Bike theft concern- advice needed

hbyton

Hello all,

I lock my bike up in peterborough city centre (England) sometimes I have to leave it their over night. There are around 75 bike thefts per month in the city (around 20 occur in the exact point where I need to lock my bike) so I would consider it a high risk area.

My bike is a Carrera zelos which is not the most expensive bike in the world however I love it and it is nicer than most of the other bikes that I am locking near which makes me concerned that my bike may be specifically targeted.

To protect my bike I have brought two locks which are-

Kryptonite new york STD which secures the back wheel and frame to the locking point.
https://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/Pr ... ber=000952

And an Abus granit X-Plus city chain which secures my front wheel and frame to the locking point.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/accesso ... -1060-lock

I brought both of these locks of the internet which was way cheaper for me.


My question is, just how good are these locks and will they be able to withstand an attack by a thief?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to help to help me

cookeeemonster

If anything will stop a thief, they will.

To be honest I think you'll be fine. They are heavy duty locks and if a thief looks at your bike with those and a more expensive bike nearby with or without the same level of security then it's not your bike thats gonna get nicked. In fact I read many a time that you should always park your bike next to something more expensive EDIT: just reread your post and it seems you've got the better bike...I still think you'll be fine though. At the end of the day there's nothing left for you to do other than stop worrying and maybe get insurance just in case? ETA are good.

This is a good resource: http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/144109/

Also you may want to google the best ways to lock up your bike i.e. try to keep the locks off the ground as they are easier to break and so on

Dandelionclock30

A theif can get any lock off with a battery operated angle grinder and these are cheap less than £80.00. It will take less than 5 minutes per lock.Easy.
If you dont want to have it stolen then get one for £20.00 off Gumtree and use that instead.

cookeeemonster

Dandelionclock30 wrote:

If you dont want to have it stolen then get one for £20.00 off Gumtree and use that instead.

...but bear in mind you'll almost certainly be buying a stolen bike...

Dandelionclock30

Not always, you can get very cheap old bangers that havent been stolen.

The Rookie

I would use the cheap second bike model, I use an old 97 Gary Fisher MTB as my town hack bike for that very reason.

However if you do use the Zelos,
1/ make it harder to nick and look less expensive than a nearby bike
2/ replace any quick release with blog through options and add a cable through the wheels anyway.
3/ or remove the saddle and seatpost as mentioned above.

Nothing can guarantee a bike won't be stolen (or stripped of parts) the aim is to make it take longer than another easier target.

cessitfoivi

yes,Some of the students near me have the seat stem on a quick release an take it with them when leaving the bike. Might also pay to have crappy looking bike to leave rather than the good bike that you like.

The Rookie

Seat post, not stem......

martino53

the only kick back with the quick release is you pretty much have to take the seat with you every time you leave the bike un-attended, something i painfully discovered after going for a quick pi$$

mr_eddy

Bottom line is no matter how good your lock is if someone is determined enough they will nick it - You can make it harder by making the locks etc hard to get too i.e. deliberately akward locking points with little access for tools etc and using multiple types of locks help. Keeping your bike in a well lit high traffic area also helps as well as locking next to an even more expensive looking bike. You could also try locking your bike in front of the city police station if there is one - You would have to be fairly bold to nick a bike from there.

When I go into Nottingham City Centre I use the NCP car park that has bike cages right in front of the security booth - They are £1 for 24 hours and no thief is gonna try and nick a bike from inside a NCP car park.

I would not get a second bike because it will detract from the cycling experience and you should not have to get a second bike.

CocoRide

I'm with mr_eddy I wouldn't get a second bike because that kinda defeats the purpose of having a bike you love and not using it but I would suggest getting it insured. If someone wants to nick your bike they will but if you take safety precautions and have insurance for if it does happen then you should be okay

tangled_metal

Insurance to replace it when it does get nicked.

They say fill the space in u locks with bike parts to stop thieves getting something in there to force it open but if angle grinders work on the grade of steel then that's not an issue anyway. I used to lock my bike up on the corner of the main road into the centre of town just where it does a 90 degrees turn and becomes a dual carriageway. It's also the way cheapskates walk into town after parking where they don't have to pay for parking!!! Meant it was always with people passing. Never needed to leave overnight though.

Fasten it in high throughput area but at night that's not possible unless you find the busiest nightspot to lock it near. And then you'd probably get the interest of the late night revellers!!!

Insurance is the best way to go. Do you have receipts for the bike and any mods and accessories you've added? The new and better tyres, the new brakes, gears, pedals, etc. That's got to make an insurance claim go smoother. You just show them copy of receipts and a quote for replacements including the fitting of any mods. Just an idea. I got burgled years ago at uni and month after my claim went in I found more stuff that had been taken. If I hadn't been a bit tricksy with what I had claimed I'd be out of pocket!

Is there anything you can do to make it look tatty or less value? Perhaps that's a good product to design, a roll of tape you stick on a bike to age/make it look in poor condition. It could also be reflective for commuting visibility.

cookeeemonster

Hmmmmm OP made one post and not been back since...I'd say we should stop now

tangled_metal

Probably down the cop shop reporting his stolen bike. Anyone seen a carrera zelos for sale down Peterborough way on Gumtree??

hbyton

Hi all, been away for a couple of weeks to come back and see the mass of replies (thankyou so much )

It seems that the way to go is to insure the bike but I have a couple of questions.

1. I brought the bike when it was on offer and my receipt shows the reduced price, should I insure the bike for the value of what I paid or the value of the bike when it is not on offer as it could have ended?

2. Which insurance company is the best in the uk? I was trying to find one that would give me some free accessory's when I signed up but I could not find any, I guess they have to make their money somehow...

cookeeemonster

Ah thought you were one of those who post and never come back!

This is a bit old but gives you an idea: http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/bicycle-insurance/

I use ETA, definitely the best in my opinion. They'll only accept the RRP value of the bike so if it does get stolen you'll get more back then what you paid for it. No deprecation either, plus a bunch of other stuff

tangled_metal

Perhaps home insurance too might cover it for a bit more to your contents cover premium.

BSRU

I have M&S home insurance they cover all my bicycles at home or away from home, upto £2000 for each.

hbyton

Thanks for the recommendations, guys!