Question to anyone who has had a bike nicked....

[Mr Gear]

Were you surprised the thieves managed it?

In other words, were you cursing your own stupidity at buying such a cheap lock, or were you thinking "what more could I possibly have done?"

[pembo]

The lock was fine but not enough for the person with bolt croppers, they were through it pretty damned quickly but my only other option would be lugging around a huge motorbike chain which just isn't practical.

The annoying part was the OH leaves her bike there every day and so does her boss but I leave mine there for 20 mins and it's gone, not the most expensive bike in the world and pretty old but replacing it is going to be a pain and an expense I didn't need.

[Mr Gear]

The thing is, you don't need an expensive bike for it to appeal to thieves. Even a lump of 15 year old pig iron from Halfords can be sold on ebay for the price of a bag of crack, so everything is a target.... as you sadly found out.

The reason I ask this question is because I KNOW I need a new lock, but how much should one spend and could it ever guarantee you security?

Edited by Mr Gear on Friday 28th October 16:20

[ShredderXLE]

No lock will ever guanrantee security.......all it will do is cause differing degrees of delay. A determined thief will just end up damaging the bike beyond repair if they cant get the lock off and have enough time. So you lose out what ever happens.

[bigandclever]

Years ago I had my Commencal nicked from a (supposedly) secure Government office over the course of a weekend. They clambered down a 12 foot wall into a locked undergroud carpark, removed the kryptonite chain and the (can't remember the brand but it was a gold sold secure) D-lock, and dragged the bike back up the wall, all the while avoiding the gaze of the security cameras. There was feck all more I could've done, short of keeping the bike in the office - and when I got the replacement that's exactly what I did.

1700quid down the drain because: my house contents insurance didn't cover outside the home; the government building's insurance didn't cover it because, incredibly, they weren't insured at weekends; the 'insurance' for the bike locks didn't cover it because the locks (specifically) weren't damaged.

[metalsteve]

No lock is ever going to be 100% secure, if someone wants your bike they'll get it.

However, if you want a very tuff chain take a look at the almax imobilser series chains coupled with a squire stronghold lock. They're not cheap and not really portable but are about the best you can get.

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/

This is a photo i took of one of the links of my series 3 chain to give an idea of size.

[anonymous-user]

I have had 2 pinched over the years from mainline train station.

1st, I left the bike there for a weekend. Sometime over the weekend the whole rack was removed from the station without anybody seeing a thing! I couldnt have avoided that one.
2nd, this year, 2 good D locks, in front of a CCTV camera. Bike gone, CCTV images were not good enough to identify anything! I suspect they were not studied as it went over a 24hour period, I think they only look if the incident time is quite specific...

Both insured & the company paid up with no hassle, so not too concerned...

[Pothole]

I was thinking 'the bds' then I was thinking 'They'll not do that again in a hurry' after I saw someone riding it a couple days later, ran them off the road in the car, kicked them in the bks and took it back.

[bean455]

I had my pride and joy stolen from Residents secure Bicycle park under lock and key,video surveillance and bicycle chain.If they want it,you must make it rally hard for them not to bother.Worse thing for me,it was only 2 months after my MV AGUSTA was stolen!
I have since moved from the Bay!!!!!

[Mr Gear]

Pothole said:

I was thinking 'the bds' then I was thinking 'They'll not do that again in a hurry' after I saw someone riding it a couple days later, ran them off the road in the car, kicked them in the bks and took it back.

[Pothole]

Mr Gear said:

Pothole said:

I was thinking 'the bds' then I was thinking 'They'll not do that again in a hurry' after I saw someone riding it a couple days later, ran them off the road in the car, kicked them in the bks and took it back.

to be fair I was 27 and he was about 13 so I felt a bit guilty, but there was no comeback. Small town, nothing was nicked from our street the rest of the time I lived there. I was powerfully built back then of course!

[Mr Gear]

Pothole said:

to be fair I was 27 and he was about 13 so I felt a bit guilty, but there was no comeback. Small town, nothing was nicked from our street the rest of the time I lived there. I was powerfully built back then of course!

Company director?

[KrazyIvan]

Mr Gear said:

Pothole said:

to be fair I was 27 and he was about 13 so I felt a bit guilty, but there was no comeback. Small town, nothing was nicked from our street the rest of the time I lived there. I was powerfully built back then of course!

