Ways to avoid getting your bike stolen

[rparz]

Originally Posted by jsk1983

If you find an old Schwinn for $50 in ride-able condition, you've found yourself a pretty good deal. Estate sales usually have old bikes, but they cost more than $50 and are almost always need work, though some are probably good to go with just some air in the tires. Personally I paid $180 for a used Schwinn Traveler a few years ago. I've also left it outside for the past few years and it has yet to be stolen. I'm either lucky or else its just ugly. Probably both.

You get the idea, don't get anything nice or flashy.

[ChicagoBay]

Originally Posted by Jesse69

This website is a good study of how bikes are stolen, so avoid the owner's same mistakes to prevent bike theft: Chicago Stolen Bike Registry

I lock up all of my bikes, even my $9000 retail Cervelo with Zipp 404s. I use a U Lock and thick cable for the front wheel. I do this to go quick shopping in a store or grocery or bank and then come back out. At most I leave the bike out for 2 hrs.

But if I leave a bike out from 8am to 5 pm then I'd lock up my cheaper commuter bike, a 2005 Giant OCR 1 with Jandd Commuter panniers.

You ride a $9K bike and leave it locked up around town???!!!

[ChicagoBay]

I bought a couple schwinn's from Walmart for just over $100 each that have done fairly well. They look attractive so someone would try to steal them, but it's not that big a loss. All the u-lock/thick cable/chain advice is good from the experienced bikers on here. Just one thing I want to throw in is that many bike thieves carry a small hacksaw in a bookbag and that thing can saw through a thin chain very fast and through a decent thickness of chain in a few minutes. So def use THICK stuff to lock up your bike and def use more than one lock if you have an expensive bike. One last thing, a well secured bike doesnt prevent vandalism so keep that in mind as well!

[Jesse69]

Originally Posted by ChicagoBay

You ride a $9K bike and leave it locked up around town???!!!

Here's when I locked my $9K Cervelo while I went to Holy Name Cathedral then Water Tower... Probably left it for 3 hrs back in 2009.

Typically when I do a Lakefront workout I'd stop by Treasure Island or Trader Joe's on the way home. I'd lock it up with a single U Lock and cable... It only takes me 11 minutes or so to get something quick... Not enough time for a thief to cut my U Lock I hope.

And my bikes are all insured in case of bike theft. But Allstate messed up the next year's plan, it's supposed to be $35K of sporting goods but they listed $25K in their quote. I will have to talk to them, and lately we're disappointed with Allstate. I will look into State Farm and Farmer's Home Insurance, because Allstate keeps raisning our rates every year. We went from $1800 to $2133 for next year.

[ChicagoBay]

Originally Posted by Jesse69

Here's when I locked my $9K Cervelo while I went to Holy Name Cathedral then Water Tower... Probably left it for 3 hrs back in 2009.

Typically when I do a Lakefront workout I'd stop by Treasure Island or Trader Joe's on the way home. I'd lock it up with a single U Lock and cable... It only takes me 11 minutes or so to get something quick... Not enough time for a thief to cut my U Lock I hope.

And my bikes are all insured in case of bike theft. But Allstate messed up the next year's plan, it's supposed to be $35K of sporting goods but they listed $25K in their quote. I will have to talk to them, and lately we're disappointed with Allstate. I will look into State Farm and Farmer's Home Insurance, because Allstate keeps raisning our rates every year. We went from $1800 to $2133 for next year.

Ah I didn't think of insurance, well done! Beautiful bike.

[Aleking]

adorable how Jesse keeps number dropping...what an awful person he must be

[Hendu]

Any lock can be compromised with the right tools within a few minutes. So I agree with not getting a bike that would be devastating if it's stolen. I have a nice lower-end Trek single speed that retails for under $500 new. IMO, spending much more than that for a commuter bike is silly.

Then of course make sure your bike isn't low-hanging fruit. Most stolen bikes are left unlocked in garages, back yards, building common areas, or locked with a cable lock. Most of the cable locks are thin and can be clipped with handheld cable cutters; the combination ones can usually be broken with two wrenches twisting the locking mechanism in opposite directions. The chances of someone using an angle grinder on a U-lock or a heavy-duty chain are still pretty low. It also depends where you lock it up as well; the more out-of-the-way spot increases the chance, as does locking it to objects other than a bike rack.

Also make sure you lock up both the front and back wheels. A thick Kryptonite cable that can loop through both and attach to the U-lock is about $10-15, a seat leash is another $5-10. These accessories are worth it even if you have a beater because no matter how crappy the bike it's still a pain to deal with replacing the parts and changing your commute around in the meantime. And even beaters get parts stolen off them all the time, as the parts can be flipped easily for drug money.

Another good tip is to register your bike with the city (easy to do online) and take a picture of it. In case it does get stolen and you're able to track it down, you've got proof that it belongs to you.

ETA: for a more expensive bike I'd invest in a couple different types of locks (not all thieves carry every type of lockbreaking device) but the drawback is now you're talking about lugging around 10-20 pounds of locks which kind of defeats the purpose of having a fancy bike in the first place.

[pvande55]

Another way is to get a folding bike you can take with you almost anywhere. Don't park it at a train station, take it on the train! Don't park it by the office bike rack, take it into the office! I am seriously considering one.

[rparz]

Originally Posted by pvande55

Another way is to get a folding bike you can take with you almost anywhere. Don't park it at a train station, take it on the train! Don't park it by the office bike rack, take it into the office! I am seriously considering one.

I love my Brompton and would only ever consider selling it to replace it with another one.