Bike Theft 2
Posted by Born-Echo2444@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 13 comments
So, I asked for advise here and you guys were really helpful, thank you.
thats is the summary from what I learned:
- 2 quality locks, on both the frame and the wheel
- Alarm system
- Locked mode (Bike wheels won't spin)
- Duct tape to make it look bad
- Only leave unattended on crowded spaces
- Never leave overnight
- Battery always removed
- GPS Tracker
- Bike registered in garage 529
- Will look for insurance, but the goal is to NOT be stolen
Is that reasonable or still not good enough? Any other suggestion to prevent theft?
TopRepulsive4766@reddit
We bought these really obnoxious bike alarms for our ebikes. I'm sorry, I don't recall the brand or even which site I bought them from. I don't think it was Amazon. I looked on the alarms and there is no brand label anywhere.
These alarms have three stages if set off. First stage sounds similar to car alarms. The second stage is a siren. The third stage I don't really have words for. But it's like you're in a battle zone. This little kid set off my alarm once when I was too far away to disarm it quickly. At the third stage, people were coming out of buildings to see what was going on. It is really an extremely loud and obnoxious sound.
And of course, we naturally use other deterrents: Bike locks, Battery removal, And our bikes do need the fob to be turned on.
svelteoven@reddit
I got a 20 buck alarm off of Aliexpress. Does the job!
dewyke@reddit
I’m pondering hexlox for wheels rather than having to use second or third locks for them.
Being able to just lock the frame and having a reasonable degree of security for the wheels, seat, etc. seems nice.
RichTrifle1785@reddit
That’s pretty reasonable imo. I personally use three locks and I don’t duct-tape my frame, but I do everything else that you’ve listed here and it’s served me well.
I plan to do some upgrades when I have the money though, namely upgrading to two manganese chain locks for my wheels and buying a 4G GPS tracker connected to a buck converter that’s connected to the battery. It might be overkill, but my bike is my vehicle.
Born-Echo2444@reddit (OP)
🙏🏻good luck for us both.
boncros@reddit
throw a poopy-looking rag over the seat or handlebars.
Little_corn@reddit
Get a foldable bike and take it with you ?
funcentric@reddit
That sounds hard core. I would suggest you explore the main thing you may have missed. It's more about where you park the bike. If you have the option, don't park it in a place where people will know your schedule right away and have an expectation that the bike will be there and for how long. Also I wouldn't recommend removing the battery. That opens yourself up to weathering of the terminals and even vandalism of it. Changes of someone trying to mess with the lock to steal the battery itself is almost nil.
If you're too worried about it getting stolen, you may have purchased too "nice" of a bike for your purpose. Sounds stressful.
jk_pens@reddit
What does “registered in garage 529” mean?
Responsible_Cry888@reddit
Its a service that finds your bike if stolen.
jk_pens@reddit
Got it thx
Responsible_Cry888@reddit
Thats probably enough. Not leaving it overnight and mostly leaving it in crowded areas mean thieves have few opportunities. A hefty lock makes theft harder. Registering and gps it means if it is stolen you have a higher than average chance of recovery, and insurance means you should get a new one even if all fails.
Thats essentially four levels of protection. Im doing similar, except no duct tape and Im not gonna bother with a GPS tracker.
Low-Drive-768@reddit
Agree - I would do all except for the duct tape and I'd only pull the battery if concerned about the location or being out of my sight for too long.