For this weeks Comment Friday it’s time to revisit a deep and repressed memory! Bike Theft! Have you had it happen to you and if so what happened?
I remember well my bike being stolen outside college. I returned from my class, walked to the bike shed and it just wasn’t there. At first I was completely stumped and even started to wonder if I had actually cycled that day. Looking back it’s no surprise it was taken. It had a cheap £10 lock attached to just the front wheel. I wasn’t saddened by the monetary value of it (an old mountain bike) but more the fact suddenly I didn’t have my beloved bike to get me home. I talked to the security about any footage of the theft happening but they had nothing. Defeated, I took the bus to get home.
Share your bike theft experiences in the comments..
Important reads:
- How to lock your bike
- How to make your bike less attractive to thieves
- Unconventional ways of preventing your bike from being stolen
- Bicycle insurance
Image via Barry Pousman
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As seen on The Guardian, BBC and The Independent.
Yes! Two in the last 2 years.
1) 2009. A light blue Dahon 3 speed folder that I imported from the Netherlands (hub-geared – I’ve never seen any like it in London, in case any readers should happen to see it?) that was locked to a railing (medium-heavy cable lock) inside the gated courtyard of a friend’s apartment building in Bethnal Green. We came down to find bike and cable had vanished; the courtyard gate was propped (something people regularly did at this building because the buzzer didn’t work.) Tower Hamlets police abandoned the case in about 24 hours.
2) 2010. A black gaffer tape covered Pinnacle Mean Streak 3.0 locked (again, heavy cable lock) to a massive fence along a public passage between office buildings in EC4A, taken literally 2 meters in front of the Senior Courts Cost Office. The guard on duty saw nothing, no CCTV – but when I went back, he did spot I wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, and did I want to go out with him one night? City of London police were brilliant – they sent someone to fingerprint my cut lock, and stayed in touch over the next month before giving up. All the other bikes nearby were locked with D-locks, and not one was touched. Guess what I use now….
Yes, very recently (jan 2011), on a bike I bought in jan 2010.
I left it outside my flat, near the stairs, inside a drying room where only the residents have access (6 flats in that entry, on a second floor). Chances of anyone nicking it were low, I thought. Another neighbour also left his bike in there.
One day it wasn’t. I wasn’t pissed off about the price (as I considered it already on profit of how much I’d saved on public transfer), but about the fact that, until I got a new bike, the journey to work would take 1h20′ by bus instead of 20 minutes. Each way.
Had my GT Avalanche nicked from outside work, in a fairly public place with a Kryptonite cable lock. Even though we had CCTV of him doing it and a full face shot of him from the office the police closed the case a week later.
The fury I felt at having my bike snatched from me…. The guy even had the cheek to dress in bike gear with a helmet to look authentic.
On a positive note I had bike cover on my home contents insurance and should recieve a voucher for a replacement next week.
I don’t know whether these comments are more angering or heartbreaking… the almost complete lack of interest on the part of the police to do anything at all about it. This does seem to be changing in London with specialist bike units, it’s late but at least it’s happening. Wonder if they’ll stick around when the cuts kick in…?
Security for bike parking in central London is shite. I’d happily pay a one-off/weekly/monthly/yearly charge to use a network of secure, covered bikeparks with CCTV all over London.
The central London office building where I work has a garage on the ground floor, accessed from a mews at the back of the building. A pair of big sliding gates to let cars in, a small pedestrian door, four Sheffield stands (for 6 companies with a combined workforce of about 150, maybe?) and space for 6 cars or a mix of cars and scooters.
The big gates frequently jam and when this happens they’re invariably fixed to stay open rather than shut. This happened this week and a couple of days ago I was outside the back of the building, checked my bike was still there, saw a couple of kids on bikes haring up the mews, nothing unusual about that. They stopped at one end, got off their bikes and wandered through the open gates – they hadn’t seen me as it was dark – I followed them in and they skulked off. About five minutes later the building manager had me (and others) called back down there as he’d seen people trying to nick stuff on the CCTV – one of the scooters parked in there had a screwdriver jammed in the lock and they’d been trying to smash it with rocks. Turned out a guy from another company had had his brand new £1,500 bike nicked from there a couple of weeks previously.
