Trap bikes used in crackdown on city cycle thieves

[Alien8]

Cycle thieves in Cambridge are being targeted by police with ‘trap bikes’ containing hidden sat-navs.


http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Trap-bikes-used-in-crackdown-on-city-cycle-thieves.htm

I'm just wondering how you can covertly add a GPS receiver (plus transmitter to track the position) to a pedal bike and for it (the GPS) to still work reasonably well.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

If this does work - and it seems to, given that they have already caught several individuals - it's about time.

IIRC Boris was proposing to do something like this in London, years before he was elected.

 

[Adasta]

Wouldn't the GPS have to be tracked at a specific point to catch the culprits? If it ends up in a local second-hand bike shop, would the thief ever be caught? Or, if it were stripped for parts and sold, wouldn't the GPS just end up in the ends of an unwitting consumer?

Is it the case that the police would be alerted as soon as the GPS showed movement?

 

[DrSquirrel]

Cycle thieves in Cambridge are being targeted by police with ‘trap bikes’ containing hidden sat-navs.

http://www.cambridge...cle-thieves.htm

I'm just wondering how you can covertly add a GPS receiver (plus transmitter to track the position) to a pedal bike and for it (the GPS) to still work reasonably well.

GPS will work easily through metal surfaces. Heck - I can get a signal indoors on some units.

Easy to do, hide it in the seatpost.


If you wanted you could do this with your own bike. A GSM GPS tracker can be had for 60 quid easily... rig up the biggest battery you can live with, slap a sim card in there (that wont deactivate with activity - which is the biggest problem etc) and sorted. Obviously need to recharge the battery every so often but they can last amazingly long times on standby.

 

[Alien8]

GPS will work easily through metal surfaces.

I don't think so - it won't take much metal around the antenna to attenuate the signals enough to stop it having any practical use.

Maybe the antenna is exposed somewhere - I'd like to know where.

Heck - I can get a signal indoors on some units.

That will be through windows, reflected signals etc.

Maybe they're using something like this (Spylamp Bicycle GPS Tracker): http://www.gpstrackthis.com/GPSTrack/Products.jsp

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

Maybe they're using something like this (Spylamp Bicycle GPS Tracker): http://www.gpstrackt...ck/Products.jsp

Nice idea that - but I always remove my lights from my bike, because they have been nicked on several occasions.

I expect an opportunist would take the GPS unit and leave the bike!

EDIT - Ah, I see that "Spylamp comes with a hardened steel wire cable that loops around the seatpost. It is not possible for a casual theif to simply unscrew the clamp or to break the light away from the clamp."

 

[Norm]

The spylamp looked excellent, I had a play at the bike show. They are also doing a version designed to fit inside the seat post, it looked well considered and was very impressive for £100-odd.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Nice idea that - but I always remove my lights from my bike, because they have been nicked on several occasions.

I expect an opportunist would take the GPS unit and leave the bike!

EDIT - Ah, I see that "Spylamp comes with a hardened steel wire cable that loops around the seatpost. It is not possible for a casual theif to simply unscrew the clamp or to break the light away from the clamp."

Well if someone steals your light - you can still track it

Would suck if person 1 stole your lights, then person 2 the bike

 

[Browser]

The spylamp looked excellent, I had a play at the bike show. They are also doing a version designed to fit inside the seat post, it looked well considered and was very impressive for £100-odd.

I saw that too Norm, and spoke to the young lad on teh stand. He said two months until they released the version which fitted in the steerer tube. That one appealed to me more as the scrotes wouldn't know it was there until plod knocked on the door.

 

[joebingo]

Wouldn't the GPS have to be tracked at a specific point to catch the culprits? If it ends up in a local second-hand bike shop, would the thief ever be caught? Or, if it were stripped for parts and sold, wouldn't the GPS just end up in the ends of an unwitting consumer?

Is it the case that the police would be alerted as soon as the GPS showed movement?

I believe that the police are alerted as soon as the bike moves.

 

[DrSquirrel]

That would require some kind of subscription service with the manufacturer, as the device won't alert the police... and the company is more likely to contact YOU first to ask you.


Problem with this...
1) monthly cost
or if its "all in" (lifetime sub)
2) the unit will only work as long as the company is functioning (companies fail, etc)

You pay a premium for being a computer novice here.

At least if you had an open system, you can set it to converse with your own phone, own site (there are many 3rd party services) etc.

 

[vorsprung]

Just having a GPS in the seat post is a bit lame

I was imagining a hinge in the middle of the bike and a huge spring. If the thief had a go then it would trigger like a rat trap giving the thief terrible injuries.
The thief would be unable to escape except possibly by gnarling off his own arm

 

[Mad at urage]

Just having a GPS in the seat post is a bit lame

I was imagining a hinge in the middle of the bike and a huge spring. If the thief had a go then it would trigger like a rat trap giving the thief terrible injuries.
The thief would be unable to escape except possibly by gnarling off his own arm

Simpler is just to remove the chain from the chainring when you prop the bike up.

Scrote leaps on unattended bike, pedals furiously, falls over. You stroll out of shop whilst he attempts to extract himself and ask what he's doing to your bike.

 

[snailracer]

^^^
You would still have to watch out for velocipede thieves. Although most of them have retired by now.

 

[Davidc]

Just having a GPS in the seat post is a bit lame

I was imagining a hinge in the middle of the bike and a huge spring. If the thief had a go then it would trigger like a rat trap giving the thief terrible injuries.
The thief would be unable to escape except possibly by gnarling off his own arm

Bit tame that.

My approach involves razor blades and a small explosive charge in the seatpost.