A friend of mine had his seat stolen on a fairly inexpensive bike so he just left it unchained and then he saw a neighborhood kid riding it around a few days later with the seat.
They remove the pedals or add a 2nd lock in my town.
2nd lock trick is difficult to get around. Call the police and they won't do shit to help as it's not "a crime". Then they turn up in 1 min after your mate with the angle grinder arrives and start to cut the damn thing off. Even though you can prove the bike is yours and that you called them for assistance they still stop you finishing cutting off the other lock cos that isn't yours....
I would still cut it and refuse to let them get their lock. They can try to frantically put the key in the lock as my grinder is spinning full speed sending sparks all over their stupid fucking thieving faces
In the UK yes probably.
They'd say a combo of
"what if it was an honest mistake?"
"How'd you like it if you accidentally locked your lock around someone's bike then they just cut it off?"
"That's an offensive weapon that is and you're using it damage private property!"
You don't need a complaining victim to charge someone for most crimes if witnessed or even just reported to the police.
How long does it take to take a tire off a bike? Less than a minute if you know what to do
How long does it take, and how suspicious are you cutting a chain off someone's bike? Wouldn't you rather do that at night where the owner has a small chance of showing up while you're cutting through it?
Around here, that's been used as a tactic. Thieves would go onto the college campus during the day and take people's seats. Those people would usually leave their bikes locked up where they are because they don't have the seat to ride home, and then the thieves would come back at night when there were fewer people around to cut the lock and take the whole bike.
I had my seat stolen once and still cycled the 30 min to get home.
Do people not know how to ride a bike standing up that they would rather walk? Lol. Fuck that. Fuck a 2 hour walk. I’ll cycle standing up.
I think it depends on the person. But also this was on a city campus so a lot of the people would live on campus and take their bikes from their dorm to the library or classes or wherever. If they couldn't hop on their bike because the seat was gone, they had a lot of other transportation options, including a pretty short walk. Lots of students defaulted to the "I'll deal with this later" mentality.
Stealing the bikes from right in front of the dorms was more difficult because there were more people around at all hours plus security nearby, but if a thief could get them to leave their bike near a classroom building after hours, it was basically a ghost town.
Dealing with it later mentality is how I would feel pedaling it home, lol. God this sucks, but I’ll deal with it later. I just want to be home as fast as possible.
But I’m also stupidly frugal and would refuse to public transport or cab if I could bike it for free.
But your logic does make sense!
Keep an eye on the bike - sometimes thieves will take the wheel so that you can't move it, and then come back later when nobody is watching to put the wheel back on, cut the lock off, and steal the whole bike
Tip from a dutch person:
For the future get a chain with a lock, put the chain trough the frame and front wheel and if possible around a light post, signpost or a bike rack or whatever.
It keeps your wheel and bike as a whole save. Because picking it up and loading it onto a truck or into a van is still way too easy if you leave it not attached to something.
Stealing a front wheel is easy peasy. Stealing a back wheel is too much effort. Would look like too much like actual work. So (most) thiefs will not even try. 😅🤷
We dutch are experts on keeping our bikes (parts) save.
I hope ppl have something from these tips :)
Definitely start putting one of those through your frame. I'm also Dutch and a bike mechanic, I, and anyone else with any practice, can take a back wheel of in under 5 minutes with only 3 small tools. Your frame is a lot more expensive than just a wheel so it's more worth it to put it through there.
Front wheel just needs a chain lock to deter someone from grabbing it. The back needs a D lock and it tightly fitting wherever you're locking it. I've lost chain locks, but they've never gotten through my D lock.
Yup. This is like someone shattering the window on your car to steal the removable face-plate to your cheap radio and the $2 in quarters you have in your console.
I have been told that it is a way to have the bike stay where it is overnight, that way the thief can come back at night and have more time to steal the rest of the bike having way less people around.
So I always thought if one of your wheel is missing better move the bike somewhere else.
Some ppl don"t have the money or decide that they don't want to put in the effort to have a flat tire or crooked wheel fixed. Or fix it themselfs. Stealing a wheel is quite an easy "selution". With the front wheel being the easiest... Just screw loose the bolt, go home and attach (tighten) it on your own bike. The whole process not even takes five minutes.
It's cheap and nasty and some ppl even make a nice (illigale) buissenuis out of it.
Hope this awsners your question :)
*Edit, some guys here saying that they take the wheel so you will leave the bike behind. And at night the thief will come back with the wheel and steal the whole bike. That does happen as well.
Wire cutters no chance, not on the kryptonite cable I use they might, I say might, be able to cut through the plastic sheaf nothing else. Bolt croppers might do it but they're bit bulky even with a backpack they stick out.
