Originally Posted by Koyote

You are not evidence; you are an anecdote.

And I'm not the one making a completely unfounded, unsupported assertion -- so it's not my job to do a google search. If the evidence is so easily found, you can provide it. Otherwise you are engaging in mere supposition.

Originally Posted by jfouellette

OK , I’ll get back to you with my 200 page thesis. Just give me a year...

Originally Posted by Bald Paul

The industry could develop a special "dropper" seatpost with an electronic locking device that would prevent movement when it detects the correct radio signal code from a microchip imbedded in the padding of your cycling shorts. When a thief grabs your bike and attempts to ride away, the saddle drops down because it doesn't see the correct chip, causing the hypodermic needle hidden in the seatpost to enter the thief's buttocks, injecting a sufficient quantity of cyanide solution to assure the thief doesn't get far, and has no chance of becoming a repeat offender.

Hint: check the battery in your shorts often.

Originally Posted by 50PlusCycling

Here in Japan crime is rare. This isn’t because companies or stores make goods harder to steal, but because the laws against theft are harsh, and are even more harshly enforced. Crime levels are generally low because drugs have never become a social issue in Japan. With no illicit drug use, there is no drug related crime. In America, Europe, and most other places, the overwhelming majority of all crimes, from bicycle theft to murder, are drug related.

The penalties for breaking any law in Japan are severe, and the penalties for breaking anti-drug laws are especially severe. You can literally get more than a month in jail in Japan for stealing a bag of chips, and more than a year if you are caught with a joint. Japanese jails are no joke; discipline is military, cells are poorly heated or air conditioned, the food is bland, and portions are small. Most prisoners are housed solitarily, long-term prisoners must work.

Then there is the criminal justice system itself, which in Japan is especially scary. No phone calls, no lawyer present during questioning, and no bail. You can be held indefinitely without being charged in Japan, and if you are arrested, you will likely remain behind bars until you are exonerated or serve your sentence.

Japan’s system sounds very harsh and unfair. But on the positive side, it keeps society safe and peaceful, and Japan’s incarceration rate is only 37 per 100,000, compared to a regular place like America, where the rate is 629 per 100,000. Then there is the argument that keeping drugs out of society saves countless Japanese from addiction, mental illness, and homelessness, not to mention preventing them from turning to crime.

If you actually arrest criminals and seriously punish crime, there is less crime.

Originally Posted by Buzzkill53120

The problem is that professional thieves don’t necessarily ride the bike away. They grab a bike and throw it in a van.

Originally Posted by Gresp15C

Ironically, start selling lower quality, less expensive bicycles.

But seriously, my #1 anti-theft measure is to reduce the value of what can be stolen, to the bare minimum. The only hitch is that I become emotionally attached to my bikes.

Originally Posted by jfouellette

Should the industry be doing more if they want to keep selling more quality and expensive bicycles?

Originally Posted by rsbob

Cars with sophisticated anti-theft systems are defeated with ease. And stealing a bike is so much easier. People concerned about theft should probably place an Air tag under the seat of another clandestine area. If the car industry can’t keep a car from being stolen, what luck would the bike industry have on something that can be easily walked off with?

Originally Posted by jfouellette

The point being that people who have a bike stolen, are less likely to purchase another expensive one. The extreme situation is that theft turns people away from cycling. In other words why invest in an expensive bike if it risks being stolen or vandalized.