Recumbent - Recumbent trikes - more or less likely to be stolen?

I just bought a used recumbent trike. I love it!

Since recumbent trikes are SO rare, do you think it would be more likely to be stolen, or less likely, because it is so unusual?

yes.

Since I am a "newbie",and I have also thought about the same thing: I'll ask the dumb question..........what's the best way to lock a trike??? (length of chain through all three wheels??)

Depends on where you live, in large city, urban area near me.. trikes are not very common, theives usually don't steal large bulky items that they can't walk away with or easily operate and get away quickly.

Usually if I'm riding my recumbent in the city, I just take one wheel off the bike and carry the wheel with me into the building that i need to go, same approach could be used for a trike.. take off one front wheel or the rear wheel so the trike can not be operated or walked easily.. thieves usually leave them alone.

Trikes do get stolen occasionally. There have been several postings on www.bentrideronline.com over the past few years. They have a stolen bikes category on their messageboard. Sometimes the owners get them back, sometimes not. I don't park my trikes for long periods of time. When I use one for shopping, I park it in an open place, locked to a fixed object (e.g., shopping cart rack), and just run the cable around the frame and thru one front wheel. I can't imagine carrying a lock long enough (heavy!) to go through all 3 wheels and still reach around a fixed object. I can probably count the number of trikes in Las Vegas (pop 2 million or so) on both hands so the trike would be hard to fence, particularly missing one non-standard 20" wheel.

Trikes do get stolen occasionally. There have been several postings on www.bentrideronline.com over the past few years. They have a stolen bikes category on their messageboard. Sometimes the owners get them back, sometimes not. I don't park my trikes for long periods of time. When I use one for shopping, I park it in an open place, locked to a fixed object (e.g., shopping cart rack), and just run the cable around the frame and thru one front wheel. I can't imagine carrying a lock long enough (heavy!) to go through all 3 wheels and still reach around a fixed object. I can probably count the number of trikes in Las Vegas (pop 2 million or so) on both hands so the trike would be hard to fence, particularly missing one non-standard 20" wheel.

Thanks for your input. That solution actually didn't occur to me, but then I haven't ridden anything with pedals since the wheels bolted on. Guess they are somewhat easier to detach now, aren't they. :)

My trike is an older version of the folding JM Recumbent trike. (I got it so that I could push together the front wheels and be able to take it through most doorways. It's awkward because the way the front wheels fold inwards is that they fold in at an angle, so I can't roll it. But it sure beats *not* being able to roll it through doorways! I can keep it safely inside, even if I move to somewhere there's no garage.)

I bought two awesome and not very expensive grocery panniers - Sunlite Grocery Getter Pannier Bags, which I will detach and carry into the store with me, as well as my backpack. (The two downsides to these great and sturdy panniers is a) no top, b) the top hooks are so short I worry they will come loose if I go over a big bump.) So I'm not crazy about carrying around one of the wheels while shopping - though that would be an excellent deterrent to thieves.

https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/10661/


So I'm going to get a U-lock that will lock both front wheels to the frame (already tested it with my roommate's U-lock and I think it would be hard to remove, even if someone managed to loosen and remove the bolts holding the wheels).

Then I'm going to get an OnGuard Rottweiler - 7 ft armored lock:

http://www.onguardlock.com/lockviewer.php?type=armour&model=5023L

and thread it through the rear wheel, the detachable bike rack that the previous owner made for me!, and through the bottom of the seat and to the frame. I should have enough leftover length to lock it to a pole.

It's 6 lb. according to the manufacturer. It's heavy, but not as heavy as one of those heavy duty chains, plus it's vinyl coated so it doesn't scratch the bike finish. I don't mind the weight, as long as it does what I need it to.

If you flatten the loop on the end of a cable then loop it around the rear wheel and frame it can be made to pass thru the loop on the other end. Depending on length the free end of the cable can then be passed thru a front wheel and around a fixed object. Use a padlock thru the flattened loop and around the cable to secure that end.

BTW- Coil cables are a real pain...:( Unfortunately most bike cables sold are of the self-coiling type. Get a cable that has to be coiled by hand and has simple loops on the end. Then get a simple padlock.

