Bike Security

 

if you've got a fat tyre bike, you probably hold bike security as a priority. For many of us our bikes are our pride and joy, a mechanical extension of our selves that we lock up and trust others not to tamper with. but it is us the riders and owners who tend to suffer when an unscrupulous character takes a liking to our property.

Given the above average price and desirability of a fat tyre bike, they are a much more likely target for thieves. keen to show their "friends" their latest steal or sell it on a local selling page for a good price. As a result your unlikely to prevent a committed thief whomever they are from having a go, but you can make it really difficult and then give yourself a good chance of getting your bike back or a replacement without it costing you very much at all. 

The reality is that most thieves are opportunists, who had no intention on nicking your bike that day but just saw an opportunity. so simply leaving your bike unlocked is gonna be enough for most to grab it and ride off. 

Doncaster has its fair share of dodgy people, I forgot about my bike one evening whilst out socialising and when i came back the following morning it had a number of parts taken from it, but the reality was the frame remained attached to the bike stand, the vandals had taken one look at the Kryptonite bike lock and just took what they could. I can't tell you how often I've seen bike locked up with a cheap bit of chain and a tiny Chinese made lock. 

good locks cost money, but they're worth it. Though not all locks worth a lot are very good though, so do your research, I have a few recommendations below, my big tips is check Lockpickinglawyer's or Bosnianbill's channel on youtube. Whilst the formers skill and ability to crack a lock is second to none, you can quite quickly see locks that he struggles with, are impossible for your average bike thief. Most bike locks can be seen these channels, but the simple rules are avoid master lock, avoid cable locks, buy big, and buy disk detainer. 

 I run a Kryptonite series 4 90cm Chain Lock. Its not their best lock but it certainly does the job. The hardened 10mm chain is only attackable by with disk cutter and the hexagon shaped chain makes it very difficult to cut. those willing to have a go at picking this thing will need a very special disk detainer tool. most of which cost in excess of £45. it also comes with Kryptonite's key safe and anti theft protection offer. guaranteeing you replacement keys and covering the cost of your bicycle up to £1500. the lock itself costs a fair £63 in the UK

This brings me on to my second topic, Insurance. A Unimoke in the UK is worth upto £3000, maybe even more in some specifications, Kryptonite's anti theft protection offer covers the excess on any bicycle insurance policy you have, essentially not leaving you out of pocket if your bicycle is stolen.

Bicycle insurance isn't hard to come by. but it is quite pricey. Cycleplan insures my bike, but at a premium. because of its pedal assist, desirability and value. Unimoke insurance for me costs around £120 a year. however I wouldn't go with out it. 

the policy comes with a lot of restrictions. for example, I can't have the bike stored in the same spot away from my home for more than 24hrs. you really need to read the details of your policy closely to ensure it coincides with your usage.

My final level of protection is my tracker. there are many bicycle trackers out there but my chosen one is Invoxia. They make a neat little bicycle tracker. it sends a message to my phone app every time the bicycle is moved and also tracks it location at 15 minute intervals. if the bike is taken or moved from a location you have set, it'll immediately warn you via the phone app. if you say the bike has been stolen it'll keep its location live, possibly allowing you to recover the bike.

Now I have no idea what I will be able to do with the information if my bicycle is stolen, I can't imagine myself confronting a thief on my own, but at least I'll know where it is. 

So that's my 3 levels of protection, you could be more cautious and add a second D lock to my armoury, but I'm quite happy with the protection level in my part of the world. 

There's an interesting saying I hear occasionally, if the enemy can't see you, you can't get hit. I guess if thieves don't know where your bike is, its unlikely to get stolen, so keep it hidden from sight is probably my top tip. leaving something out as the public walk past isn't always a safe bet, as very few people are willing to be a brave citizen as someone attempts to steal your pride and joy.

I' am by no means an expert, but hopefully the advice here can be of help to everyone. its always painful hearing about stolen bikes so anything we can do to help you, its the least we can do.

 

now go ride and stay safe!