IG.
Registered
Too many bikes get stolen, especially from private driveways. So, I wanted to point out a few relatively simple things to do in order to make it really hard for thieves.
Chime in with your ideas.
1. If they don’t know where they bike is they are not gonna steal it. Don’t wash/work on your bike proudly in public’s view at the place where you keep it. Do it away from your house, or in the backyard so no one can see it. Thieves routinely ride around neighborhoods in search for their targets.
2. If they don’t see what kind of the bike you got, they don’t know whether they want it. Use the damn cover all the time, and the one that covers all the bike including wheels. The baggier the cover looks on a bike the better. Lock the cover so it’s gonna be extra step for them to even find out what kind of a bike is under the cover. Use Dowco Guardian with built-in alarm in the cover. It has a cord, which you attach to the bike. If the cord is pulled (like when you lift the cover), the alarm sounds, and there is no way to stop it unless you put the cord back, which is very hard even if you know where to put it back. Consider use of strob lights and/or smoke generator.
3. Use good chain attached to the structure. I am guessing a portable gas-welding device would cut through any chain in a matter of seconds, but they have to have it, and it is an extra step.
4. Use good bike alarm like Scorpio – with pager and perimeter sensor. It doesn’t solve the problem, but helps.
5. Now, for unusual stuff. Run the wire through the bike which goes to your home based alarm unit (either professionally installed alarm, or a separate one which gets triggered when the circuit is broken, and preferably loud – be inventive here). They cannot take the bike without ripping the wire – the alarm would scare them. Other choice would be to bypass the alarm with another wire – which is time consuming process. Make it in such a way that the wire gets pulled from a socket with even slightest tension, so even if they try to work with the wire, there is a good chance they would accidentally pull the wire out of socket, which would trigger the alarm. Put a couple of false wires to confuse them. Put the wire around the bike, so they even can’t get to the bike without dealing with wires first.
6. Anything unusual, they are not ready for, helps. E.g. put a bunch of small bells on a rope, and around the bike. Try moving the rope, and the bells will sound.
7. Someone mentioned a metal cage, or half-cage around the bike, so you practically lock the bike. Again, you have to be inventive here.
8. Here is another one. Imbed two electromagnets in the pavement (one for each wheel) where you park the bike. They are controlled from within the house only. A steel bracket goes around each wheel and sits on the ground. It’s easy to remove it when the power is off, and really hard when it’s on.
9. Video Surveillance is not as expensive today as it used to. Coupled with flood lights activated by motion detector, this helps, too.
10. This is a bit off topic, but isn’t it time to go for some sting operation? Any cops around here would have any advice on this?
Chime in with your ideas.
1. If they don’t know where they bike is they are not gonna steal it. Don’t wash/work on your bike proudly in public’s view at the place where you keep it. Do it away from your house, or in the backyard so no one can see it. Thieves routinely ride around neighborhoods in search for their targets.
2. If they don’t see what kind of the bike you got, they don’t know whether they want it. Use the damn cover all the time, and the one that covers all the bike including wheels. The baggier the cover looks on a bike the better. Lock the cover so it’s gonna be extra step for them to even find out what kind of a bike is under the cover. Use Dowco Guardian with built-in alarm in the cover. It has a cord, which you attach to the bike. If the cord is pulled (like when you lift the cover), the alarm sounds, and there is no way to stop it unless you put the cord back, which is very hard even if you know where to put it back. Consider use of strob lights and/or smoke generator.
3. Use good chain attached to the structure. I am guessing a portable gas-welding device would cut through any chain in a matter of seconds, but they have to have it, and it is an extra step.
4. Use good bike alarm like Scorpio – with pager and perimeter sensor. It doesn’t solve the problem, but helps.
5. Now, for unusual stuff. Run the wire through the bike which goes to your home based alarm unit (either professionally installed alarm, or a separate one which gets triggered when the circuit is broken, and preferably loud – be inventive here). They cannot take the bike without ripping the wire – the alarm would scare them. Other choice would be to bypass the alarm with another wire – which is time consuming process. Make it in such a way that the wire gets pulled from a socket with even slightest tension, so even if they try to work with the wire, there is a good chance they would accidentally pull the wire out of socket, which would trigger the alarm. Put a couple of false wires to confuse them. Put the wire around the bike, so they even can’t get to the bike without dealing with wires first.
6. Anything unusual, they are not ready for, helps. E.g. put a bunch of small bells on a rope, and around the bike. Try moving the rope, and the bells will sound.
7. Someone mentioned a metal cage, or half-cage around the bike, so you practically lock the bike. Again, you have to be inventive here.
8. Here is another one. Imbed two electromagnets in the pavement (one for each wheel) where you park the bike. They are controlled from within the house only. A steel bracket goes around each wheel and sits on the ground. It’s easy to remove it when the power is off, and really hard when it’s on.
9. Video Surveillance is not as expensive today as it used to. Coupled with flood lights activated by motion detector, this helps, too.
10. This is a bit off topic, but isn’t it time to go for some sting operation? Any cops around here would have any advice on this?