The gates are still busted, my boss won’t let me have my bike in the office despite the fact it’s in the empty corner in my office and in no one’s way (I have no idea what his reasoning is but whatever, it’s his company), I really don’t want to leave it in the garage any more, I can’t face having to use public transport – work takes me all over London from 9am-1am – and can’t afford public transport anyway.
I have an alright cable lock and a kickass Abus D-lock. Anyone recommend a solid chain lock that doesn’t cost a million pounds?
emma,
Perhaps your best bet would be a sold-secure motorcycle gold chain and a high security padlock.
This will be too heavy for daily transporting by bike. But it will be very hard to cut, bolt cutters won’t touch it. Note: Always keep chains and padlocks tight and off the ground.
Determine the length of chain needed by using a rope. Since chains only come in a series of lengths, you will need to buy the next longer length.
Typical lengths are 0.8; 1.0; 1.2; 1.5; 2.0; 2.5; 3.0 metres and so on. You will need to allow for the ‘loss’ of the length of one link, because with most of these chains one link passes through the end of the other and the padlock only secures the end link.
I can’t recommend any particular one of these chains because I’ve never attacked one as if I were a thief. However, I have a Sold-Secure Bicycle Gold 11 mm link Boron steel Pragmasis ‘Protector’ chain with a Squire SS5CS padlock, which I use and am very pleased with (and I’m considering another), but it may not be enough for central London (to some extent, this depends on the value of your bicycle). If I were you I would be looking at the 13 mm link version as an absolute minimum, but perhaps the 16 mm link version. You may also need the more secure Squire SS65CS padlock for the 16 mm chain or the cheaper but still SS-G rated ‘Untouchable’ lock [not usable with all chains]. Other SS-G chains and padlocks are available, I really don’t know which is best. I would choose SS-G over Thatcham ratings for physical security [mechanical].
Warning: Big chunky chains sold at supermarkets are probably cheap crap. You need to buy high quality European (British) chains.
Sold-Secure’s current catalogue is here (if it isn’t in here, if I were you, I wouldn’t bother):
http://www.soldsecure.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/catalogue-2010-website-copy.pdf
If your bike is insured or you are considering insurance, appropriate SS rating (or higher), is essential
You could use two padlocks and shorter chains, say 0.8 metre. One for the front wheel and frame, the second for the rear wheel and frame. This would be more secure, lighter easier to handle than the longer lengths of chain and probably not too expensive if the ‘Untouchable’ lock is used. Alternatively, you could use a good SS-G rated U-Lock in combination with a SS-G padlock and chain. Important with the U-lock, you need to take care to FILL THE LOCK with bike and Sheffield Stand so that it can’t be ‘jacked’ or ‘torqued’. If it’s a short U-lock, that won’t be a problem, but with a long U-lock, that might be. Using two different types of security automatically makes your bike more secure, because the thief is unlikely to have the ability or tools to defeat both locks. Two locks means twice the amount of time and time is a luxury that thieves don’t usually have.
There are also various alarms available.
Warning these large chains and padlocks are heavy and could damage a carbon frame if dropped. You need to look at your bike and establish whether the links will fit through the spokes and frame. You will need to secure both wheels as well as the frame.
Always lock to an immovable object that can’t be cut or the bike lifted over the end. These chains will be a lot harder to cut than a Sheffield stand.
Thanks Amoeba! I’m going to investigate these and sort one out next payday. Much appreciated!
Why do you rate SS-G over Thatcham? Thatcham as I understood was for validating car and motorbike security, generally of higher value than a bicycle. Having recently bought a new bicycle and locks, I had to question this with insurers and my insurers despite saying publicly they only accept SS-G, conceeded that they will also accept Thatcham. I think they only publicise SS-G because it’s aimed at the bicycle market, where Thatcham isn’t. Am I wrong?
