General Cycling Discussion - likleyhood of my bike getting stolen

So I have a decent bike and I lock it up with a cable, I've heard U locks are safer. If so why, also Whats the possibility of my bike getting jacked from someone with wire cutters while I'm inside at work? Any words of suggestion? or just make sure I'm not locking up an $800 bike and leaving it unattended for 8 hrs.

If you lock up an $800 bike with a cable lock, it is not a "possibility" it will be stolen, it is a sure thing that it will be stolen.

In a major American city, if an $800 bike is going to be parked in public view for hours, it needs a beefy u-lock, such as the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit or NY lock around the rear wheel, and a second u-lock to secure the front wheel to the frame. Even using two good u-locks locks, there are neighborhoods in some cities where an $800 bike would not make it through a day left unattended.

If you lock up an $800 bike with a cable lock, it is not a "possibility" it will be stolen, it is a sure thing that it will be stolen.

In a major American city, if an $800 bike is going to be parked in public view for hours, it needs a beefy u-lock, such as the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit or NY lock around the rear wheel, and a second u-lock to secure the front wheel to the frame. Even both two good locks, there are neighborhoods in some cities where an $800 bike would not make it through a day left unattended.

+1

Get a decent lock that is ART Four Star and Sold Secure Gold rated.
http://www.soldsecure.com/Leisure.htm
http://www.stichtingart.nl/sloten_resultaat.asp


Last Wednesday I saw two cheap but new bikes parked in the city center, locked with cable locks. I returned to the same building on Friday and saw two cut locks lying on the ground......

So I have a decent bike and I lock it up with a cable, I've heard U locks are safer. If so why, also Whats the possibility of my bike getting jacked from someone with wire cutters while I'm inside at work? Any words of suggestion? or just make sure I'm not locking up an $800 bike and leaving it unattended for 8 hrs.

Depends on where you live. If you are in a city like NYC or LA (why would anyone live there in the first place) then it won't last 5 minutes. If you live in a smaller town where there are far less animals roaming the streets then you stand a pretty good chance of it not getting stolen. But you would increase you chances of it not getting stolen if you commuted on a far less expensive bike.

So going to work and school should be left to my MTB that was $180. I live in washington. bike heaven

Is it possible to store the bike inside the workplace?

It really depends on where you live, I could leave my commuter sitting outside my building unlocked and it would probably still be there after work. Decent sized town but you are more likely to get your car jacked than your bike stolen. I regularly leave both my commuters outside my house unlocked and have for two years, still have both bikes.

I had a junky $100 (when new) mountain bike stolen from a locked fenced business yard. So don't assume that cheap means it's theft-proof. It means it'll possibly be stolen by a dumber class of criminal, but be less of a loss when stolen.

Interesting. Not to say there aren't bike thefts here, but I have seen maybe one U-lock, a few cheap chain locks, and almost everything else has been a cable lock. I use an 18mm cable lock but there are so many around that have cable locks under 10mm in diameter. If you leave them there for six months I suppose they'd get stolen, but you can get away with leaving the bike there for hours.

Then again, most of these bikes I'm talking about are beaters. I'm told that in areas near major parks and the beach, where presumably more people own higher quality bikes since they have easier access to recreational cycling areas, bike thieves will bring a spare tyre so they can swap out the tyre on
the spot and ride away, leaving one tyre locked to the post.

Where do you have it locked?

"I'll be back in a few moments. - Please hand me those bolt cutters."

Interesting. Not to say there aren't bike thefts here, but I have seen maybe one U-lock, a few cheap chain locks, and almost everything else has been a cable lock. I use an 18mm cable lock but there are so many around that have cable locks under 10mm in diameter. If you leave them there for six months I suppose they'd get stolen, but you can get away with leaving the bike there for hours.

Then again, most of these bikes I'm talking about are beaters. I'm told that in areas near major parks and the beach, where presumably more people own higher quality bikes since they have easier access to recreational cycling areas, bike thieves will bring a spare tyre so they can swap out the tyre on
the spot and ride away, leaving one tyre locked to the post.

But you'd get caned or something if you stole a bike there, wouldn't you? I heard it's against the law to even chew gum in Singapore. (Pardon me, I'm an ignorant Yank.)

On any given day in Portland Oregon, 7 to 9 out of ten stolen bikes are locked with a cable, 1 or 2 will be unlocked and 0 to 1 will be locked with a u-lock.

