Tracking Stolen Bikes and preventing theft
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:26 am
This is a short post which will expand over time and contain addition tips and advice for tracking down stolen bikes.
Preventing Theft
Locations:
• Avoid locking your bike up in public places when possible. Overnight can be a bad idea. Safest is indoors in your workplace and house.
• Private car parks and back lanes are not necessarily better - although it is les public, thieves have more cover and can come and go without being noticed.
Thieves
This is not certified info however there are generally two types of bicycle thieves:
The Opportunity Thief will find your bike by chance and take the opportunity of stealing it. Perhaps they live in the neighbourhood or are passing through. These thieves may try and sell to a friend or ride the bike themself.
The Organised Criminal has better bike knowledge and will often target more expensive bikes. Sometimes bike events may be targeted or locations which bike riders frequent. These bikes are often transported out of town, sometimes interstate and are resold. Sometimes parts are changed to make distinguished bikes less recognisable.
Locks
• Use more than one lock when possible - a super heavy duty lock (eg Kryptonite) and a lighter lock. The more difficult and time consuming it is for the thief, the better the deterant.
• Take off the front wheels and lock them with the frame and back wheels, particularly if you have quick release skewers.
• Always thread the lock through the frame (How often do I see bikes with just the front wheel locked)
• When possible, try and lock up as tight as possible so there is not much play in the lock - less leverage and more difficult to break.
• If your bike looks like the most difficult bike in the bunch to steal then this encourage the criminal to choose another bike.
• Always lock the bike up to something that can't be easily moved or dismantled. A common error is drain pipes which can often be dismantled per hand or temporary signage where the bike can be lifted up and then removed).
Here is a good online video that provides useful info for locking your bike.
Insurance
• Insurance is a good idea especially if you need to lock up your bike outdoors.
• Bike insurance is often available as an extra option with normal house and contents insurance, often the major cycling bodies in each state also offer good value bicycle insurance.
• There is insurance available just for bicycles. This is a comprehensive review of all cycling related insurance cover.
Bicycle Identification
• Etch a security number into the bike. Often this is done using an engraver and adding a security number underneath the bottom bracket. It is also a tell-tale sign of a stolen bike if the bottom bracket has been 'shaved' to remove the identification code.
• A laminated card with your name and contact details can be rolled up and inserted in the seat tube, bars, seat post or steerer tube so that if it is stolen and you see it on the street or in a pawn shop you can easily identify it.
• Take a note of your bike serial number, unique details and make a photo
• Personalise the bike with features that are unique to your bike (eg stickers and parts).
[outdated - no longer available]
• Datadot DNA Kit used tiny, laser etched, uniquely identified dots with UV reactive glue and required a digital or manual magnifying unit and the 'markings' could be picked up under UV light.
• mybikeREGO was a database of bikes along with stickers which were hard (but not impossible) to cleanly remove. They partnered with Cycling Australia and some other brands before disappearing.
Anything Else
• If your bicycle is really expensive - seriously consider whether it makes sense to lock it up in public. Is it possible to buy a cheaper commuter bike? I have a city bike just for riding in the city and is not my most expensive bike.
• Scruffing up a bike and coating it with stickers can make a good frame look ordinary however is not a guarantee that it a thief wont recognise it for a good bike.
• Making your bike unique - The more individual your bike it - even just cosmetic changes, the easier it is to notice.
Reporting & Tracking Stolen Bikes
Report the theft to the Police
On the one hand, the chances of getting a bike back are not that good, on the other hand the Police Departments collect so many stolen bikes and most of them can't be traced back to the original owners. It may cost time and you probably wont attract much sympathy however by reporting the theft to the Police you have a better chance of getting the bike returned if it is found (how can they return it if they don't know that it is stolen).
If more bike owners reported the theft then bicycle theft would have an higher priority and importance with the police meaning they invest more resources into solving this problem.
Report the theft to the insurance company if you are covered.
It is always good to know if your bike is covered and in which circumstances. Unless you take special note when getting insurance you may often find that there are special rules and regulations regarding when your bike may be covered and when it is not. Depending on your insurance cover, bikes may need to be insured separately.
Report the theft to local cycling groups
Particularly if the bike can be well recognised, put a message up at local bike clubs and bike meeting points plus get the message out to others who may come across should it reappear in public
Being a detective
Pawn Shops: While a stolen bike should never end up at a Pawn shop - this happens far to often. The chances are poor that you will find your stolen bike at your local Pawn Shop - but here is no harm checking and while your at it, let the store owner know you are on the look out for your bike. The real effect of this is that Pawn Shop owners become more aware of taking on items that could be stolen.
Ebay and Co.: While a thief is extremely stupid trying to sell a stolen bike online, let's remember that they are a thief because they are too stupid and lazy earn an honest wage. If you notice that a stolen bike is offered for sale - contact the site administrators and the police.
Classifieds: As with ebay, following the classifieds is a slim chance however you never know. In Australia, Gumtree is popular and is used by thieves to sell stolen bikes and equipment.
Google Alerts: Google provide the opportunity to be notified of new information based on keywords. Make sure you have a google account (a gmail account will provide access) and then setup alerts to send on a a daily basis which match search terms unique to your bike. It will be useful to limit this to 'Australia' and use the brand and model name as well as other unique descriptors, for example, "Giant TCR" "White Giant" and even keywords such as 'sale' which indicate a classifieds for sale items and 'stolen' in case your bike is recovered and police publish list of recovered bikes. Visit Google Alerts
Do you have anything to add, please PM or email me?
