Bikes / security

[Ch1pbutty]

Only the D locks have the sold secure rating, bronze, silver and gold. Chains and wires are apparently not rated for insurance.

https://www.bike lock wiki.com/kryptonite-new-york-locks/

 

[Skylark2.0]

https://www.bike lock wiki.com/kryptonite-new-york-locks/

Great website, thanks for sharing it!

 

[soulstyledevon]

Just ensure you have the bikes covered with insurance.
It’s the only fail safe, should the worst happen.

 

[Jandy61]

Along with using the usual locks, chains, cables, locked to the bike rack, I would use a suitable length of electrical wire, something like red single core, run it though frames and wheels and then both ends back into the rear tailgate, wrap ends together lightly out of sight.
make the potential thief think twice about if he should cut though it setting of some kind of crazy alarm system.
Think dummy bomb, die hard style.

 

[Mike Currie]

I used this Web page and associated links to choose my lock.

Sold Secure Gold Bike Locks: The List | The Best Bike Lock

Sold Secure Gold bike locks offer the very highest level of security. I provide a complete list of Sold Secure Gold bike locks for easy comparison.

thebestbikelock.com

In the end I chose

Abus 6500/85 Bordo Granit X-Plus Folding Lock​

It is Sold Secure Gold rated and not a D lock.

 

[soulstyledevon]

I used this Web page and associated links to choose my lock.

Sold Secure Gold Bike Locks: The List | The Best Bike Lock

Sold Secure Gold bike locks offer the very highest level of security. I provide a complete list of Sold Secure Gold bike locks for easy comparison.

thebestbikelock.com

In the end I chose

Abus 6500/85 Bordo Granit X-Plus Folding Lock​

It is Sold Secure Gold rated and not a D lock.

Abus and Krytonite are the best two on the market.
I’ve gone Abus route, but purely for their one key system.

 

[GrannyJen]

AS seen in my avatar wrapped around the rear carrier I use a litelok when travelling.

I prefer a chain for its flexibility but the weights can be daunting. I use Abus at home to anchor my bikes to the garage wall.

 

[soulstyledevon]

AS seen in my avatar wrapped around the rear carrier I use a litelok when travelling.

I prefer a chain for its flexibility but the weights can be daunting. I use Abus at home to anchor my bikes to the garage wall.

litelok Gen...?
You may as well use Cheese Strings

 

[GrannyJen]

litelok Gen...?
You may as well use Cheese Strings

soldsecuregold

As long as the insurer is happy, I'm happy.

 

[Skylark2.0]

No not really, only that the thicker chains are far better than a cable. i only take cheap bikes away with us, the more expensive chains would cost more than the bikes are worth.

We get a lot of plant knicked from building sites and have yet to find an effective way of chaining stuff up

As you say - best approach is just to be better than everyone else & you will
Be targeted last.

We leave usually leave ours on the dismounted tow bar bike rack with a solid d shackle - whole lot weighs 60kg or so and awkward to pick up.

When I do take an expensive bike I tend to pop the front wheel off & lock it in the van.

If leaving bikes by the van It’s worth noting that the trailer socket on the van is alarmed, pretty easy to make up a cable loop on a trailer socket & feed it through the bikes. If it’s unplugged or cut the van alarm will go off.

Oh that is really interesting, I had no idea that the alarm was linked to the trailer socket! I will be annoying the neighbours testing that out this weekend....Great tip thank you!

 

[Lightning]

I have insurance from here. Seems like good value and endorsed by Brompton too.

Cycle Insurance | 25% off E-bikes | 50% multi-bike discount

Cycle insurance designed to protect your ride from £3.73/mth! 50% off additional bikes added | 25% e-bike discount | B Corp

bikmo.com

 

[kp64zl]

Resurrecting old thread - how about dismantling putting bike(s) into Bike bags such as the EVOC one and then it’s out of sight? If anyone has done this — my question is - how did it fit? I’ve a 2-seat beach so various options, but much of the time I need to be able to use the back seats to put children on (Could go forward a bit). Thanks.

(Working on the premise that if it can’t be seen then less likely to attract thieves)

 

[Gavin123]

Its a difficult problem. One thing I thought of was to use two of those screw in spiral dog restraints screwed into the ground next to each other and then lock through those with a D lock to the bike. As they are next to each other and joined by the lock you can't unscrew one or both. OK its not something Id leave the bike during the day but for overnight camp wd work?

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

With a bike rack locked to the van and your bikes securely locked to the bike rack it’s very unlikely in my opinion that anybody would attempt to steal them whilst on a campsite. Too much effort and too conspicuous and most campers are an honest bunch anyway. If you’re really worried then a movement alarm fitted to the rack would be an additional deterrent.