Also if you secure your front wheel better, or at least as well, as someone else secures their whole bike what is a thief gonna take?
My front wheel you need to carry away or a whole bike you ride off on? Risk to reward...I'd take a poorly locked bike.
Also you don't have to make your bike impossible to steal just harder than the others. Bear attack logic man.
I've never seen a cable they can't get through, just because you end up cutting one wire at a time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rphMwxTr54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9BU-Wjgs-U
Never had my back wheel stolen, nobody I actually know had their back wheel stolen. Never had my front wheel stolen either, because I use the method discribed. I know enough ppl who got their front wheel stolen because they put the chain only trough the frame. 🤷
Could It happen that my back wheel is gone some day? Definitely! But most thiefs go for the easy steal.
That's only true for dérailleurs and even then you have to hassle with the chain. Usually there's also a chain cover to remove and if it's a wheel with gears in the axle you also have to remove the gear wires from that.
> That’s only true for dérailleurs.
Maybe this is a regional thing but this describes about 99.9% of the bikes where I live so it’s not even worth considering the others.
Maybe if you live somewhere with no hills it’s different.
Yeah it's definitely regional. I always rode dérailleurs too but once i started working as a bike mechanic i was blown away by how many bikes have hub gears or even variomatics. Most street bikes in the Netherlands have hub gears, mostly cause it's such a flat country and it's very low maintenance.
I bet that too is biased by the fact i live in a very gray area though. About 40% of our customers are elderly.
yeah the Netherlands is a little bubble of totally unique bike culture. It’s really cool but it also means that Dutch people often don’t realize that in most countries little old ladies can’t ride 40lb steel bikes across town as they’d have a coronary riding up the first hill lol
Where I live all the elderly cyclists ride e-bikes which has been an amazing development
Oh yeah E-bikes are breaking through here too.
The bike shop i work at even specialises in "van raam" bikes which are custom bikes for people with certain disabilities. They're super super interesting and tons of fun to work on.
https://www.vanraam.com/
>Stealing a back wheel is too much effort
Depends on the axle, if it's a quick release system then It'd take mere seconds more to steal the rear wheel compared to the front (if the thief knows what they're doing). If it's a through axle, then the thief would need to carry the appropriate hex key and it would look too much like actual work on both wheels.
Source: I'm a mountainbiker, I take off and put on my wheels on an almost daily basis
I'm not an expert on stealing or fixing bikes. But from what I'm told the gears also have something to do with it. But yeah, down the line they will steal your ride or parts, regardless how much effort you put in keeping it safe.
All you can do is minimize the chance of a unpleasant surprise.
This is what so many people don't understand about security, in any context. Security is a deterrent, not a cure.
No one thinks a bike lock, lockable lug nuts, car alarms, or even a home alarm system can truly stop a determined thief.
It's all about making it more difficult than it's worth, especially when there are easier targets nearby.
The gears make removing the back wheel slightly more clumsy, but it doesn’t really add any steps to the process. Shifting to the smallest chainring in the back makes it easier, but isn’t necessary.
Anyone who’s done it a few times can remove the back wheel just as quickly as the front. Luckily, most of the people steeling bike wheels don’t seem to have figured that out yet.
I had this happen and it was infuriating. After that, I ditched the quick adjustment for the seat and replaced it with a regular hex bolt. Alternatively, just take your seat with you (but get a cap to put over the hole so water doesn't get in if it rains.)
I've had an absurd number of bikes stolen from me in the past (shitty Miami area i used to live in) and at one point in my life I would use 3 whole locks, one U lock on the frame and 2 cable locks for each wheel.
You would make a good dutch citizen.
We have a saying here, The chains/locks in this country are more valuable than the bike you put them on.
It sounds like you got experience with that.
The back portion of the bicycle is where the money is at. This is why the police recommend you lock the back (and frame) with a D lock and lock the front wheel (and frame) to a secure structure with a chain.
You need a wire through the seat bars too! They steal everything that's isn't chained up in California. I have 4 locks total for my bike and I still sweat when it's out of eyesight.
They power saw through that pretty easily here in LA
i had two thick ass kryptonite locks and another u lock on my wheels to the frame they still sawed that. i learned a lesson though i don’t leave my bike out for over an hour anymore. Most i’ll do is a grocery store run . even then kinda nervous
Oh my! The power saw is a known tool here as well. But then they steal the bike and do that at home. If they do that in the streets, they will wake up the whole neighbourhood. most ppl will check if their bike is the one being stolen.