Preventing Theft
Locations:
• Avoid locking your bike up in public places when possible. Overnight can be a bad idea. Safest is indoors in your workplace and house.
• Private car parks and back lanes are not necessarily better - although it is les public, thieves have more cover and can come and go without being noticed.
Thieves
This is not certified info however there are generally two types of bicycle thieves:
The Opportunity Thief will find your bike by chance and take the opportunity of stealing it. Perhaps they live in the neighbourhood or are passing through. These thieves may try and sell to a friend or ride the bike themself.
The Organised Criminal has better bike knowledge and will often target more expensive bikes. Sometimes bike events may be targeted or locations which bike riders frequent. These bikes are often transported out of town, sometimes interstate and are resold. Sometimes parts are changed to make distinguished bikes less recognisable.
Locks
• Use more than one lock when possible - a super heavy duty lock (eg Kryptonite) and a lighter lock. The more difficult and time consuming it is for the thief, the better the deterant.
• Take off the front wheels and lock them with the frame and back wheels, particularly if you have quick release skewers.
• Always thread the lock through the frame (How often do I see bikes with just the front wheel locked)
• When possible, try and lock up as tight as possible so there is not much play in the lock - less leverage and more difficult to break.
• If your bike looks like the most difficult bike in the bunch to steal then this encourage the criminal to choose another bike.
• Always lock the bike up to something that can't be easily moved or dismantled. A common error is drain pipes which can often be dismantled per hand or temporary signage where the bike can be lifted up and then removed).
Here is a good online video that provides useful info for locking your bike.
Insurance
• Insurance is a good idea especially if you need to lock up your bike outdoors.
• Bike insurance is often available as an extra option with normal house and contents insurance, often the major cycling bodies in each state also offer good value bicycle insurance.
• There is insurance available just for bicycles. This is a comprehensive review of all cycling related insurance cover.
Bicycle Identification
• Etch a security number into the bike. Often this is done using an engraver and adding a security number underneath the bottom bracket. It is also a tell-tale sign of a stolen bike if the bottom bracket has been 'shaved' to remove the identification code.
• A laminated card with your name and contact details can be rolled up and inserted in the seat tube, bars, seat post or steerer tube so that if it is stolen and you see it on the street or in a pawn shop you can easily identify it.
• Take a note of your bike serial number, unique details and make a photo
• Personalise the bike with features that are unique to your bike (eg stickers and parts).
[outdated - no longer available]
• Datadot DNA Kit used tiny, laser etched, uniquely identified dots with UV reactive glue and required a digital or manual magnifying unit and the 'markings' could be picked up under UV light.
• mybikeREGO was a database of bikes along with stickers which were hard (but not impossible) to cleanly remove. They partnered with Cycling Australia and some other brands before disappearing.
Anything Else
• If your bicycle is really expensive - seriously consider whether it makes sense to lock it up in public. Is it possible to buy a cheaper commuter bike? I have a city bike just for riding in the city and is not my most expensive bike.
• Scruffing up a bike and coating it with stickers can make a good frame look ordinary however is not a guarantee that it a thief wont recognise it for a good bike.
• Making your bike unique - The more individual your bike it - even just cosmetic changes, the easier it is to notice.
Reporting & Tracking Stolen Bikes
Report the theft to the Police
On the one hand, the chances of getting a bike back are not that good, on the other hand the Police Departments collect so many stolen bikes and most of them can't be traced back to the original owners. It may cost time and you probably wont attract much sympathy however by reporting the theft to the Police you have a better chance of getting the bike returned if it is found (how can they return it if they don't know that it is stolen).
If more bike owners reported the theft then bicycle theft would have an higher priority and importance with the police meaning they invest more resources into solving this problem.
Report the theft to the insurance company if you are covered.
It is always good to know if your bike is covered and in which circumstances. Unless you take special note when getting insurance you may often find that there are special rules and regulations regarding when your bike may be covered and when it is not. Depending on your insurance cover, bikes may need to be insured separately.
Report the theft to local cycling groups
Particularly if the bike can be well recognised, put a message up at local bike clubs and bike meeting points plus get the message out to others who may come across should it reappear in public
Being a detective
Pawn Shops: While a stolen bike should never end up at a Pawn shop - this happens far to often. The chances are poor that you will find your stolen bike at your local Pawn Shop - but here is no harm checking and while your at it, let the store owner know you are on the look out for your bike. The real effect of this is that Pawn Shop owners become more aware of taking on items that could be stolen.
Ebay and Co.: While a thief is extremely stupid trying to sell a stolen bike online, let's remember that they are a thief because they are too stupid and lazy earn an honest wage. If you notice that a stolen bike is offered for sale - contact the site administrators and the police.
Classifieds: As with ebay, following the classifieds is a slim chance however you never know. In Australia, Gumtree is popular and is used by thieves to sell stolen bikes and equipment.
Google Alerts: Google provide the opportunity to be notified of new information based on keywords. Make sure you have a google account (a gmail account will provide access) and then setup alerts to send on a a daily basis which match search terms unique to your bike. It will be useful to limit this to 'Australia' and use the brand and model name as well as other unique descriptors, for example, "Giant TCR" "White Giant" and even keywords such as 'sale' which indicate a classifieds for sale items and 'stolen' in case your bike is recovered and police publish list of recovered bikes. Visit Google Alerts
Do you have anything to add, please PM or email me?
Still, the lock is heavier than the frame, but that's ok because the lock stays at work in the cage.