getting your bike marked?

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tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
I agree with @mjr note everything and take pic's ready to use if needed and get a good lock if you think your indeed of one.
As for tracking if you want to do it then you can always have a look at getting a tile https://www.thetileapp.com/en-us/ No need to recharge batt last a year but then you have to buy a new one.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
I don't believe marking or a tracker chip would get my bike recovered. When I found a bike dumped off a bridge the Police clerk said: "Oh yeah, another bike? We'll just put it in the shed with all the others...."

I never leave it out of my sight, lock it in our alarmed garage, make sure it's on our home insurance policy as a specified item and keep a good side-on picture on my laptop.
 

kynikos

Veteran
Location
Elmet
There was a long thread recently on pistonheads where a (motor)bike fitted with a tracker had been stolen and tracked to some flats. The police wouldn't get involved as they couldn't be sure which flat the bike was in and they weren't prepared to knock on a few doors to find out - i.e. they needed to certain which flat it was in and with GPS accuracy around 5 metres at best they couldn't be.

The devices I've seen for (push)bikes look to be very easy to remove, too. I'll stick to other methods.
 

Johnno260

Guru
Location
East Sussex
I think a tracker
There was a long thread recently on pistonheads where a (motor)bike fitted with a tracker had been stolen and tracked to some flats. The police wouldn't get involved as they couldn't be sure which flat the bike was in and they weren't prepared to knock on a few doors to find out - i.e. they needed to certain which flat it was in and with GPS accuracy around 5 metres at best they couldn't be.

The devices I've seen for (push)bikes look to be very easy to remove, too. I'll stick to other methods.

a friend who had his R1 stolen had crazy issues with the police, he didn't have a tracker but the neighbour had many CCTV which captured the bike having the ignition forced, mug shots of the scumbags as they walked past with the bike, he had date and time stamps so they could use the CCTV in the area to track them.

And the fuzz didn't give a rats, they said it's probably been broken for parts here is a crime number, they didn't even care about the footage it was a joke.

If you catch the thieving dirtbags and hurt one, expect a claim for assault though....

Point being if they don't give a rats about a motorbike, I doubt they will break a sweat for a push bike, even though the cost can be substantial.
 
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Spoked Wheels

Legendary Member
Location
Bournemouth
I think a tracker


a friend who had his R1 stolen had crazy issues with the police, he didn't have a tracker but the neighbour had many CCTV which captured the bike having the ignition forced, mug shots of the scumbags as they walked past with the bike, he had date and time stamps so they could use the CCTV in the area to track them.

And the fuzz didn't give a rats, they said it's probably been broken for parts here is a crime number, they didn't even care about the footage it was a joke.

If you catch the thieving dirtbags and hurt one, expect a claim for assault though....

Point being if they don't give a rats about a motorbike, I doubt they will break a sweat for a push bike, even though the cost can be substantial.

Wasn't in the news a few weeks ago that the policy only recovered less than 3% of reported items last year?

If that is the case I wouldn't hold my breath for them to recover my bike...... my daughter had her phone stolen in London and she tracked it down via gps within 40 minutes but the police weren't interested at all. I think it's better to make it more difficult for thieves to nick your bike ..... my bikes sleep with 3 think chains wrapped around them and ond one is anchored the the concrete floor.... I can't say they won't get stolen but if they try, it won't be easy.

Get some mototbikes chains from aldi .....
 

classic33

Leg End Member
There was a long thread recently on pistonheads where a (motor)bike fitted with a tracker had been stolen and tracked to some flats. The police wouldn't get involved as they couldn't be sure which flat the bike was in and they weren't prepared to knock on a few doors to find out - i.e. they needed to certain which flat it was in and with GPS accuracy around 5 metres at best they couldn't be.

The devices I've seen for (push)bikes look to be very easy to remove, too. I'll stick to other methods.
You've devices that acccept a SIM card, that are small enough to fit within the steerer tube or seat post. Not certain how accurate they are, but as more masts go up the accuracy can only get better.

I've used one designed for a motorbike, hidden within the frame. Final place I last had a signal from was outside the Port of Holyhead. Six police forces were contacted and alerted to the fact a stolen item was in their area, not one showed any interest in trying to help recover it. That's the biggest problem, getting the police involved. Not actually tracking it. Get that changed and we might stand a chance, until then I'd say we're fighting a losing battle.
 
No they don't.
They should, that’s what plod who dealt with my nicked bike told me. And what would you know about it anyway?
 
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