Will,
“Why do you rate SS-G over Thatcham? Thatcham as I understood was for validating car and motorbike security, generally of higher value than a bicycle.”
I said: “I would choose SS-G over ratings for physical security [mechanical].”
FYI, SoldSecure do approve motorcycle security devices, but IIRC, they are purely mechanical. Whereas Thatcham assesses mechanical and electronic security as well.
I’ve heard that Thathcham isn’t as demanding as SoldSecure in respect of MECHANICAL security. This would seem to be confirmed by the fact that IIRC Insurance companies often do not consider Thatcham rated products – certainly as far as bicycle security is concerned. Were Thatcham approval always superior to SS approval in respect of mechanical security, this makes absolutely no sense.
Insurance Companies are in business to make money and if logic has anything to do with things, would choose the severest and best testing methods to assure them of the physical security of items that they insure against theft. I am assuming that there’s a technical reason, but for obvious reasons the details aren’t easy to come by. The preference of SS over Thatcham in respect of mechanical security must surely be because the latter is considered less secure. I understand that SS test procedures are becoming increasingly stringent, so that older locks that passed a particular security rating (e.g. Bicycle Gold) tested in earlier years may no-longer pass the same rating in subsequent years.
Please prove me wrong. I enjoy being proved wrong because I learn in the process.
I borrowed a friend’s knackered old mountain bike to go home on. It really was very knackered; rusty, flaking paint and grease oozing out of various bearings.
As I had no lock and had to leave it outside I took the big blue (guaranteed) motorcycle lock off my motorbike, which had a steering lock and needed a key after all, and locked the mountain bike to a 30 foot lamppost. This is in the middle of an empty quayside under a big light, clearly visible from the road and within earshot of the boat where I was sleeping. In the morning the mountain bike had gone. All that remained were a few scraps of blue plastic from around the lock.
The lock was worth several times more than the bike. Sadly it was second hand so I didn’t have the insurance. But I still had the motorbike.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000R593CE/ref=asc_df_B000R593CE2417843?smid=A1K9V0MVFOA9X4&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B000R593CE
I got one with a 2m chain for £47 – locks frame and both wheels. Has Silver Sold Secure rating. Good luck!
my first properly bought grown up bike (ridgeback speed) was taken from outside work – chained up just off the harrow road. i cried. a lot.
police sent me a crime ref number but that’s all – i checked the bike shops and said that if they got offered it to take it and get in touch with me.
there’s a massive market around the harrow road for bikes, and i’ve had the reassurance of seeing some kids on bikes that clearly aren’t theirs (i.e ladies new hybrids, or really top spec road bikes) being stopped by the community police teams and being asked to prove they own the bikes.
i sometimes have to lock mine in some of the nastier bits of camden and always worry about it, but try to make it as difficult as possible to take. One of my neighbours had her bike stolen from our communal hall when the shop downstairs left the door open. they’d had a go at mine (bent the hanger a bit) so now my bike lives inside my flat. given that it’s a small studio this isn’t ideal but i know it’s safe.
Jules
At the beginning of February I had my Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Alu Carbon stolen from the railing outside a gym in Endell Street where it was locked. I immediately reported it, but the police didn’t really do anything. The frustrating thing is that after I posted an ad on GumTree asking for info, the thieves called me offering me my bicycle back for £400: but I couldn’t organize a meeting on that night, and lost the possibility to turn up with a policeman (assuming police would have followed me on this). A couple of days later the bike appeared on GumTree, but again the police didn’t follow me when I asked them to do anything. Disappointing.
I had my Bike stolen a couple of times, but since then I’ve had mine marked with a serial number in case it gets nicked again, Best place to start looking is the local cycle shops, carboot sales, and ebay if you lose yours, best of luck, M x
Once, cycling to a train station, I was hit by a car, damaging my front wheel sufficiently to make the bike impossible to ride. I, somehow, was unhurt.