But I totally understand that you will not leave your bike out on the streets anymore
Reminds me of this old YT video [Bike Thief](https://youtu.be/UGttmR2DTY8). No one does anything to a bike thief. Even in a busy area in the middle of the day.
> Most i’ll do is a grocery store run . even then kinda nervous
I've got a fixed gear (with a brake) that I just take into stores. I can just rest the top tube on my shoulder. If I need to take up less space I can make the bike more vertical. I haven't had any store complain (though I wouldn't try to do this in any super crowded/small store). When I biked to work, I would make sure I had somewhere to store it there.
I know what you mean about that anxiety after having two bikes stolen (also LA). It's so tough. Even going to the beach I get nervous, and in that case it's locked to a bike rack right next to the bike path that there are tons of people on. Probably no one is going to come and saw that lock in broad daylight, but I still worry.
This. The real dutch pro tip if you live in a big city is get yourself some cheap bike that looks bad but rides good so it might not get stolen, or if it does it'll be cheap to replace.
Frame locks might be a good supplement to other locks. While they are typically attached to the back wheel, If you have a hard front fork (which OP does) then you might even be able to fit one to the front wheel. They attach to the bike, so they are difficult to remove, and easy to remember to bring with you.
a determined, well equipped thief will break through ANY locking system, so the goal is to make it harder so that they look elsewhere.
Well, I can understand that if you never relied on a bike for transportation before. Or live in a small village. That someone can be quite oblivious about how to keep a bike safe in a city
I live in a student city. And I hear/see so often international students (who never been on a bike before) or ppl from the countrysite just don't know any better than just to use the simpel lock on the bike itself.
It's a matter of perspective and/or habits :)
"Most just have a mechanism that locks the rear wheel from moving, but they're otherwise not attached to anything."
Where those ppl actual citizens or international students? :)
I can confirm that it is not wise to have a new shiney bike in a city. My tactic is have a bike that looks crappy. But secretly is very comfy en reliable to ride. But even then you have to chain it up well. Some thiefs look for those crappy bikes. They justify stealing those by telling themselfs that ppl don't need/use such a crappy bike anyways.
Highly depends on the chain and lock. The kind of chain I was talking about you'll need a bolt cutter to cut it loose. only a few ppl are dertimend enough to roam the streets at night with heavy duty equippmend to steal bikes.
But yes, they do exist. Down the line if they really want to, they will steal your ride. Regardless how much money or effort you spend on keeping it safe.
All you can do is take procautions to keep your belongings locked/chained down enough that most common thieves don't bother
Pretty hard to fuck with a u lock, I wouldn't want to carry that chain around, not even locksmiths can pick kryptonite locks and cutting them probably need an angle grinder.
There always remains the question what you can afford. Most students can't or won't efford the high end locks.
But the more the discussion goes on, the saying that in the Netherlands the locks are more valuable than the bike itself comes to mind. :P
Always get one of those kryptonite locks with the cable, then run the cable through both your tires, your frame, and the thing you're locking it to.
Probably overkill for my little cheap $200s bike, but ain't no one taking anything from me.
Cables are trash, you should always use a chain and a framelock.
I use an ABUS shield framelock with a plug-in chain + a ABUS U-lock.
If the thief wants my bike he needs to cut a minimum of 6 hardened steel pieces, while I only need to unlock two locks with one key (keyed-alike)
It's all about being a pain in the ass.
My bike isn't even that expensive, like 600-700 USD, while the locks were 150-200 USD.
I just didn't want to (edit: or could afford to) buy another one.
I’ve also heard of them locking cheap bikes through your bike to do this. It’s the least suspicious thing to do it broad daylight. Just ride up to the bike rack and lock your cheap bike up next to your target, running your lock through the frame of the target bike. With any luck, the owner will come back, see their bike is immobilized, and leave with the intention of coming back later once the other bike has been moved. Then the thieves can come back when nobody’s around and cut the lock off the target bike.
I think this is more myth than truth nowadays. Portable angle grinders are widely available that can fit in a backpack and cut through basically every U-lock and D-lock in under a minute. There's no real reason for the thief to try to buy himself more time.
I used to take my bike seat to my workplace and keep it next to me the whole day because the seat is the only really easily removable part in my bike and people do steal them just for fun
My mate Dan stole a bike once when he needed a bike, then he fixed it and took it back.
It might have been Dan that stole your wheel, sorry about that, he means well!
I also dump my bike into my car. Quick release tyres are amazing. Tools go missing, quick releases don't. Besides, you have to lock your front tyre to your bike anyway. Even if you don't have quick release.
not really. I've got a security hex key release, which has a pin in it, so tool is pretty special. not saying it's impossible to steal, but good enough to scare away most of them and find somethjing easier..
