Bike thefts in Bristol

[summerdays]

From the BBC website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/8062541.stm

Rates of bike theft in the city remain stubbornly at more than twice the UK average. And thefts of high-value bicycles - worth more than £1,000 - is up 20% on 2008.

Now I leave my bike in lots of different areas of Bristol and so far its still there when I return. OK its only a £500 bike. But I have to admit to that feeling of is it still there as I approach the spot where ever I have left it.

But its watching the video clip that goes with the story and realising how quick and unobviously they are stolen. I didn't even realise that they were stealing them the first time I viewed it ... just thought they were taking off their own locks. And I have locked my bike up on that set of racks in Broadmead before now.

In trying to find this story I also found a web-site:

http://stolenbristolbikes.blogspot.com/

 

[fossyant]

The video show's how easy it is to take many bikes - just looks like a bloke 'unlocking' a bike to a passer by.

 

[Crankarm]

Shocking video . The thieves all look like scrotes as well. Mind all the locks on the bikes snipped or broken appeared to have been cable locks and not heavy duty D locks such as Abus. You may as well use string. If these people were the ones who were caught by police then all the better. The next shock will be the lenient sentences they received.

If you are flush enough to spend £2000 plus on a bike then put a tracker in the frame. Microchip will be useless unless it can be tracked as the police admit that cycle theft is low on their list of priorities so they are unlikely to ever recover your pride and joy. If you are spending £5000 then presumably fitting CCTV or other covert anti theft devices such as coded dye at your property would be highly desirable.

 

[MacB]

We should also consider the idea that high end bikes are targetted and there is a ready market for them. That ready market is a problem, you're talking regular cyclists being prepared to turn a blind eye to save a few quid.

 

[thomas]

"Those caught got anything from a £250 fine, to a 100-hours community order, to three months' detention," he said.

Heck, that wouldn't put me off stealing a bike if I was that was inclined.

 

[Ben M]

A perfect video to demonstrate that anything other than a D-lock is pointless.

Yes, D locks can be broken, but they'd sure take longer than a cable lock. And if your bike is with others which are only cable locked, which do you reckon is more likely to get nicked?

Heck, that wouldn't put me off stealing a bike if I was that was inclined.

Exactly, it's not even the value of the bike which you have stolen. Ridiculous.

 

[thomas]

Exactly, it's not even the value of the bike which you have stolen. Ridiculous.

My bike got stolen, thank fully the house insurance did cover most of it, otherwise that'd of been £500/600 down the drain. I bet you'd get a harsher sentence for stealing a £500/600 car than anyone would get for stealing my bike.

 

[Crankarm]

My bike got stolen, thank fully the house insurance did cover most of it, otherwise that'd of been £500/600 down the drain.

You pay for it in the end though through paying a premium excess, loss of NCD and increased future premiums. There is no such thing as a free lunch .

The best bike security is parking next to bikes all locked with cable locks whilst I lock up using two Abus Granite X-Pluses.

I bet you'd get a harsher sentence for stealing a £500/600 car than anyone would get for stealing my bike.

Sadly that seems to be the case unless the car belonged to a judge although quite why a judge would be owning a £500/600 Astra is beyond me. The thieves or joy riders generally torch them anyway so no one is ever caught.

 

[colinr]

A perfect video to demonstrate that anything other than a D-lock is pointless.

I swear they get the locks off those quicker than I can tame my coily "Abus Millennio Phantom" (what a name!) cable lock into coming off. So err, what's a tough yet cost-effective D-lock?

 

[thomas]

You pay for it in the end though through loss of NCD and increased premiums. There is no such thing as a free lunch .

The excess is cheaper than the bike still. The worst part is that you just get paranoid about your bike. I've been in offices and locked my bike up, inside, when it was just around the corner from me. Times when there should be no need.

At lunch time at work I have to go check my bike is there...and at UNI I even checked it was still there the night before going out on a club ride

 

[Crankarm]

I swear they get the locks off those quicker than I can tame my coily "Abus Millennio Phantom" (what a name!) cable lock into coming off. So err, what's a tough yet cost-effective D-lock?

See above. It depends how much you value your bike or how much spare cash you have to splash out on a bew bike when yours goes AWOL .

10-15% of the value of the bike? So for a £3500 bike that's £350-525 worth of security. Personally I don't consider £150 for good D-locks money poorly spent. Touch wood. But hey I don't want too many other cycles secured with decent D-locks as they might then target mine .

 

[thomas]

But hey I don't want too many other cycles secured with decent D-locks as they might then target mine .

haha...I always hope that as I use two locks it'll stop them from bothering. touch wood.

 

[colinr]

10-15% of the value of the bike?

That'll be about £40 then. I swore that next month would not involve spending money on cycling, out goes that plan

 

[very-near]

Perhaps the council could bring in some high security cages which people could use a chip and pin on.

Either that or blame the hand wringers for being so understanding of the poor little mites deprived background...

 

[thomas]

Perhaps the council could bring in some high security cages which people could use a chip and pin on.

5, 2, 9...erm, oh 'bother'.