So I locked it at the station.
On my return, that evening, I found the bike gone (despite the damage). I immediately spoke to the station security (who were very difficult to locate), and was told that although they had cctv cameras overlooking the bike racks, they were never used. I quote ‘yeah, we get a lot of bikes stolen from here, nothing I can do about it mate, better leave your bike at home’
It was quite a day. Fortunately I had insurance.
Three in my life so far. The last one was taken from my locked wooden garage. Some of the planks had been removed from the doors and my (unlocked) bike was lifted over my car and removed! The same weekend, my partner’s bike was stolen from Waterloo Station. That was 6 or 7 years ago – we’ve moved since then, and the bikes live in the utility part of the house, part of our reason for buying it! Many years before that, I’d cycled from the city to a smarter part of London – can’t remember if it was Eaton Square or South Ken – and chained my bike to the railings outside a block of flats. That vanished within a few hours.
There’s a Twitter called Stolen Bikes London. Follow it here: http://twitter.com/StolenBikesLond
If your bicycle is stolen, please tweet details of what, when, where @StolenBikesLond
Also be sure and let the police know by email [email protected]
And before you get your bicycle stolen, register it at http://www.immobilise.com and get it security marked.
Luckily, so far, I’ve never had a bike stolen, but I am particularly nervous of theft. I live on the edges of a large city in a fairly low-crime area, but I only use Sold-Secure Gold locks*. Some areas nearby are notorious for bike theft. I always lock my bikes and the most valued are secured to ground anchors.
Mostly I use smallish U-locks and some boron-steel chains and high security padlocks.
I am also careful about locking techniques and where I leave my bikes.
The bikes are recorded, marked and registered with various anti-theft databases.
I realise I may just have been lucky.
Hi,
I use a Kryptonite evolution D lock on my bike with an Abbus bracelet type lock, to date I have never had a bike stolen.
With regards to CCTV on bikes – I use over 80 CCTV cameras where I work and I would not consider them of any use at all –
1/ The police will not use any evidence from the cameras unless I download it for them, and then it has to be clear and obvious to be considered, otherwise it is rejected.
2/ You can have an hours worth of footage of a teenager in a hooded jacket pinching your bike, but you or nobody else knows who they are.
3/ Even in broad daylight without a hood if someone is pinching your bike, what are the chances of anybody knowing who it is?
4/ All CCTV will do for you if your lucky is to give you a picture of your bike being nicked.
Get 2 good quality locks and lock it to something substanial, a lot of the cases on here are people using cable locks and using communal hallways or shared areas that lose their bikes.
You can’t rely on cheap locks and others to make sure they lock the door after them because you left your bike in there.
John
I put my bike, a Sun, cost £5, outside the church youth club, didn’t use a lock. Went inside, enjoyed the evening, came out and my pride and joy had gone. Searched around the town, couldn’t find it and contacted the police.
Heard nothing for about eight weeks. My parents got a call from the police, they had found the bike plus several others. The thieves were prosecuted. The bike was a bit scratched but very usable.Of course this was in 1963!
My Specialized Rockhopper was stolen yesterday in Brentwood, Essex. I’ve always been really careful in London where I live and never leave it outside, even locked up for extended periods. Bike was locked up to a pole outside my office right in front of a window where colleagues of mine were sitting at their computers. Unfortunately the pole was too thick to fit the u-lock around so I only had a cable securing the frame. The thieves just walked up to the bike at midday right in front of people at work, snipped the cable with bolt cutters and ran off with it. My colleagues came to get me and by the time I’d run out to catch them they’d run off with it. They would have had to carry it as the u lock was still locked to the back wheel and frame. I didn’t take down the serial number and I rang Evans to see if they had the serial number on record and they said they don’t keep them on record. Not really in the business interest to do so is it? The police have been really good but because I don’t know the serial number I can’t make a statement as to my bike being stolen which I assume means I can’t even get it back if they find it. So some school boy errors there that I won’t make again if I get another bike.