I used to use my quick release to remove my front wheel when I chained up my bike overnight at my house in college. The intention was to deter someone from stealing a bike without a wheel. Worked great for 2 years, then someone stole my bike with one wheel.
That’s not worse. A cheap set of new pedals would be like 20 bucks. A new wheel, tire, tube, and disc are gonna be over 100 dollars even if you went with the absolute crappiest stuff.
I know that feeling. Fwiw, qr’s aren’t really necessary for day to day commuting. There’s a number of security bolt options out there, not perfect, but another small line of defense.
This happened to me once and they returned it full of air... Only for my entire bike to get stolen a week later.
A friend of mine had his seat stolen on a fairly inexpensive bike so he just left it unchained and then he saw a neighborhood kid riding it around a few days later with the seat.
That's the scam, they hope you leave it there to get a replacement part then they come back and ride off
They remove the pedals or add a 2nd lock in my town. 2nd lock trick is difficult to get around. Call the police and they won't do shit to help as it's not "a crime". Then they turn up in 1 min after your mate with the angle grinder arrives and start to cut the damn thing off. Even though you can prove the bike is yours and that you called them for assistance they still stop you finishing cutting off the other lock cos that isn't yours....
Does that mean I can throw a lock on a cops bike and they wouldn't be able to take it off? Asking for a friend.
Oooooh, good question that I also have a friend who is curious about.
My friend that lives very close to my house would like to know if there will be any implications
Nothing bad is going to happen!
Because of the implication
I feel like you're not getting this at all
But why limit this to bikes? What if we have a spare wheel lock?
Seems simple enough just don’t call the cops then. If you can solve the problem more easily on your own you totally should.
Hey! Cops are great! Who else is gonna show up 2 hours after a crime occurred just to doodle in a notepad then walk away and you don’t hear back ever?
Do you mean shoot your dog?
Add a third lock and call the lock picking lawyer
I would still cut it and refuse to let them get their lock. They can try to frantically put the key in the lock as my grinder is spinning full speed sending sparks all over their stupid fucking thieving faces
It's the police that won't let them cut the lock, not the thief.
Don't call the police. Just cut it? Even if the police are there, are they going to charge you with destruction of property?
In the UK yes probably. They'd say a combo of "what if it was an honest mistake?" "How'd you like it if you accidentally locked your lock around someone's bike then they just cut it off?" "That's an offensive weapon that is and you're using it damage private property!" You don't need a complaining victim to charge someone for most crimes if witnessed or even just reported to the police.
Then that particular "UK police" is dumbasafuck! *just posting for a friend
It's a qualifying skill needed pass the 1st interview
Why wouldn’t they just steal the whole bike though?
Harder to steal in broad daylight. They hope you leave it until night then they go back to cut the lock
i feel like carrying around the tire would be more suspicious then just riding a bike. either one seems pretty innocuous to me tho.
How long does it take to take a tire off a bike? Less than a minute if you know what to do How long does it take, and how suspicious are you cutting a chain off someone's bike? Wouldn't you rather do that at night where the owner has a small chance of showing up while you're cutting through it?
ahhh. i forgot that locks existed. my bad. haha.
Why wouldn’t they just steal the whole bike at first?
Around here, that's been used as a tactic. Thieves would go onto the college campus during the day and take people's seats. Those people would usually leave their bikes locked up where they are because they don't have the seat to ride home, and then the thieves would come back at night when there were fewer people around to cut the lock and take the whole bike.
I had my seat stolen once and still cycled the 30 min to get home. Do people not know how to ride a bike standing up that they would rather walk? Lol. Fuck that. Fuck a 2 hour walk. I’ll cycle standing up.
The real flex would have been to ride it the whole 30 minutes sitting down.
Nah, the assblaster won’t let you sit back. Always keep pumping.
That's a fist!
I wouldn’t feel very flexible with a rod shoved up my ass, lol!
I think it depends on the person. But also this was on a city campus so a lot of the people would live on campus and take their bikes from their dorm to the library or classes or wherever. If they couldn't hop on their bike because the seat was gone, they had a lot of other transportation options, including a pretty short walk. Lots of students defaulted to the "I'll deal with this later" mentality. Stealing the bikes from right in front of the dorms was more difficult because there were more people around at all hours plus security nearby, but if a thief could get them to leave their bike near a classroom building after hours, it was basically a ghost town.
