Someone's been trying to nick my bike

[Yellow Fang]

I've been leaving my bike chained up outside in campus while working/studying. So far, I've had my lights and pump nicked when I forgot to take them off, and last week I left the building to find someone had tried to steal the disc brakes off my mountain bike. They didn't quite succeed although they did take the mounting bolts so I had to wheel it home. I've been reasonably sure of my bike not getting nicked, at least the frame, because of the thick heavy chain I use to lock it with. Anyway, yesterday, I was letting someone have a test ride of my Brompton when I noticed someone had nearly sawed through the link. I took the chain into the workshop this morning to see if they could remove the damaged links, and it took the technician about five minutes to saw through it with an angle grinder. That was with the chain held in a vice. When he tried to saw through a link with a hack saw, it hardly made a scratch. That means someone must have been trying to saw through the lock with a battery powered angle grinder outside the building Anyway, I've still got my bikes, a usable though shorter lock, and in future the Brommie is staying in the office.

 

[karlos_the_jackal]

What lock have you got then that takes an angle grinder 5 minutes to get through??

i'll buy 2 for london

 

[Dayvo]

That doesn't bode well!

Leave a note on your saddle to the effect that they are being watched, and WILL be pummelled with a cricket bat WHEN caught.

 

[thomas]

Do you have any on-campus bike cages. I left my mountain bike outside for the 3 months and the worst thing to happen was the seat post quick release got nicked so I had to cycle like a POB until I got a new one.

Wouldn't dare leave my road bike...or MTB outside anymore though. It's in a coded, underground bike room. It's as safe as it can ever be.

 

[swee'pea99]

Not wishing to trivialise your woes, for which many sympathies, but I've said it before and I'll say it again - the only really effective security if you plan on leaving a bike in scrote-land for any length of time and/or regularly is to have a bike that nobody would want to nick. That means a scrappy old racer with drops. Something like this would be perfect. You'd be surprised how much fun it is to ride; no-one would want to nick it; and even if they did you could get another for twenty squids.

 

[Yellow Fang]

What lock have you got then that takes an angle grinder 5 minutes to get through??

i'll buy 2 for london

I wouldn't like to swear it took 5 minutes because I didn't time it. It took several minutes anyway. It was a thick, heavy chain lock I bought from Halfords. It says Squire on the sheath.

That means a scrappy old racer with drops. Something like this would be perfect.

I have an old-ish racer, though not nearly as old as that. I'm actually trying to flog it as it's cluttering up my flat. I wouldn't like to bet a thief wouldn't want to nick an old racer, and any replacement for £20 would likely to have been nicked anyway. I keep wondering if one of Pashley's gaily coloured tube riders would be fairly thief-proof.

Do you have any on-campus bike cages.

No, I'm afraid we don't have them.

 

[semislickstick]

I'd not heard of this happening before but there have been a number of thefts of parts from bikes locked up at the Huntingdon train station, how do you stop your rear dérailleur from being taken if someone wants that??(apart from having a fixie....)
The police issued a picture of the suspect but I can't find it any more.

 

[swee'pea99]

The police issued a picture of the suspect but I can't find it any more.

Probly got nicked.

 

[semislickstick]

This young man.

British Transport Police (BTP) has released CCTV images of a young man they would like to identify following the theft of bike parts from Huntingdon Rail Station on Sunday 6 September.
The victim, a 60-year-old local man, had left his bike at the station at about 7.45am.
When he returned later in the day at 4.30pm, he found the gear mechanism had been taken.
BTP PC Chris Thompson-Chambers, the investigating officer, said:
"I am appealing for anyone who recognises the young man in the CCTV images to contact police.
"We believe that the individual may also be able to assist us with our enquiries into other cycle crimes that have occurred at Huntingdon station this year.
"Unfortunately cycles are a popular target for thieves and it is important to remember to register your bike and ensure a solid lock is used to secure it.
"If a bike is adequately marked, it makes it much easier to identify and therefore reduces its desirability to thieves."
PC Thompson-Chambers added:
"Any passengers who see anyone loitering or acting suspiciously around cycle racks should immediately notify rail staff or contact police."
Anyone who recognises the individual in the images should contact BTP on Freefone 0800 40 50 40.

 

[Crankarm]

I'd not heard of this happening before but there have been a number of thefts of parts from bikes locked up at the Huntingdon train station, how do you stop your rear dérailleur from being taken if someone wants that??(apart from having a fixie....)
The police issued a picture of the suspect but I can't find it any more.

Yep that looks like a typical scrote.

I parked in Huntingdon station once. My car was stolen . CCTV wasn't working. I believe there is a large scrote housing estate nearby the Oxmoor plus it is very near to major road links the A14 and A1M so thieves can arrive and be away in minutes many miles away.

 

[semislickstick]

Yep that looks like a typical scrote.

I parked in Huntingdon station once. My car was stolen . CCTV wasn't working. I believe there is a large scrote housing estate nearby the Oxmoor plus it is very near to major road links the A14 and A1M so thieves can arrive and be away in minutes many miles away.

The Oxmoor isn't so bad anymore because they have housed the trouble makers in nice areas outside, so now we all have at least one drug addict with a collection of bike carcasses/broken electrical goods in the garden in the area.....but the Oxmoor has improved. Hurrah!

 

[Bristol Dave]

, how do you stop your rear dérailleur from being taken if someone wants that??(apart from having a fixie....)

Epoxy resin (Araldite) the bolts on so they have to be cut off. Not ideal but if you don't intend taking things off then this can be effective. Use standard Araldite not Araldite Rapid.


I've heard of several bikes stripped of bits outside Bath Train Station - everything from pedals to mudguards. If it ain't nailed down etc.

BD

 

[Tharg2007]

all you need is a newspaper with some eye holes in it, a cosh and the day off work, you'll soon catch them

 

[mr_cellophane]

Thanks for that link, I can't find any dirt cheap bikes near me and I am over west London next week.

 

[brokenbetty]

Thanks for that link, I can't find any dirt cheap bikes near me and I am over west London next week.

I'd check the completed prices for similar bikes, it may not go as cheaply as you expect