Bike Stealing Increasing??

Arequipa

Hi! I have been reading the cycling forum for a while now & notice a big increase in posts about stolen bikes- many seem to have been taken from sheds, gardens,underground carparks etc.
I was talking to a friend yesterday & he was saying that since the Recession burglary, theft, fraud etc have gone up while serious crime(murder,rape) have gone down.
I am buying a bike fairly soon for approximate €2k- I plan on leaving the bike under the stairs in my house & never locking it outside.
I have a couple of questions;

1) has bike robbery gone up recently-or maybe people are just reporting more?
2) who's robbing the bikes-is it local scumbags or more organized professional thieves who maybe sell them on to the Uk or Europe?
3) is it so bad now that if u buy a decent bike- some1 will follow u home & rob the bike at the 1st opportunity?

These were just the questions that come to mind.I think the Gardai had a warehouse where recovered/unclaimed bikes were kept- I don't know if this still exists?

Thanks for reading!

mgmt

Arequipa wrote: »

These were just the questions that come to mind.I think the Gardai had a warehouse where recovered/unclaimed bikes were kept- I don't know if this still exists?

Yeah Kevin St. Garda Station.

Ironbar

It's the government. The lack of revenue from road tax has led them to order public servants to steal bikes from ordinary taxpayers so they have to get a car to get to work......:p

Lumen

There have been a number of bikes robbed from my estate, mostly from outside houses.

I'm fairly convinced that my unlocked shed gets "browsed" through from time to time.

Fortunately scumbags don't know SRAM Red from Shimano 2200, so my collection of Fredwagons is intact.

famous last words

dave.obrien

my bike was stolen, and my opinion is that there are more people looking to cycle, so a bigger market for stolen bikes to be sold on to unwitting punters. it's a shame.

Arequipa

Would be fun to set a trap- lock your 'Trek Madone 6.9' to a rail & wait around the corner with a baseball bat. Then when the local scumbag shows some interest, you could 'surprise them'!

Jawgap

Ironbar wrote: »

It's the government. The lack of revenue from road tax has led them to order public servants to steal bikes from ordinary taxpayers so they have to get a car to get to work......:p

There you go, always having a pop at us poor public servants. You're ill informed comments makes my blood boil.

Everyone knows we're nicking bikes to pay for petrol for the ministerial mercs:)

dayshah

dave.obrien wrote: »

my bike was stolen, and my opinion is that there are more people looking to cycle, so a bigger market for stolen bikes to be sold on to unwitting punters. it's a shame.

More like people willing to turn a blind eye when buying a second hand bike. Unless it was from a proper bike shop or someone I knew, I would assume a second hand bike was stolen.

Maybe people also have new fancier bikes due to the bike to work scheme.

dave.obrien

There's probably an element of that too, alright dayshah, but I think the increase in bike theft is down to an increase in cyclists/people who want to cycle. I don't know if it's exactly proportional, but more bikes around = more bikes stolen = more stolen bikes sold as 'second hand'. The other factor playing into why it's perceived as a bigger problem is because of the fact that public consciousness is more concerned with cyclists now too.

Of course, that's all just my opinion, one which I had a few weeks ago, and one which hasn't changed having had a bike stolen from a back garden...

superrdave

dayshah wrote: »

More like people willing to turn a blind eye when buying a second hand bike. Unless it was from a proper bike shop or someone I knew, I would assume a second hand bike was stolen.

Maybe people also have new fancier bikes due to the bike to work scheme.

What about from an off duty Guard? I'm not kidding either...

markfdrums

My Trek got robbed about a month ago (as previously posted) i check all the sites (donedeal, etc..) daily and have posted reward ads on all the sites http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/23/72071123.html

I think the revenue should allow you to re-apply for the bike to work scheme if your bike has been stolen and you have reported same to guards.

obviously cap it at 3 stolen bikes every 5 years or something.

only allowing one bike every 5 years sucks.

especially since bike thefts are chronic and its the guards fault for not really doing anything about it.

any views??

Lumen

markfdrums wrote: »

its the guards fault for not really doing anything about it...any views??

You used a crappy plastic-covered chain and left your expensive bike in a high risk area. But apparently "it's the guards fault" for not "bother[ing] to warn people of the dangers of locking your bike beside the luas".