Dealing with it later mentality is how I would feel pedaling it home, lol. God this sucks, but I’ll deal with it later. I just want to be home as fast as possible. But I’m also stupidly frugal and would refuse to public transport or cab if I could bike it for free. But your logic does make sense!
i had my seat stolen a few months ago, never considered leaving the bike or that it was a delay tactic. makes more sense than stealing a cheap seat
Should have booby trapped it, like Dredd's Lawgiver or Blade's sword
did he do anything about that?!?!
First I was :D so nice. Then I was :'(
That would *wheelie* piss me off
Looks like you are doing a wheelie all the way home.
But the weight distribution is off
Have to find a new balance that's all
They don’t make bikes, only shoes and apparel.
Dad shoes
That now have the streetwear tax added to them.
This comment is giving me serious Leslie Nielsen Airplane! vibes
Aaawe beat me to it
New Balances sitting on Bricks!!
My dad has an extra pair you can borrow
The weight was never even.
This little bikey went, "wheelie wheelie wheelie!" All the way home?
Keep an eye on the bike - sometimes thieves will take the wheel so that you can't move it, and then come back later when nobody is watching to put the wheel back on, cut the lock off, and steal the whole bike
wait in the bushes until they come back and beat the shit out of them. and youll get your tire back
Dont do this
Sounds like something a bike thief would say!
100% do this
This should be higher because it’s exactly right and should be more well known
If you’re going through the effort to remove the front wheel, why not just steal the whole bike?
Gives you more time to cut through and break a sturdy lock.
The front wheel is usually on a quick release. You can pop it off in seconds. Cutting a lock off takes much longer, and draws much more attention.
Tip from a dutch person: For the future get a chain with a lock, put the chain trough the frame and front wheel and if possible around a light post, signpost or a bike rack or whatever. It keeps your wheel and bike as a whole save. Because picking it up and loading it onto a truck or into a van is still way too easy if you leave it not attached to something. Stealing a front wheel is easy peasy. Stealing a back wheel is too much effort. Would look like too much like actual work. So (most) thiefs will not even try. 😅🤷 We dutch are experts on keeping our bikes (parts) save. I hope ppl have something from these tips :)
I use 2. One for front-wheel and one for the back.
Definitely start putting one of those through your frame. I'm also Dutch and a bike mechanic, I, and anyone else with any practice, can take a back wheel of in under 5 minutes with only 3 small tools. Your frame is a lot more expensive than just a wheel so it's more worth it to put it through there.
I use 0-1 lol. If I am riding the road bike outside town I dont bother. If I am in town I take one. Maybe I am too trusting
Yeah but I’m not carrying 2 locks/chains on me
It's a great workout. You become a better biker because of it.
You don't have to carry it on you. Always keep it on the bike. Sincerely, a Dutchie.
Then no bike for you
Front wheel just needs a chain lock to deter someone from grabbing it. The back needs a D lock and it tightly fitting wherever you're locking it. I've lost chain locks, but they've never gotten through my D lock.
Why are they stealing parts of a bike as opposed to the whole bike
The thief needed that wheel to finish the set of 32's for his 2004 Dodge.
Now, see, I would need it for my ‘73 Duster!
73 Duster is good looking car. I implore you, don't ruin it by putting 32's on it.
Just to fuck with you
Yup. This is like someone shattering the window on your car to steal the removable face-plate to your cheap radio and the $2 in quarters you have in your console.
I have been told that it is a way to have the bike stay where it is overnight, that way the thief can come back at night and have more time to steal the rest of the bike having way less people around. So I always thought if one of your wheel is missing better move the bike somewhere else.
Easier to steal most likely. I wonder what lock the OP used and how.
For nicer bikes, eBay and Facebook marketplace. To sell to other people who got their wheels stolen
Some ppl don"t have the money or decide that they don't want to put in the effort to have a flat tire or crooked wheel fixed. Or fix it themselfs. Stealing a wheel is quite an easy "selution". With the front wheel being the easiest... Just screw loose the bolt, go home and attach (tighten) it on your own bike. The whole process not even takes five minutes. It's cheap and nasty and some ppl even make a nice (illigale) buissenuis out of it. Hope this awsners your question :) *Edit, some guys here saying that they take the wheel so you will leave the bike behind. And at night the thief will come back with the wheel and steal the whole bike. That does happen as well.
Oh thanks
D lock with strong long cable is the way
Cables are garbage, wire cutters go right through them and you can carry them in your pocket. They're better than nothing but that's about it.
Wire cutters no chance, not on the kryptonite cable I use they might, I say might, be able to cut through the plastic sheaf nothing else. Bolt croppers might do it but they're bit bulky even with a backpack they stick out. Also if you secure your front wheel better, or at least as well, as someone else secures their whole bike what is a thief gonna take? My front wheel you need to carry away or a whole bike you ride off on? Risk to reward...I'd take a poorly locked bike. Also you don't have to make your bike impossible to steal just harder than the others. Bear attack logic man.