Company director?

No teenager, didnt you read it all.

Yes had 2 nicked, one when I was a paper boy, bike had to be left at the end of the drive (gravel drive and the owner complained of the noise) 2nd was out of my garage, they pulled the door of so not really much I could have done about that either.

[yellowjack]

Eldest came back from Uni tonight. Met him at the station and gave him and his bike a lift home. "Look at this, dad" says he. "WTF?" says I. His (admittedly only Bronze level) ABUS lock is cut halfway through. He left the bike outside a shop in Southsea/Portsmouth for a matter of minutes and comes out to find a bloke in the act of cutting through the lock with bolt-cutters. Luckily, upon being challenged, the twunt left, and son still has his bike. In this day and age, it was probably wise for him not to intervene further, but I'd have been inclined to shove the thief's tools up his RRRRs. This on top of having 2 bikes nicked from a bike park outside the main pool complex at CentreParcs' Elvedon Forest complex a couple of years back is slowly destroying my faith in both human nature and law and order. How the Feck does anyone get away with strolling around our streets with a massive pair of bolt cutters in full view in broad daylight?

Be paranoid, buy the biggest/toughest lock you can afford/carry, and even then, never take your eyes off your pride and joy. I don't know how this helps in respect of the OP, but finding this thread was a massive coincidence on the very night my son NEARLY had his PAJ knicked

[The Moose]

To be totally honest with you, I don't bother with any of that - that is what my insurance policy is for.

Ok, so I don't park it up and leave it somewhere stupid, but I also won't lug some fk off chain about with me for the reason that no lock will ever secure it properly anyway and anything can get through pretty damn quickly!

[Gooby]

The Moose said:

To be totally honest with you, I don't bother with any of that - that is what my insurance policy is for.

!

I will be fooked if I will let anyone get away with pride and joy without a damn good fight.

Mine was stolen from my garage. I have a security roller door and the bike was locked to the wall. The door is ment to be "lever proof"but they were so vicious that the door broke (£1.5k). The locks were only small, deterrent things and wer cut with bolt cutters.

The police couldnt think of anything more I could do to secure the bikes. Rubbish!
The bottom of the door now goes into a recessed steel lined channel so levers can not be put under the door. There is a really loud alarm, you need ear defenders and the bikes are secured with 2 ground anchors each and I use a motorbike chain.

And they are insured....

[GreatGranny]

I never lock any of mine outside. At work we have an indoor secure area which is within the building. At home they are in the garage but TBH its a very low crime area. My eldest has left her 6 month old Decathlon MTB outside the house on several occasions and its still been there in the moorning. Even the scrap men knock on your door to ask if they can take the junk I had put on the driveway at the weekend.

[Gooby]

GreatGranny said:

I never lock any of mine outside. At work we have an indoor secure area which is within the building. At home they are in the garage but TBH its a very low crime area. My eldest has left her 6 month old Decathlon MTB outside the house on several occasions and its still been there in the moorning. Even the scrap men knock on your door to ask if they can take the junk I had put on the driveway at the weekend.

My buddy lives in one of the most prestigious postcodes in the country. His bike has been nicked twice. Seems the professionals follow you home from a ride, wait for a while then nick it. The last time it was well locked so the stole the front of the bike. Bars, brakes, shifters etc...

Lock em or loose em...
or lock em and loose part of them...

[Mr Gear]

Gooby said:

My buddy lives in one of the most prestigious postcodes in the country. His bike has been nicked twice. Seems the professionals follow you home from a ride, wait for a while then nick it. The last time it was well locked so the stole the front of the bike. Bars, brakes, shifters etc...

Lock em or loose em...
or lock em and loose part of them...

To be honest, I live in an extremely expensive postcode for house-prices, but this makes house and vehicle crime even worse as it attracts thieves to an area to pinch fancy cars and bikes.

My parents live in a rural area with low house prices and you can leave the front door open for a week and nothing will go missing.

[poprock]

A few years ago I had a bike nicked from the landing outside my flat. Secure entry to the communal stairway doesn’t mean a thing when your neighbours phone a takeaway and the delivery guy is a thief.