Right then. Should they also put signs up in dark alleyways warning women of the dangers of rape? Would that be a higher or lower priority than the theft of your Trek?

How about you take the time to secure your stuff properly and stop wasting their time with relatively minor property offences?

All that aside, the only person to blame for the theft is the bike thief.

markfdrums

whhooo calm down there tiger.

Was i just referring to my bike or was the thread title "BIKE STEALING INCREASING"?


Its the Guards fault that they are categorising ALL bike thefts to be petty crime. A bike theft is a bike theft to them... no matter how much its worth.

relax

briano

Arequipa wrote: »

I am buying a bike fairly soon for approximate €2k- I plan on leaving the bike under the stairs in my house & never locking it outside.

Put it on the house insurance. 123.ie did it for us, for inside the house and when you're out and about.

Arequipa wrote: »

Would be fun to set a trap- lock your 'Trek Madone 6.9' to a rail & wait around the corner with a baseball bat. Then when the local scumbag shows some interest, you could 'surprise them'!

"In today's news, scrawny cyclist has both bike and baseball bat stolen from them; receives nothing in return other than good hiding. More at ten"

markfdrums

Lumen:

My main point was: Do people think that one bike in 5 years is enough or should the gvmt increase this to 2-3 due to chronic bike theft... i.e. if you have locked your bike and its robbed, its hardly fair that you have spent 6 months paying for something only for it to be robbed...

dont get me wrong, i'm willing to pay again for another 6 months just give me the chance Mr. Revenue man..:(

youcancallmeal

My theory is that with a massive number of new cyclists these days there are a lot of them using crappy locks or just not locking their bikes properly so they end up being stolen quite easily.

I know I learnt the hard way about 8 years ago when I foolishly locked my rear wheel to the frame and left it up against a wall in college. Some scumbag came along and simply lifted the back wheel and walked away with it. Fortunately I got it back but never made a silly mistake like that again.

Lumen

markfdrums wrote: »

Its the Guards fault that they are categorising ALL bike thefts to be petty crime. A bike theft is a bike theft to them... no matter how much its worth.

Yes, there is a significant financial loss associated with bike theft. However, it's only a financial loss, you've not been personally harmed, the risk is greatly diminished by investing in a decent lock and can be mitigated with insurance.

You cannot insure or secure yourself against assault, rape, or murder.

Therefore, it maybe right that the guards deprioritize bike theft. How much garda time would it cost to properly investigate, relative to the price of the bike? They probably don't do it with car theft or burglary either, and those crimes are usually more lossy.

markfdrums wrote: »

My main point was: Do people think that one bike in 5 years is enough or should the gvmt increase this to 2-3 due to chronic bike theft...

I think one bike in 5 years is fine. I don't see why careless people should receive greater tax breaks (I'm careless too, I just don't expect to be compensated for it).

Don't get me wrong, I think bike thiefs should be punished and that people should be able to leave stuff around without it getting nicked. It's just that in the real world the scumbags get up to all sorts of crap, and I'm happy leaving it to the Guards to prioritize that mountain of crap as they see fit.

markfdrums

Kinda wish you'd stop referring to my bike theft as careless... it may have been naive.. it certainly wasnt careless.

I went to the bike shop WITH MY BIKE asked him for a good lock and he sold me the one i used.

Ok naive maybe, as i believed it to be decent but no way careless.

In regards to the price.. my bike was probably worth more than a '93 micra... i 100% know the guards would take a micra theft more seriously than my bike.

Thats all.

markfdrums

oh and fyi... it would probably still save the gvmt money in the long run to have people cycling... even if they increased it to 10 bikes every 5 years..

people active = healthy people = less medical bills for gvmt = less cars on road = he less need for traffic cops etc etc etc..

IT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE THE NATION CYCLING

tomasrojo

markfdrums wrote: »

Kinda wish you'd stop referring to my bike theft as careless... it may have been naive.. it certainly wasnt careless.

I went to the bike shop WITH MY BIKE asked him for a good lock and he sold me the one i used.

Ok naive maybe, as i believed it to be decent but no way careless.