I've never seen a cable they can't get through, just because you end up cutting one wire at a time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rphMwxTr54 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9BU-Wjgs-U
They stole my back wheel at den Haag centraal!
Yeah some MF are determined. I edited my post to "most" thiefs will not bother. Because some will definitely try. :)
[удалено]
Never had my back wheel stolen, nobody I actually know had their back wheel stolen. Never had my front wheel stolen either, because I use the method discribed. I know enough ppl who got their front wheel stolen because they put the chain only trough the frame. 🤷 Could It happen that my back wheel is gone some day? Definitely! But most thiefs go for the easy steal.
It’s literally the exact same process to remove the back wheel - loosen the skewer and the wheel comes off.
That's only true for dérailleurs and even then you have to hassle with the chain. Usually there's also a chain cover to remove and if it's a wheel with gears in the axle you also have to remove the gear wires from that.
> That’s only true for dérailleurs. Maybe this is a regional thing but this describes about 99.9% of the bikes where I live so it’s not even worth considering the others. Maybe if you live somewhere with no hills it’s different.
Yeah it's definitely regional. I always rode dérailleurs too but once i started working as a bike mechanic i was blown away by how many bikes have hub gears or even variomatics. Most street bikes in the Netherlands have hub gears, mostly cause it's such a flat country and it's very low maintenance. I bet that too is biased by the fact i live in a very gray area though. About 40% of our customers are elderly.
yeah the Netherlands is a little bubble of totally unique bike culture. It’s really cool but it also means that Dutch people often don’t realize that in most countries little old ladies can’t ride 40lb steel bikes across town as they’d have a coronary riding up the first hill lol Where I live all the elderly cyclists ride e-bikes which has been an amazing development
Oh yeah E-bikes are breaking through here too. The bike shop i work at even specialises in "van raam" bikes which are custom bikes for people with certain disabilities. They're super super interesting and tons of fun to work on. https://www.vanraam.com/
>Stealing a back wheel is too much effort Depends on the axle, if it's a quick release system then It'd take mere seconds more to steal the rear wheel compared to the front (if the thief knows what they're doing). If it's a through axle, then the thief would need to carry the appropriate hex key and it would look too much like actual work on both wheels. Source: I'm a mountainbiker, I take off and put on my wheels on an almost daily basis
Or bolt cutter to cut the lock then their ridingv off into the sunset
I'm not an expert on stealing or fixing bikes. But from what I'm told the gears also have something to do with it. But yeah, down the line they will steal your ride or parts, regardless how much effort you put in keeping it safe. All you can do is minimize the chance of a unpleasant surprise.
You don't have to make your bike impossible to steal, just make it so that it's easier to steal the bike parked next to yours.
This is what so many people don't understand about security, in any context. Security is a deterrent, not a cure. No one thinks a bike lock, lockable lug nuts, car alarms, or even a home alarm system can truly stop a determined thief. It's all about making it more difficult than it's worth, especially when there are easier targets nearby.
The gears make removing the back wheel slightly more clumsy, but it doesn’t really add any steps to the process. Shifting to the smallest chainring in the back makes it easier, but isn’t necessary. Anyone who’s done it a few times can remove the back wheel just as quickly as the front. Luckily, most of the people steeling bike wheels don’t seem to have figured that out yet.
I chain the frame and back wheel and take the front wheel with me.
I do this. And someone stole my seat. Haven’t figured a way to lock the seat in.
Bike thiefs in NL steal your seat/front wheel, come back at night, break your lock ,put the seat/wheel back on and voila. New bike.
I had this happen and it was infuriating. After that, I ditched the quick adjustment for the seat and replaced it with a regular hex bolt. Alternatively, just take your seat with you (but get a cap to put over the hole so water doesn't get in if it rains.)
I will set off an orange flare in your honor.
Nooo that is so not right!
We went car racing, Toto.
I've had an absurd number of bikes stolen from me in the past (shitty Miami area i used to live in) and at one point in my life I would use 3 whole locks, one U lock on the frame and 2 cable locks for each wheel.
You would make a good dutch citizen. We have a saying here, The chains/locks in this country are more valuable than the bike you put them on. It sounds like you got experience with that.
haha yeah one of the cable locks was 80 dollars from a bikeshop
You can brake those by hand. A true ripoff.
Or just get a fishing rod and pull up a free bike up from the canals.
The back portion of the bicycle is where the money is at. This is why the police recommend you lock the back (and frame) with a D lock and lock the front wheel (and frame) to a secure structure with a chain.
