Hypno Toad

Bike theft is a major issue in any city these days. In Minneapolis, I see posts daily about people getting their bike stole. Many are open garages, or bikes stored on the porch. Many cable locks get cut too. I don't know of anybody that had a bike stolen with a proper U-lock. I know one a friend that was U-locked to a post, but the post wasn't secured to the ground (thief pulled the pole out of the ground and through the U-lock). I use a U-lock and feel fairly confident, I never leave a bike outdoors for an extended time (like never overnight). My daughter's friend lost her college bike with the classic U-lock-to-the-front-wheel; came back to a wheel and U-lock. I know a U-lock can be defeated, like this video (stealing his own bike):

https://youtu.be/UGttmR2DTY8?t=2m31s I curious how common this is, defeating a properly locked bike with a U-lock. My question: have you ever had a bike stolen by a thief defeating the U-lock? How did they do it? Where did it happen? Were you able to recover the bike?

I hope we can all learn something about how the thieves are getting the bikes and make our bikes safer.

Leebo

Big cities, like NYC,happens all the time. Battery powered angle cut off saw. Takes maybe 1or 2 minutes, or they use a car jack and pry it open. I lock mine in my garage, not out in the street.

CeeDotA

Nothing is undefeatable. I try not to leave my bike unattended, ever. A u-lock isn't going to stop a thief if he wants your bike. That said, when my bikes are unattended -- generally, when they're on the car rack and we're doing something -- they're locked with a u-lock and a cable to the rack and each other. So if someone does attempt to steal the bikes, they're also going to have to hassle with untangling them.

FBinNY 

Thieves are like fruit pickers in that they pick low hanging fruit first, and pull out the ladders only after the easy stuff is harvested.

Likewise, thieves will not go after tougher locks if there are enough nice bikes that are easier to steal. But in higher crime cities, where everybody is using stronger locks thieves adapt, and you're just one of many possible targets.

The key isn't to make your bike proof against theft, just a less attractive target, by either being not worth the effort involved, or being much better protected than comparably juicy bikes in the area.

As divers like to say, "you don't have to outswim the shark, you only have to outswim your buddy".

grampa.sjb

One solution I've heard of, and occasionally tried with success is to use at least two different types of lock at the same time - a u-lock with a chain or cable (each locked separately). Again, it's just to make the other guy's bike look easier to steal.

jfowler85

Are you riding a bike that's worth the hassle of cutting through a u-lock? If my bike was jacked, despite the u and cable lock, I would be out about $800 worth of parts. That would suck but it's very replaceable; the risk is low, in my opinion, because my bike gets parked amongst a campus full of others which are secured very poorly (e.g. cheap cable lock through the front wheel).

vatdim

The U-lock is not invincible. There are plenty of videos in the Internet where people cut through good quality U-locks with $15-20 tools. This happens in real life, too. But the odds of it happening are generally lower, as long as you don't leave your bike in the open for extended periods of time. What others said about making your bike less attractive than the one locked up next to it is also completely valid.

And to answer your question - no, I have never had my U-lock defeated. But I have a friend who used to lock his much more expensive MTB with a motorcycle lock. Even that didn't help against a thief with industrial grade tools. Fortunately, the police took advantage of CCTV recordings to track the thief and retrieve the bicycle.

Hypno Toad

This is the information I'm interested in ^^^.

I know the basics, don't lock an expensive bike with a cheap lock. Make your bike the least attractive with quality lock-up and "not-so-great" bike. Minimize locking up for long periods.

For me, it's not a big deal. I live in the 'burbs with a big (secure) garage. I do use bikes to get into the city for many events, like Twins games, that can be a hot spot for thieves. However, it appears the thieves around the Twins stadium are the typical take-the-easy-stuff thieves. I doubt they would take the chance of running a grinder around the ball field during a game - too many cops.

My daughter lives in the city, she is car-free and needs to lock-up for long periods at work and other places. She has the "not-so-great" bike, 1980 Schwinn Traveler converted to flat-bar, SS, city bike (not an exceptionally exciting bike); and she does a good job locking-up, and stores the bike in her apartment overnight.

Interestingly, the posts so far, nobody personally has been the victim of a thief defeating the U-lock. So the advice here seems to be fairly sound.

no motor?

I haven't had that problem yet, but just donated a kids bike with a u lock through the front wheel to a local charity. The bike was left behind after some renters moved out of a condo in my building, and as president of the home owners association I got to deal with this and some of the other stuff they left behind. My contact with the charity was really grateful for the donation (and it was a wally world Schwinn that had been neglected for several years), I'm going to ask how hard it was for them to get the lock off.

mozad655

I use a 2 kg 18mm New York Fahg Mini U-lock and I cannot imagine that anyone will ever steal my bike. I bought it with my new bike 4 years ago and by now I am comfortable enough to even leave my bike unlocked on rare occasions because its old. If it is stolen I won't really mind anymore. When you reach this level of comfort, I think its pretty safe to assume that your lock is quality and has done its job.

igorek

Any lock can be unlocked it's just takes time.