If you flatten the loop on the end of a cable then loop it around the rear wheel and frame it can be made to pass thru the loop on the other end. Depending on length the free end of the cable can then be passed thru a front wheel and around a fixed object. Use a padlock thru the flattened loop and around the cable to secure that end.

BTW- Coil cables are a real pain...:( Get a cable that has to be coiled by hand and has simple loops on the end.

That's exactly what I do. I have several 7' FlexWeave cables and an Abus padlock. The kind that's shaped like UFO.
Doing the double loop lock as described above, I can lock all 3 wheels and the frame.
For the tandem trike, I use 2 cables & the 1 lock.

Of course I don't always lock the tandem. I have many, many friends in the bike world throughout the world, so it would be very hard to hide a big orange Greenspeed tandem for very long. ;)
And I'd hazard that there are less than a dozen orange ones in the whole wide world. :rolleyes:

Wait until gas reaches $5/gal....theeeen you might have to worry more. ;)

Since recumbent trikes are SO rare, do you think it would be more likely to be stolen, or less likely, because it is so unusual?

My trike is 96 inches long and 150 pounds, so I lock the parking brake and don't worry! :D

countersTrike

I suspect that they are more likely to get stolen than a lot of other recumbents purely based on the idea that ANYONE can just plop down in it and ride. Not true with most two wheeled ones, if someone steals your hi-racer or even something like my Tailwind long wheelbase, they probably have ridden something like it before. That or it's getting tossed in the back of a truck/van... not ridden away.

I suspect that they are more likely to get stolen than a lot of other recumbents purely based on the idea that ANYONE can just plop down in it and ride.

Well, maybe. If you have clipless pedals like frogs or eggbeaters it does make it somewhat difficult to just ride away in. I've heard of some people leaving them parked in the highest gear, so it could be real hard to pedal off unless they're familiar with the gearing. The other thing about trikes that someone already mentioned is the that since they are so unusual is that people will notice you. And theives don't like to be noticed.

I've heard of some people leaving them parked in the highest gear, so it could be real hard to pedal off unless they're familiar with the gearing.

I used to do that, but figured that if the thief had any kind of head start, I'd never catch 'em!
Now I use the LOWEST gear! :D

Which, on my Schlumph equipped GTX is about a 9" gear. They could pedal their little hearts out and get maybe 10 feet! :p

Even the highest deraileur gear with the Schlumph in low, is about 38". :rolleyes:

And +1 what MegaMan says about being "noticed"! I usually come back to my trike to find a small crowd around it. Not likely to be stolen "unnoticed"! ;)

Since recumbent trikes are SO rare, do you think it would be more likely to be stolen, or less likely, because it is so unusual?The only bike/trike ever stolen from me was a Sun EZ-3. It lasted about four days after I bought it.

I suppose a trike, which anyone could ride, could easily be stolen. As for my 93" Stratus XP, the average thief wouldn't make it more that 50 feet, unless they were 6 feet tall and used to riding a 'bent already.

If you have expensive parts on it, it will be very tempting

I wouldn't steal one, that's for sure! ;-)

Scott "two wheeler" P

I just bought a used recumbent trike. I love it!

Since recumbent trikes are SO rare, do you think it would be more likely to be stolen, or less likely, because it is so unusual?

Whereabouts do you live and what kind of lock are you using? Do you lock it up outside your house? What time do you go to bed and are you a sound sleeper? LOL

I'm in Canada and snow-bound at the moment, so I won't be stealing it.

I have found that because all of my bikes are so unusual they are less likely to be stolen. First, the reason thieves steal bikes is for their parts, usually and since parts for bents aren;'t in high demand, they usually leave them alone. Second, Alot of thieves aren't sure how to ride a bent anyway and that discourages them. Third, thieves like to blend into the scenery, not be visible and bents tend to attract attention.

With that said, I still use two locks on my bent: a Fahgettaboudit chain-lock and a Bulldog cable lock. My frame is difficult to get through so I don't worry about it being cut and can siumply use the locks around the single-bar frame and two parts of the object I am securing to.