I get Chuck Norris to keep an eye on my bikes. If anyone passes within 5 ft. of the bike, they are met with a fierce round-house kick to the jaw.

On any given day in Portland Oregon, 7 to 9 out of ten stolen bikes are locked with a cable, 1 or 2 will be unlocked and 0 to 1 will be locked with a u-lock.


Talking with campus police officers (and these are guys who deal with a lot of stolen bike cases) your estimates are probably about right for any major city or large university.

But you'd get caned or something if you stole a bike there, wouldn't you? I heard it's against the law to even chew gum in Singapore. (Pardon me, I'm an ignorant Yank.)

I get this a lot, and yes, it's annoying. It's okay, you're not the only ignorant Yank, and you're one of the few to admit it :P

No, it's not against the law to chew gum.
No, you will not get caned for stealing a bike.

It is against the law to sell gum that has no medicinal properties - they did this because most people were being dumb, inconsiderate idiots and dumping chewed gum everywhere, especially on lift buttons. The ban on chewing gum sale simply reduces the volume of chewing gum in the country (basically, the only time you get chewing gum is if you pop out of the country and buy a few sticks - any large volume will raise suspicion at customs) and makes inconsiderate gum chewers much more conspicuous.

It is against the law to steal a bike anywhere, I presume. Bike theft incurs the same penalty as any other sort of theft here. I hopped on Wikipedia and checked the Penal Code (had to add in this disclaimer because I don't want people to assume I know the Penal Code off the top of my head), and under "theft" there is conveniently a picture of a bike wheel locked to a bike rack. It also says the penalty is jail time and a fine. No caning.

Not intending to start a flame war or anything, I just thought I should mention the circumstances regarding bike theft in my country - since, based on everything I've read on BF, the cycling experience is very different here, and I simply wanted to find out in what ways and why. But on practically every forum I've been to there are ignorant Yanks who think East Asia is one monolithic backward Socialist entity, or who think Singapore is in China, or South Korea is Communist, or think that South Korea is capitalist and doesn't want reunification with North Korea, or that Taiwan is separatist but under the control of the PRC. That's the equivalent of thinking Canada is in the US or Alaska is in Canada or Britain is anti-Europe because they don't use the euro. And I don't want to be even more hostile than I already sound, but before anyone asks, English is my first and native language and we do speak English here.

Okay, sorry for the rant, but I had to get it out of my system. Back to talking about bike theft. I should point out that most people who do own expensive bikes only use them for recreational purposes and keep them locked up at home and utility/commuting bikes are almost all beaters (there are exceptions - one of the teachers in my school has a souped-up hybrid with panniers and bar ends for commuting the 200m between his home and school, and he leaves the bike unlocked in school - but everyone knows it's his), so there really is very little incentive for bike thieves. Not that bike theft doesn't happen - I've known of at least five cases of stolen bikes, but I'm sure that's much fewer than to be expected considering the callousness of bike security and the sheer number of bikes around.

... That's the equivalent of thinking Canada is in the US ...

But it is. We let them have have a few things of their own, like the CFL. :D

But it is. We let them have have a few things of their own, like the CFL. :D

:D:D:D:D

Thanks, that explains a lot!

:D:D:D:D:D

Depends on where you live. If you are in a city like NYC or LA (why would anyone live there in the first place) then it won't last 5 minutes. If you live in a smaller town where there are far less animals roaming the streets then you stand a pretty good chance of it not getting stolen. But you would increase you chances of it not getting stolen if you commuted on a far less expensive bike.

I live in the Los Angeles area. I have been here since birth. Sometimes people have no choice in the type of area they live in. Sometimes the locale just draws them in and they adapt to it. I have with the little folding bikes I use exclusively now. I simply take them everywhere with me, no exceptions. I do not use locks anymore except as a very temporary deterent to any type of thief, be it a bike one or a burgular.


It really depends on where you live, I could leave my commuter sitting outside my building unlocked and it would probably still be there after work. Decent sized town but you are more likely to get your car jacked than your bike stolen. I regularly leave both my commuters outside my house unlocked and have for two years, still have both bikes.

I wish I could be as easygoing as you. But my own experience dictates that crime happens when opportunity is present and give them the benefit to participate in the crime of their own choice. This can happen anywhere now.


