garden, the living room is the best place.

 

[Muddy Beast]

i just thought id like to say no matter were you put your bike locked or not someone might be stupid enough to steel it...for example the other day i saw a guy riden a bike and guess wat? he had a pair of dead bolt cutters around his neck but he was still riden the bike...and it was infront of a BANK...so like many people have alrdy said...it doesnt matter how you lock your bike up or were it is if someone wants it they'll take it...

*heres the kicker...the bike was a huffy....and a little rusted...LMAO!*

~Scott

 

[hawkwind dave]

carry a small deadly-poisonous snake with you, lock the bike and hang the snake over the handle bars. Preferably one of them bright green ones one always sees on telly.

might have to attach the snake somehow!