Electric Bikes - Do you guys worry about high price battery theft?

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chicbicyclist
09-24-07, 05:43 PM
Batteries are expensive so I was just wondering if some of you worry about thieves and how do you go on about mitigating it? I would think that Lithium ones are light enough that you can take them off the bike while it's locked.

Is ebike battery theft even prevalent?


karma
09-24-07, 06:14 PM
i never leave my e-bikes outside night or day. locks are for the awnest people. to easy to steel.:)

BroadwayJoe
09-25-07, 01:41 PM
People steal, plain and simple. If they don't know your packs cost $1,000 they might not bother but sooner or later, given the opportunity, people steal. In my NYC commute I don't even leave the bike on the sidewalk/street but if I did I would take my lithium pack inside and charge it anyway. That's how I do it here.

When I'm in San Diego, I ride more for recreation so I just don't leave the bike unseen anyplace. Kinda like riding a Harley m/c - don't park where you can't see it...

In Japan - they use a bunch of eBikes and battery packs are usually key-locked to the frame.

NiMh saves hardly any weight - lithium 1/4-to-1/3 weight of SLA for similar capacity. Nickel prices were soaring last I heard too.


stokell
09-25-07, 04:05 PM
I charge my battery outside with my bike at home. At work, I bring it up to the office and charge it there. Bike thieves aren't ebike savvy yet. Yet!

karma
10-08-07, 04:40 AM
had my first close call 6am in the morning took a trip to tims. only was in there 5 minutes came out i must have freaked out the thief ran off leaving my battery pack laying on the road and the floor mat on the seat. for now on im locking the pack down.

that really would have sucked ;)

i would have felt bad for thumping the guy out just because im lazy

pengyou
10-08-07, 05:35 AM
My battery pack is keylocked to the frame...and I add another chain lock to make sure. I have a lock on the front wheel that is mounted to the frame and a large heavy chain to put through the rear wheel and around a tree, lamp post, etc

csr
10-09-07, 01:31 AM
Pengyou: can you post a picture of a keylocked battery?