Hypno Toad

It's interesting that I read the same thing again and again: "all locks can be defeated" (the bold above in my OP).

But with this large community of bikers from all over the place, not one person has personally lost a bike with somebody defeating their U-lock (one friend of the poster that had a U-lock cut).

Therefore, I'm going to say that U-locks are a damn good way to lock up. Use the U-lock correctly and you should expect your bike* is there when you get back. (*not a high-end bike).

Going back to my original post, I believe most stolen bikes are a result of a bad lock-up: either a poor quality lock (i.e. cable lock), or poor use of the lock, or left the garage open.

FBinNY 

Yes if you limit yourself to examples of relatively inexpensive bikes locked with better locks, then the statement may hold, depending on where you are. But U-locks are routinely defeated all over the world. The method varies, but there are multiple methods and thieves are very adept at doing their "jobs".

It all boils down to high the security bar is in your area, and the worth of the target vs the effort needed to snag it, both relative to what other pickins are out there.

However your statement about poor lock choices and/or open garages is true. It's probably changed with the increase in urban commuters, but unlocked in open garage used to be the number one way to get a bike stolen.

indyfabz

I lock my $1,500 LHT outside my office building all time and have for years. I use a U-lock and a cable around the rear wheel. The presence of foot traffic during the day is a huge deterrent to theft. I am not the least bit worried that someone is going to use a power grinder or some sort of other industrial grade tool(s) to steal my bike in the middle of the day with literally dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of people walking by every minute.

Hypno Toad

Yep, make your bike less desirable and more difficult to steal than the next bike in the rack. A properly used U-lock makes your bike more difficult to steal. I hope everybody know that you can't leave your $5,000+ CF bike locked up - they are too valuable and a thief will take risks to steal that. But a typical bike (like my stable, see the profile), with a quality U-lock will keep your bike safe.

Edit - to define a "high-end" bike versus a "typical" bike:

A high-end bike has a "high-end" name, something a thief will recognize as valuable, like Specialized S-Works or Trek Madone. A high-end bike is made with high-end materials, like CF. I would say any bike worth more than $5,000 in the store qualifies as "high-end".

Typical bikes are less recognizable brand, made with lower price materials steel or AL. I would say any bike with a new price below $2,500 qualifies as a typical bike. The older the bike, the more 'typical' it is.

For example, my 1996 Mondonico is a fairly rare and valuable bike (I believe it sold for over $3,000 back in the 90s). However, it is old, steel, and very few people know what Mondonico is; therefore, this is not a great target for the thieves (assuming it is locked up correctly).

For the record, I rarely ride my Mondonico anywhere I need to lock up

70sSanO

Although this goes back into the archives, I think there are still cheap U-locks that use tubular locks, like the old Kyptonites and computer cable locks. I could be wrong, but I recall seeing these at Walmart not too long ago. These are easily defeated. Google... Kryptonite U-lock bic pen.

Good quality u-locks don't have this issue.

If anyone wants to know the real truth about lock security, spend some time perusing the Lock Picking 101 forum.

John

FBinNY 

A reminder that any bike can be stolen at any time in any city.
https://www.kptv.com/story/29621496/cyclist-rides-across-country-only-to-have-bike-stolen-in-portland?autostart=true

GovernorSilver

Shame about that woman's bike. I'm guessing somebody wanted her bike in particular badly enough, as opposed to lower hanging fruit. Also guessing it was stolen for the components.

GovernorSilver

She got it back. Lucky girl!

Megan Holcomb has recovered her stolen bike! - BikePortland.org

GovernorSilver

This version of the story has an interesting twist:
Stolen bike returned to woman who rode it all the way from D.C. to Portland | Q13 FOX News

Holcomb then got a tip on Facebook from a woman who used to live on the streets. That woman said she had a hunch where the stolen bike might be.

When I was in college, my roommate bought a bike via some shady connections - a college classmate who knew this homeless guy who knew this "bike shopkeeper" who then asked my roommate "You want a legal or illegal bike".

Holcomb said she gave the woman a $500 reward for finding the bike.

Reward or ransom?

Hypno Toad

Agreed.

But this story doesn't address my all of questions. It does address one issue, overnight lock-up is a big red flag. But, what type of lock was she using? And how was this lock defeated?

I will say that this thread has sealed the deal on my older Kryptonite U-lock - I have been using it as a back-up/secondary lock. I will replace it ASAP.

FBinNY 

It wasn't my intent to get into specifics. I had posted some general ideas earlier.

My intent was just what I posted, to remind folks to not be overly sanguine when leaving their bikes locked. NO lock is invulnerable, and EVERY lock ever sold has been defeated. Use common sense, and don't put your trust only on a piece of steel.

Hypno Toad

OK, I get your meaning. Thanks!

TheManShow

Locks depending on how difficult they are to beat, cause amature thieves to move do a different target. If you bike or porsche is a target a pro thief will figure out how to take it from you.

Corben

I once had to hack saw my lock apart after it failed to unlock at the center of a shopping mall. Took about ten minutes and not one soul cared to come over to enquire what I was up to.