Tim,
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Cable locks are just too vulnerable. I think they’re only suitable for short-term use, like outside a shop. But even then, they’re a liability. They really are not to be relied upon in risky areas.
In my experience, the serial number isn’t normally recorded. It’s normally down to the new owner.
It certainly wasn’t the recorded with Claud Butler, Dahon, Scott, Pashley. The only exception was my Azor, Velorution put the serial number on the receipt.
I had the same problem with Evans. They suggested it could be in the green handbook, but was at the discretion of the mechanic checking the bike.
My son bought a Scott Sportster from Evans and the serial number was not recorded by the shop. It is now accompanied by a print-out of the bicycle information file which includes: frame number; new components Dynamo wheel; Dynamo lights – make & model; Lock and key numbers; other accessories; immobilise registration numbers.
IIRC, that the Police have caught a ‘thief’ with almost certainly stolen bikes , but that because the bikes haven’t been reported as stolen, the bikes have to be returned to the thief.
The moral of the story is always to:
Record your bikes serial number; photograph it; record the accessories you fit; keep the receipt; register it with immobilise; mark it (etching); and if it’s stolen REPORT it!
You might as well also register it with http://www.bikeregister.com/ they also do marking kits.
That way there’s more chance of the bike being returned.
That’s most likely to be true. The officer ‘investigating’ the theft of my bike, and I’m using that term loosely, said she cannot take a statement from me without the serial number as I did not see the crime committed and I cannot prove that I’ve had anything stolen! So I imagine, that even if they or I found it I could not get it back. I have a recent photo and the receipts but I have a horrible feeling the thief would still get to keep my bike without me producing the serial number.
But to be honest I think the police just don’t want the statistic. My colleague witnessed the thief in the act of cutting the cable with bolt cutters and could give a pretty accurate description of the thiefs. Another colleague saw the two thiefs in the car they used to escape in minutes prior to the theft and could probably give a good description of the car. Do you think the police are interested? No. The theft occurred on Tuesday and they’ve still not come down to my workplace to take statements etc, although they said they would on Wed. I even went to the police station myself to give a statement and they turned me away saying they were short staffed. Is there some way I can escalate this? It’s almost as upsetting to know the police have no interest in catching them as it was to have it stolen.
Lastly. Does anyone not think it strange that bike shops are not required by law to record the serial number? Could you imagine a car dealership not recording the chassis / engine number of a car they sold? It just seems crazy that with all these initiatives to prevent bike theft that one little detail, one extra piece of data in a database is not recorded?
Tim
Hi
Last year I stumbled across a police stand where they were giving bikes serial numbers and registering them with immobilise.
I’ve now got a new bike I would like to do this with – any ideas how I can get it sorted?
thanks!
Kathyn,
Bikes are marked with a frame / serial number by the manufacturer.
AFAIK, the Police only normally mark (stamp?) bikes with Post Code and house number. Some time ago the British Transport Police were giving away free immobitags but owners needed to provide their details and those of their bikes, so the Police were registering bikes as a part of the process, for free. Anyone can buy security stickers and an electronic tag (immobitags) from immobilise and register their bike with immobilise. See http://www.immobilise.com/ for details.
It’s best to record the bike’s frame / serial number* (some have both) without delay, (I recommend photographing the numbers as part of your records), along with the make and model and accessories, photograph it and keep the receipt and all the details safe.
Registering with immobilise is free, register the bike and then order some holographic stickers or an immobitag if one so wishes wish but it will be necessary to update the bike’s registration with these new identifiers, (it’s very easy). Then contact one’s local Crime Prevention Officer and ask when the next post-coding session is scheduled. Alternatively, contact local cycle groups near home or work / college and ask if there are any post-coding sessions planned.
I have to admit that none of our bikes are post-coded. I am concerned that it might damage the bike. I’ve heard that stamping can damage the paintwork / invalidate the warranty, but this may be wrong.
