How to Deter Cycle Theft

2007-03-09 09:03 AM | Posted by Tejvan Pettinger | Permanent Link | Cycling Insurance

Average Rating:

( 0 votes)

Deter Cycle Thieves

Make sure you lock the bike. It may sound like stating the obvious but often we may be tempted to leave the bike for 5 mins or leave it unlocked whilst visting a café in the countryside.
Cycle Thieves operate everywhere. It always amazes me how cyclists leave their very expensive bikes unlocked when visiting countryside cafes. Just because you are not in the inner city doesn’t mean that your bike is safe. Unfortunately many good bikes have gone missing from countryside cafes.
Consider 2 locks. If the bike is of high value and you lock it in the centre of town use 2 locks. It is unlikely the thief will want to start tackling 2 locks. They will always look for the easy option.

Be wary of locking the bike to itself. I once had a bike stolen from the back of the house. The bike was locked to itself. Someone came and probably put bike in the back of a van.
Keep the bike in the house. One advantage of being single is that I can keep my best bikes in the living room. Who needs a Rembrandt on the wall when you can admire a racing bike? If this is not an option, (some people may not warm to the idea,) try to find a suitable place in the garage secured to a wall.
Note down your bikes registration number and model. Get it stamped if appropriate. A lot of stolen bikes do get recovered by the police, but often they have difficulty finding the owner. They are then sold off cheaply. If you bike is stolen don’t assume there is no chance of getting it back.
Don’t skimp on getting a good lock. It is recommended to spend at least 10% of the value of the bike.
Carry light lock If you do have a good racing bike always carry a relatively light lock, just in case of an emergency stop. A light lock is better than nothing. It will at least stop the drive off thief. Most racing cyclists would be reluctant to carry a big d lock around on a cyclo sportiff for obvious reasons.
Get the bike insured just in case. Cycle Insurance

Comments

There are no comments yet.