I had a junky $100 (when new) mountain bike stolen from a locked fenced business yard. So don't assume that cheap means it's theft-proof. It means it'll possibly be stolen by a dumber class of criminal, but be less of a loss when stolen.

I used to have old beat up bikes. It does not matter how old or how beat up the bike (or any other thing) is now. The thrill or the temptation is always a lure to anyone now.


On any given day in Portland Oregon, 7 to 9 out of ten stolen bikes are locked with a cable, 1 or 2 will be unlocked and 0 to 1 will be locked with a u-lock.

The lure or draw is how easy it is to take a bike-and get away with it in the physical sense and the legal one.



...It is against the law to steal a bike anywhere, I presume. Bike theft incurs the same penalty as any other sort of theft here.... and under "theft" there is conveniently a picture of a bike wheel locked to a bike rack. It also says the penalty is jail time and a fine. No caning....Ok Back to talking about bike theft. I should point out that most people who do own expensive bikes only use them for recreational purposes and keep them locked up at home and utility/commuting bikes are almost all beaters (there are exceptions - one of the teachers in my school has a souped-up hybrid with panniers and bar ends for commuting the 200m between his home and school, and he leaves the bike unlocked in school - but everyone knows it's his), so there really is very little incentive for bike thieves. Not that bike theft doesn't happen - I've known of at least five cases of stolen bikes, but I'm sure that's much fewer than to be expected considering the callousness of bike security and the sheer number of bikes around.

See what I mean Opportunity + Incentive = Probable Theft (or at least a real attempt at theft of any-not just the expensive or fancy-bike or any other item for that matter).

I get this a lot, and yes, it's annoying. It's okay, you're not the only ignorant Yank, and you're one of the few to admit it :P ...........................



Excellent post.

I ride a nice but rough looking hack bike that I painted by hand. I have had accessories stolen including a manky-looking home-made water-bottle battery and a rear blinkie (but not its mount) from under a plastic bag saddle cover.
In my experience, low-lifers will steal something if it is stealable and then consider if it has any value.
I have seeen low-life junkie bike thieves brazenly patrolling the railway station in daylight , trying every bike for a weak lock and levering cables with a 10" screwdriver. I did tell the station staff but wasn't going to intervene with 2 armed scuzzballs.

I have a 1200$ bike and just for piece of mind yesterday I bought a 70$ master handcuff lock. I also live just on the outskirts of a city with a million and a half people.:D

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Extras/product_85921.shtml

this site had some mixed reviews about it. have you tried to break it? lol any bike can be stolen with bolt cutters but if thats what it will take to get those cuffs off i'm not so afraid I work at a community center lots of people around.

I don't want to jack this thread but yes, those are the cuffs I bought. Very handy to store and quick to use, much less bulky than a chain and lock. If I wanted better security there is a pair of cuffs that are almost three times the metal mass as mine but it just seemed a bit too much.

:eek:No, I'm not going to try to damage them but with the right heavy duty equipment I could open them in a second like many other locks.:D

It's not the lock or chain that matters, it's what you chain it to.

I prefer a 120 lb pit bull...

I don't want to jack this thread but yes, those are the cuffs I bought. Very handy to store and quick to use, much less bulky than a chain and lock. If I wanted better security there is a pair of cuffs that are almost three times the metal mass as mine but it just seemed a bit too much.

:eek:No, I'm not going to try to damage them but with the right heavy duty equipment I could open them in a second like many other locks.:D

Um, no. The Street Cuffs are known to be very easy to defeat. Other locks from makers such as Kryptonite and OnGuard offer top of the line security for your $70.

many say they are easy to defeat because dumb people never push "both" buttons

So I have a decent bike and I lock it up with a cable, I've heard U locks are safer. If so why, also Whats the possibility of my bike getting jacked from someone with wire cutters while I'm inside at work? Any words of suggestion? or just make sure I'm not locking up an $800 bike and leaving it unattended for 8 hrs.

You don't need wire cutters or even tools to defeat most cable locks.

The possibilty is a lot lower if you buy a top of the line U lock.

many say they are easy to defeat because dumb people never push "both" buttons

They are easy to defeat because the links can be cropped with bolt cutters, the bike itself can be used as leverage to twist and pop the links, and the ACE lock cylinder can be opened with a Bic pen.