Obviously post-code stamping may not be appropriate for some frame materials. My assumptions follow:
I assume it is NOT OK for Carbon-frames.
I have concerns about whether it’s suitable for Aluminium frames, (I assume NOT).
Steel should be OK, but if it’s an expensive frame, CHECK first.
As for Titanium, I haven’t a clue – I wouldn’t do it out of fear.
The answer must be that it’s best to check with the bike’s manufacturer and only proceed if they say “yes stamping is OK and will not invalidate the warranty” in WRITING.
It is possible to use a UV marker, but the marking isn’t permanent and needs to be renewed periodically.
Microdots / smart water are other possibilities.
Does anyone have practical experience of better marking systems?
Good luck!
E&OE Please don’t blame me if it all goes horribly wrong!
*The serial number on my wife’s Pashley Princess is on a holographic sticker and it was terribly difficult to read. Curiously the Pashley has a frame number as well, stamped into the frame.
I forgot. There’s also a Police approved indelible etching process, from http://www.bikeregister.com/.
i have that but unless the police find the bike then its useless..
Thanks ever so much!
Bike stolen a month or so ago. Underground car park at home, unfortunately no note of the serial number. I feel partially to blame, as the lock was a cheap (£20) cable lock. I’ve now got a SS-G U Lock and a Thatcham rated chain and lock combo and have the bike insured.
I still feel nervous and fear that it’ll be stolen
(The unseen effect of bicycle theft)
I recently had my marin stolen although maybe it was the origonal owner as I bought it at a police auciton!
Again, I wasn’t the money just that my journey went from “free” and 20mins to £2.50 and an hour each way… I was also peeved that the police did basically nothing. I left it locked just inside a side entrance to a pub locked to the bannistar but it was a bit of a cheap lock. All I’ve got now is a reference number and a letter saying they have expored all angles and there’s no evidence. They didn’t even ask the pub for the CCTV… I know because it was my pub!
Ah well… cycle to work scheme opens in a couple of days
Hey Issacc,
i’ve got a Marin too! When you say it was a bit of a cheap lock – what was it?
Thanks,
i have loads of bikes for sale starting at a score.
07932912921
Lots of interesting info here so set my blog (skippi-cyclist) item up to refer people back here for details and advice 1
We did, but caught the thief red-handed!
I went shopping with my girfriend round Neal Street near Covent Garden. We locked up our bikes on Neal Street at about midday on Saturday during a very busy time.
One is a £2500 Specialized Stumpjumper, and the other a £300 Trek. We d-locked the bikes together, but foolishly locked the bikes to the stand with a Kryptonite cable lock.
We returned from shopping a couple of hours later to find a man wheeling our two bikes away from the stand. He had only gone about two metres! They were still locked together. He handed them over and said some kids had cut the lock and run off, and that he was wheeling them to the police station. He said he was a cyclist and pointed to his blue Trek bike by the wall. He then disappeared into the crowd.
He must have been the thief. White male. 6 foot 3. 30 to 40 years old. English accent. Skinny. Green checked shirt. Blue Trek hybrid bike.
10 seconds later and our bikes would have been gone forever.
Frustrated that I fell for his story, and didn’t pat him down for his bolt cutters.
Use 2 d-locks out there!
quote:”Frustrated that I fell for his story, and didn’t pat him down for his bolt cutters.”
yeah, but how practical would that have really been? What would you have done if he had bolt cutters on him?
sad fact is, that most people will not bother somebody who might be stealing a stranger’s bike.
call me a coward, call me whatever you like, but the only time that I have challenged someone who was lopping the lock off a bike, I was with friends and we were all drunk. The guy (middle age gent looking person) shouted back “it is my bike”. We didn’t know if he was telling the truth or not and just got on the bus and left.
I’ve seen bikes nicked a couple of times. The guy had a crowbar/bolt cutters respectively. Those tools can do a lot of damage to a human being, and so I didn’t challenge him. I’m sorry, but I am not willing to risk my safety for someone else’s bike. I am not ashamed.