 

[soulstyledevon]

The best thing to have in place is insurance.
If they want the bike, it’s going no matter what you do. You can only slow them down at best.

 

[GrannyJen]

If you keep them chained to the bike rack and the bike rack plugged into the van then any attempt to move the bike rack will trigger the vehicle alarm if the van is locked..

On camp sites it really is about making them more difficult to nick than others lying around. I've even wrapped a chain around an electric bollard and fastened my bike to that.

 

[kp64zl]

Thanks for the above --I"m looking into getting a bike bag or box (e.g. Evoc) and storing the bike inside the van, disguised with 'stuff". Anyone on the forum done that and if so any issues getting it to fit whilst still being able to use the seats?

 

[kp64zl]

The best thing to have in place is insurance.
If they want the bike, it’s going no matter what you do. You can only slow them down at best.

Good video, thanks for that. The thief would have been smarter to just follow the car home and then wait for the opportunity. Alas that's what happens round here... & tailgating into secure bike sheds with an old rubbish bike as decoy etc etc

 

[AJQ]

We took two folding bikes with us on a 5 week trip to France this summer, one of the bikes was an ebike. We didn't have a bike rack as we carried them inside the van, secured to a d ring in the seat rails. We didn't conceal them, figuring they're not easy to see inside.
When we were on the campsite we put them behind the van, and locked them to each other using a kryptonite chain lock and another large d lock ('giant surelock protector'). We didn't attach them to anything, but when locked together they were fairly heavy and awkward for anyone to try and take. We also covered them with a tarp, pegged down at the corners.
On trips out we used the same locks attaching them to a bike stand where we could, sometimes in busy places but also sometimes in quiet rural car parks.
No one nicked them, I think it's a mixture of luck and making them look pretty uninviting and difficult to remove without attracting attention. The kryptonite lock is heavy to carry around but worth the £50 it cost I think.

 

[pluc99]

I was near Sorrento a few weeks ago and left the camper parked on the site while using my bike to get around, always locking it with a Bus 10mm cable lock. On the bike rack at the camp site I added a Kryptonite U-Lock but I didn't take it along on tour because of its weight.

At the Pompeii archeological site, not seeing any secure places, I paid for a "Safe Parking" lot, attaching the frame and both wheels to a metal fence post not 10 yards from the security hut.
Returning to the bike after my visit e bike and before I could unlock it, the security guard was on me demanding to see my receipt. I took that to be a good sign until I removed the lock and discovered that the cable had been cut half way through. I suppose the would be thief picked a moment when the guard left the hut and was then scared off by his return before he could scarper off with the bike. The next time I'll carry along the Kryptonite lock regardless of its weight.

On a different trip a few years ago stopping for lunch at a bar in an Italian town, I had the same bike attached to another bike via my Abus' predecessor but not secured to anything else. Thieves carried both bikes away on foot but were scared off about 30 minutes later while trying to bust open the lock with a rock by some locals who had been alerted to be on the lookout by the bar owner.

The irony is that I'm planning to sell the bike and will get about £1000 less for it than I would have recovered from my insurance as they pay out the invoice price regardless of age.

 

[Amarillo]

The best thing to have in place is insurance.
If they want the bike, it’s going no matter what you do. You can only slow them down at best.

I don’t agree with that.

Like wearing a bicycle helmet, bicycle insurance is protection of a last resort - and, most importantly, not to be relied upon for protection.

 

[kp64zl]

I don’t agree with that.

Like wearing a bicycle helmet, bicycle insurance is protection of a last resort - and, most importantly, not to be relied upon for protection.

& it seems like bike insurers have a habit of not paying out - with masses of small print to catch you out..

 

[soulstyledevon]

I don’t agree with that.

Like wearing a bicycle helmet, bicycle insurance is protection of a last resort - and, most importantly, not to be relied upon for protection.

I will agree, when you can show me a bike lock that’s infallible.
By all means lock your bike, stick two or three gold secure locks on it. But it won’t stop a determined thief from taking that bike…

 

[kp64zl]

I will agree, when you can show me a bike lock that’s infallible.
By all means lock your bike, stick two or three gold secure locks on it. But it won’t stop a determined thief from taking that bike…

Totally agree. Some bikes just shouldn’t be locked because that tempts you to leave them !

 

[Amarillo]

I will agree, when you can show me a bike lock that’s infallible.
By all means lock your bike, stick two or three gold secure locks on it. But it won’t stop a determined thief from taking that bike…

I will agree that “The best thing to have in place is insurance” when you can show me a policy that will pay out in all circumstances for a premium lower than the bike’s value.

Insurance has it’s place, but it is protection of the *last* resort. Two good locks, preferably of a different type, is protection of the *first* resort.