Mind boggling at the amount of bikes stolen.

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Thorn Sherpa

Veteran
Location
Doncaster
Unfortunately too common a thing nowadays, I think not putting pictures of your bikes on sites like Facebook etc can help prevent the wrong people knowing what bike you have and where it's kept. Not leaving your bike outside in public places when possible, I know no end of people who've locked their bike up in busy shopping areas and have come back to no bike.
 
I thought this thread was going to be about @Accy cyclist mop and bucket

Mind bogging ;)

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/anyone-got-a-mop-and-bucket.224028/
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Well that's throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I've use a bike for most utility trips for most of my life and not had one stolen yet - current security is a D lock and an alarmed cable lock, but I do hesitate to leave a bike alone in London, so usually either take my folding bike in with me, or leave my bike parked at the train station and use London Cycle Hire.

My household have had two bikes stolen over 20ish years: one was taken from a supposedly-secure compound at a workplace - work paid for the replacement and upgraded their security; and one was a borrowed bike with a borrowed lock that turned out to be shoot (rated 3 out of 10 by the shop that sold the lock - I mean, why even bother selling that? It was far too big to be useful as a cafe lock) stolen from a shared bike shed at a block of flats.

I don't use any of the cloud-based trackers, but are they still set to be completely insecure/public until you tell them otherwise by defining such privacy zones?

And making rides private seems like relying on the cloud owner's security not being breached (or simply flawed) which I don't think is a good move.

I think so too, but there's always the facebookers willing to tell us that we're imagining it and sites like www.pleaseRobMe.com are scaremongering.
Some people actually lock their bikes whilst inside their house. Sometimes it's even an insurance clause.

As for the site you keep listing, it's only any good if you're on twitter. That's all it checks.

I'd avoid any stolen bike registration site that puts your details and details of your bike, including the frame number on publc display. Anyone can then use those details.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Passive chips require a reader that can be used to read them and the time required to check for one.

Active chips allow you to track the movement. Sometimes limited to a small area. Useful within the home where a phone could pick up the movement, letting you know.

Some allow for tracking over a larger area, in real time/near real time.

The problem is getting out of the mindset of "it's only a bike". Something that is hard to get the police to do.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Some people actually lock their bikes whilst inside their house. Sometimes it's even an insurance clause.
:wacko: I'd regard that as a pretty obvious red flag that the insurer is probably a bike-hating weasel.

As for the site you keep listing, it's only any good if you're on twitter. That's all it checks.
It's an example, a proof of concept. I'm sure someone less nice has built similar tools that check facebook and 4sq (does anyone still use that?) and whatever.

I'd avoid any stolen bike registration site that puts your details and details of your bike, including the frame number on publc display. Anyone can then use those details.
Amen. The trouble is that most of the sites claim they don't put your details on public display, but then have been discovered to have lied/goofed.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
:wacko: I'd regard that as a pretty obvious red flag that the insurer is probably a bike-hating weasel.

It's an example, a proof of concept. I'm sure someone less nice has built similar tools that check facebook and 4sq (does anyone still use that?) and whatever.

Amen. The trouble is that most of the sites claim they don't put your details on public display, but then have been discovered to have lied/goofed.
First was a specific bike insurance policy. The bikes to be locked if you were not on the property(E&L).

The second is hardly a proof of concept. It & similar are close on 15 years old. If they haven't proved the concept in that time, then I'd say their not worth trusting.

Two such sites are listed on here as the "bees-knees" of stolen bike recovery. I've used one to "claim back" a stolen bike from a shop. Before returning it, to the police. Using the information on the site. Site owner less than impressed.
 

Alan O

Über Member
Location
Liverpool
Bike thefts are easy to setup, unlike lawnmower thefts...
Oh, I don't know...
lawnmower-hacks-bike-mower.jpg
 
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