I saw some lads on bikes woosh past; they were holding another bike by the handlebars and riding it along. I thought to myself “they just nicked that bike”. A second later, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me; because another cyclist approached me on his bike and said “they just nicked that bike”…as I blankly stared at him, he went on “they just nicked that bike, I saw them, it had a cheap cable lock on it”. He then said something to the effect of “I’ve gotta get home for dinner” and cycled off. Did he report it to the police, despite the fact that he witnessed a crime? No, he reported it to me, a civilian who has no extra-ordinary legal powers whatsoever. He isn’t the only one who will/has failed to report witnessed bike theft; or who will/has failed to challenge someone who appears to be stealing a bike.
Another time, whilst I’m here, a friend of mine with 1K’s worth of bike had a cheap 50 quid rusty mountain bike locked to it with some cheap lock. Do we think that the person did that by mistake? No, that’s unlikely (maybe 0.1% chance). Do we instead think that the cheap bike (probably stolen) was locked to an expensive bike so that the owner leaves it overnight, whilst they come at night and steal the expensive one? Yes (around 99.9% chance). What do you think we did, based on our assumptions? That’s right, we went to the hardware store and purchased some bolt cutters and cut through the cheap lock. Did we have a legitimate reason to do that? Yes, we would like to think so. Did we look like we were stealing a bike? Yes. Did anybody challenge us? No siree bob. Not even the police, who knew we were doing it.
Got my bike stolen on Friday last week in the most public of places with about a zillion CCTV cameras and around consulates. I really thought it couldnt be stolen there…
Got back after 3 hours and it was gone.. And it was just under a MONTH old. I still feel like crying but have to remind myself that even though i had taken lots of journeys and had it custom fitted and a lovely new saddle… it it just an object..
Luckily insurance is covering it but still upsetting.
I still cannot figure out how it was stolen as kryptonite untouched..
Hey guys. This might be the wrong place to ask, but:
can you register your bike with more than one website?
i.e., can you use immobilise.com, AND bikeregister.com, as well as any other you might find?
Vladimir
‘can you register your bike with more than one website?’
Yes
My Kona Dew Deluxe 2010 was stolen last week, not off the street however….but from the apparently secure underground car park! to boot my bike was in a special caged area for bicycles which is only accessible via a magnetic lock. The thief somehow gained access to the block then seemed familiar enough to know where the car park was, he managed to somehow gain access to the caged area and with his own set of tools cut the locks and made off ALL while being recorded on CCTV which is located throughout the block and car park.
The thief made no attempt to cover his face and was not even wearing a cap/hat! I suspect the guy had some familiarity with the block, whehter he lived their in the past or knows someone there…either way it was a brazen theft. While I have reported it to the police with the CCTV evidence I remain skeptical the guy will ever get caught let alone get my bike back.
In my 18-19 years riding in London this is the third bike I have had stolen, but at least the first two were on the street…I never imagined my ”Secure” parking area could be compromised so easily. Needless to say I cannot wait to get back ni the saddle and will be looking to purchase a new rig within the coming fortnight.
Oh dear – seems like it took a very unlikely set of circumstances for this to happen. What was the bike secured with inside the cage?
Yes, a couple of months ago my husbands was stolen on the Monday and mine on the Thursday. The problem is our insurance excess was going to be £150 (the cost of my bike) and then of course extra each month so there is no incentive to ever insure a bike that costs under £200 because the excess is just too high. Obviously a different story for an £1000 bike. Storage was apparently secure but somehow someone got it, what annoyed me was that the two bikes next to mine were left, one was not locked up at all, and the other was basically tied up with a thread of wire so I was naive enough to think theirs would get stolen over mine! However, my bike was white and the others purple and a vile pink, so I guess the white one had a higher resale value despite being a female bike. I have decided to buy a ‘vile pink’ as a replacement but we will soon see if that sees the same fate.