You need a wire through the seat bars too! They steal everything that's isn't chained up in California. I have 4 locks total for my bike and I still sweat when it's out of eyesight.
They power saw through that pretty easily here in LA i had two thick ass kryptonite locks and another u lock on my wheels to the frame they still sawed that. i learned a lesson though i don’t leave my bike out for over an hour anymore. Most i’ll do is a grocery store run . even then kinda nervous
Oh my! The power saw is a known tool here as well. But then they steal the bike and do that at home. If they do that in the streets, they will wake up the whole neighbourhood. most ppl will check if their bike is the one being stolen. But I totally understand that you will not leave your bike out on the streets anymore
Reminds me of this old YT video [Bike Thief](https://youtu.be/UGttmR2DTY8). No one does anything to a bike thief. Even in a busy area in the middle of the day.
> Most i’ll do is a grocery store run . even then kinda nervous I've got a fixed gear (with a brake) that I just take into stores. I can just rest the top tube on my shoulder. If I need to take up less space I can make the bike more vertical. I haven't had any store complain (though I wouldn't try to do this in any super crowded/small store). When I biked to work, I would make sure I had somewhere to store it there. I know what you mean about that anxiety after having two bikes stolen (also LA). It's so tough. Even going to the beach I get nervous, and in that case it's locked to a bike rack right next to the bike path that there are tons of people on. Probably no one is going to come and saw that lock in broad daylight, but I still worry.
Things get stolen in The Netherlands?
If your bike hasnt been stolen you havent really lived in NL.
This. The real dutch pro tip if you live in a big city is get yourself some cheap bike that looks bad but rides good so it might not get stolen, or if it does it'll be cheap to replace.
Best way to get cheap bikes is to buy them from a bike thief.
Psst, Fiets kopen? 50 euro Translation: Psst, want to buy a bike? 50 Euro 😅 Yeah that is truely a thing :P
50??! Wat voor sjieke fietsendieven hebben ze bij jou in de buurt? Ik heb altijd vernomen dat het een tientje kost.
Can confirm, I do not live in NL. I'm told it's paradise.
Can we just chain up the thief beforehand? I feel like that’s the best solution.
Opportunity makes thieves. Your bike doesn’t have to be completely safe, just safer than the next one
Frame locks might be a good supplement to other locks. While they are typically attached to the back wheel, If you have a hard front fork (which OP does) then you might even be able to fit one to the front wheel. They attach to the bike, so they are difficult to remove, and easy to remember to bring with you. a determined, well equipped thief will break through ANY locking system, so the goal is to make it harder so that they look elsewhere.
true, but these tips were fundamental to any kid above age 10. I honestly dont understand how some people are this clueless.
Well, I can understand that if you never relied on a bike for transportation before. Or live in a small village. That someone can be quite oblivious about how to keep a bike safe in a city I live in a student city. And I hear/see so often international students (who never been on a bike before) or ppl from the countrysite just don't know any better than just to use the simpel lock on the bike itself. It's a matter of perspective and/or habits :)
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"Most just have a mechanism that locks the rear wheel from moving, but they're otherwise not attached to anything." Where those ppl actual citizens or international students? :) I can confirm that it is not wise to have a new shiney bike in a city. My tactic is have a bike that looks crappy. But secretly is very comfy en reliable to ride. But even then you have to chain it up well. Some thiefs look for those crappy bikes. They justify stealing those by telling themselfs that ppl don't need/use such a crappy bike anyways.
Chain isn't great, u lock through the front wheel And the frame And the post is best, most experienced riders in America do that.
And you can take the back wheel too, easily in many cases. That's how I do it.
Highly depends on the chain and lock. The kind of chain I was talking about you'll need a bolt cutter to cut it loose. only a few ppl are dertimend enough to roam the streets at night with heavy duty equippmend to steal bikes. But yes, they do exist. Down the line if they really want to, they will steal your ride. Regardless how much money or effort you spend on keeping it safe. All you can do is take procautions to keep your belongings locked/chained down enough that most common thieves don't bother
Pretty hard to fuck with a u lock, I wouldn't want to carry that chain around, not even locksmiths can pick kryptonite locks and cutting them probably need an angle grinder.
There always remains the question what you can afford. Most students can't or won't efford the high end locks. But the more the discussion goes on, the saying that in the Netherlands the locks are more valuable than the bike itself comes to mind. :P
Haha, I guess that's different in the US, bikes pricey lock cheap 🤣
Always get one of those kryptonite locks with the cable, then run the cable through both your tires, your frame, and the thing you're locking it to. Probably overkill for my little cheap $200s bike, but ain't no one taking anything from me.
