Just a word of warning there was two break ins last night in York where bikes were stolen. One set of bikes were even locked to a security floor bolt.
Make sure you take steps to look after your pride and joy. Good quality expensive locks, security bolts, alarm your garage, security lights or just keep them indoors!
Also make sure you have photos of the bikes with your frame numbers and distinctive marks recorded. (hopefully you wont need this info) but such details does frustrate the crooks and makes them more likely to get arrested.
Bike Thefts
Moderator: Moderators
Just thought I’d share the following, having suffered a bike theft in the past.
To increase bike security after the theft, the approach was to see how motorcyclists protect their £15,000+ pieces of equipment, and then scale it down a little for bikes.
The result was to buy this chain and padlock combination:
£75 for 2.5 metres of 11cm thick boron steel hardened chain (2.5m length easily holds three bikes to an immovable object)
£40 for a Squire SS50 padlock.
£115 total cost for some peace of mind.
This padlock and chain combination is the next level up from the best lock and chain combinations aimed at cyclists (such as top-of-the-range “Oxford”, “Abus” or “Kryptonite” bicycle lock and chain; ideal for a single bike around town, but not for multiple bikes or against a well-equipped thief that can snip/ pick/ smash them in seconds).
If you have bikes totalling over £3,000+, perhaps consider a 13mm or even 16mm thick chain and padlock costing around £180 in total (keen motorcyclists use 16mm or 19mm chain, but 19mm is over-the-top and too heavy for fragile bike frames). This is another supplier of 16mm toughened steel chain.
To set up the chain and lock for maximum security:
1. Keep them raised as high off the ground as possible. A solid floor is the perfect anvil to break them using a sledgehammer, cut them using an angle grinder or hacksaw, or to gain leverage with some bolt croppers. Unlike motorcyclists, we can raise our equipment off the ground, so an 11mm chain suspended in the air is nearly as awkward to break as a 16mm chain on a concrete floor.
2. Thread the chain through an immovable object like the back of a radiator, a roof beam or at least an under floor joist. Wood can be sawed easily, but it takes time, makes a lot of noise and thieves don’t usually carry tools for cutting wood.
An example of raised off the ground and secured to 3 roof beams (with other security measures also in place):
Even if your bikes are stored indoors, this chain and lock set-up is surely worthwhile to further reduce the risk of removal. After all, the real inconvenience comes from the loss of bikes with sentimental value and the struggle to duplicate the fit and feel of the stolen bikes.
Hope this is of some use.
To increase bike security after the theft, the approach was to see how motorcyclists protect their £15,000+ pieces of equipment, and then scale it down a little for bikes.
The result was to buy this chain and padlock combination:
£75 for 2.5 metres of 11cm thick boron steel hardened chain (2.5m length easily holds three bikes to an immovable object)
£40 for a Squire SS50 padlock.
£115 total cost for some peace of mind.
This padlock and chain combination is the next level up from the best lock and chain combinations aimed at cyclists (such as top-of-the-range “Oxford”, “Abus” or “Kryptonite” bicycle lock and chain; ideal for a single bike around town, but not for multiple bikes or against a well-equipped thief that can snip/ pick/ smash them in seconds).
If you have bikes totalling over £3,000+, perhaps consider a 13mm or even 16mm thick chain and padlock costing around £180 in total (keen motorcyclists use 16mm or 19mm chain, but 19mm is over-the-top and too heavy for fragile bike frames). This is another supplier of 16mm toughened steel chain.
To set up the chain and lock for maximum security:
1. Keep them raised as high off the ground as possible. A solid floor is the perfect anvil to break them using a sledgehammer, cut them using an angle grinder or hacksaw, or to gain leverage with some bolt croppers. Unlike motorcyclists, we can raise our equipment off the ground, so an 11mm chain suspended in the air is nearly as awkward to break as a 16mm chain on a concrete floor.
2. Thread the chain through an immovable object like the back of a radiator, a roof beam or at least an under floor joist. Wood can be sawed easily, but it takes time, makes a lot of noise and thieves don’t usually carry tools for cutting wood.
An example of raised off the ground and secured to 3 roof beams (with other security measures also in place):
Even if your bikes are stored indoors, this chain and lock set-up is surely worthwhile to further reduce the risk of removal. After all, the real inconvenience comes from the loss of bikes with sentimental value and the struggle to duplicate the fit and feel of the stolen bikes.
Hope this is of some use.