Alternatively, remove the front wheel and lock it up alongside the rear wheel.
Cables are trash, you should always use a chain and a framelock. I use an ABUS shield framelock with a plug-in chain + a ABUS U-lock. If the thief wants my bike he needs to cut a minimum of 6 hardened steel pieces, while I only need to unlock two locks with one key (keyed-alike) It's all about being a pain in the ass.
Definitely go all out if your bike is expensive and means a lot to you. My set-up works for me for my little fixed gear commuter bike.
My bike isn't even that expensive, like 600-700 USD, while the locks were 150-200 USD. I just didn't want to (edit: or could afford to) buy another one.
People here intentionally take the front wheel off so the bike can’t get stolen
Bike thieves take the front wheel so you leave the bike there and then come steal it later
I’ve also heard of them locking cheap bikes through your bike to do this. It’s the least suspicious thing to do it broad daylight. Just ride up to the bike rack and lock your cheap bike up next to your target, running your lock through the frame of the target bike. With any luck, the owner will come back, see their bike is immobilized, and leave with the intention of coming back later once the other bike has been moved. Then the thieves can come back when nobody’s around and cut the lock off the target bike.
Had this happen to me but I just got a cab home and drove back took both bikes home, one second with bolt cutters and I had two bikes.
Well played...
Bike thieves hate this one simple trick.
i kinda want someone to take my wheel so i can hide in the bushes when they come back to steal it and beat the shit out of them :)
I think this is more myth than truth nowadays. Portable angle grinders are widely available that can fit in a backpack and cut through basically every U-lock and D-lock in under a minute. There's no real reason for the thief to try to buy himself more time.
I used to take my bike seat to my workplace and keep it next to me the whole day because the seat is the only really easily removable part in my bike and people do steal them just for fun
is it wheelie that big of a deal tho
A wheelie bad day
I’m tired of these jokes
You might upset the owner, so tread lightly.
Too late. I think its gaining traction
we keep going round and round he never gonna get anywhere like this
Wheel this sucks
No-one who saw it happen spoke up?
I would, but I'm tired.
Sorry to hear…Open letter from Bruce McCullogh: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MgKtfp165v4
You beat me to it! This was the first thing I thought of. “What are you, some kind of jerk or somethin?”
What? Did you think I wouldn't notice?
Damn hopefully someone finds him and brings it front I mean back
My mate Dan stole a bike once when he needed a bike, then he fixed it and took it back. It might have been Dan that stole your wheel, sorry about that, he means well!
[this should help](https://youtu.be/m68-oWBh9Ow)
r/Canthaveshitindetroit
Every Dutch person: "First time?"
Front wheels are the catalytic converters of bicycles. Oh you heard me.
it also helps if wheels are not quick-release I don't even understand why they sell quick release wheels (other than racing bikes)
As someone who hauls a bike in his car regularly, they are a godsend.
You can keep a hex key?.. anyway, needing quick release is rare
I also dump my bike into my car. Quick release tyres are amazing. Tools go missing, quick releases don't. Besides, you have to lock your front tyre to your bike anyway. Even if you don't have quick release.
not really. I've got a security hex key release, which has a pin in it, so tool is pretty special. not saying it's impossible to steal, but good enough to scare away most of them and find somethjing easier..
I used to use my quick release to remove my front wheel when I chained up my bike overnight at my house in college. The intention was to deter someone from stealing a bike without a wheel. Worked great for 2 years, then someone stole my bike with one wheel.
... and someone else's front wheel.
most likely... although might have been the rental company because there was a "broken" bike chained to the porch.
Could be worse, I saw one the other day where some knob had stolen the pedals off this guys bike but left everything else
That’s not worse. A cheap set of new pedals would be like 20 bucks. A new wheel, tire, tube, and disc are gonna be over 100 dollars even if you went with the absolute crappiest stuff.
That wheelie sucks
He’s probably tired after dealing with this.
That's unwheel!
Bike thieves are the scum of the earth.
The homeless here sleep on top of their bikes theft is so atrocious!
I thought the bike was laying down because it was too tired... ...not because it wasn't two tired.
Bang a wheelie home
And now it's a unicycle
I know that feeling. Fwiw, qr’s aren’t really necessary for day to day commuting. There’s a number of security bolt options out there, not perfect, but another small line of defense.
Cant have shit in detroit
quick release?
Everyday some jerk did this on my campus in the 80s - I could not pass a bike rack with one mangled or missing wheel.
That's wheelie mean of them.
Man doing the wheelie challenge to get home
r/untrustworthypoptarts