Yes, quite right. You were not sold what you asked for.

Lumen

tomasrojo wrote: »

Yes, quite right. You were not sold what you asked for.

Completely agree with this. Shít locks should not be sold, there's no excuse for it.

Someone should put together a class action lawsuit or something. Scare the retailers into only stocking usable stuff.

I imagine the margin on crap accessories is huge.

david

We need some scheme like this. Proven to reduce car theft hugely when theres an element of uncertainty if a car is baited or not.

I haven't heard of anyone offering a GPS tracking facility in this country for bicycles.

markfdrums

I emailed Eamo Ryan's office (since he lives in Dundrum, his party pushed forward the scheme, he cycles) and asked him can i re-apply for the scheme as a once off case.. I'll let you know what he says!

He probably doesnt care anymore since he's out of the job in about a month.

Black Bloc

My eldest son, student, travels into Trinity everyday and brings home some horror storeis about the streets aroudn Busaras at least once a week. A few times he has mentioned the number of druggies on unlikely new bikes around Marlborough Street, etc. If they are being stolen, they are also being sold somewhere.

Beasty

markfdrums wrote: »

I emailed Eamo Ryan's office (since he lives in Dundrum, his party pushed forward the scheme, he cycles) and asked him can i re-apply for the scheme as a once off case.. I'll let you know what he says!

He probably doesnt care anymore since he's out of the job in about a month.

Whatever he says is completely irrelevant. He cannot overrule existing law, or dictate to the Revenue that they should ignore incidences which do not comply with the law.

This scheme is not funded by the government - it's funded by all taxpayers. We have posters coming on here regularly looking for ways to abuse the system. I'm not suggesting your own motives are along these lines, but if the rules catered for anyone who had their bike stolen to reapply within the 5 year limit, this would simply open up another opportunity for unscrupulous individuals to defraud the rest of the tax-paying public (and probably shorten the life of the scheme for everyone)

We are very lucky to have this scheme in the current economic climate, and to seek any relaxation of the rules is, in my view, unrealistic.

markfdrums

Like i said previously, I think there should be allowances for thefts but it should be capped at 3 every 5 years.

One every 5 years is them thinking a bike should last 5 years before needing replaced.. fair enough. but these days having a bike for 5 years, locking it every day outside work etc and it NOT being robbed is utter sh!te.

Its showing how out of touch they are with the problem of bike thefts.

And seriously, this scheme is SAVING the tax payer money in the long run.

The more people on bikes the bigger the saving. its not rocket science.

Captain Havoc

I agree with Beasty, I've spent €250 on locks and security for my bikes. I don't see why someone can't spend a few quid extra instead of looking for a tax break. I think the system would only get more abused. A good lock is about €50, I don't see why people think €10 is good.

markfdrums

I Spent between 30-40 quid on the lock.

Hollingsworth sold it to me. I brought my bike into the shop and said I need a lock for this. He sold me the bike and knew how good it was.

He picked it out, i went with his choice. If he took one out for 60 quid i would have bought that.

At the end of the day, your argument is if someone has an anti-theft device in their car as well as an alarm, the person who only had the alarm deserved to have their car robbed..

its just not true. I locked it with (what i thought) was a fully fucntional lock (lets be honest, theres no such thing) and it was nicked.

Just like a car with an alarm etc can be nicked.

If some knacker in the know and with the right gear wants to rob ANYTHING they will.

Lumen

markfdrums wrote: »

I locked it with (what i thought) was a fully fucntional lock (lets be honest, theres no such thing....If some knacker in the know and with the right gear wants to rob ANYTHING they will.

A good lock requires power tools or extreme patience to cut through. This creates a massive amount of noise and fuss. Do some internet research if you don't believe it.

Therefore, professional thieves tend to pick on the bikes with crap locks. Like yours.

Whether or not you were missold the lock, if you had used a better lock you'd almost certainly still have your bike.

I have no idea what would happen if everyone had decent locks. Maybe the thieves would raise their game, or maybe they'd move on to some other thing, like bikejacking or stealing from inside houses (as happened with cars when engine immobilizers were introduced).

el tel

It's not only bikes with ****ty locks that are getting yoinked, tradesmen's equipment is a big target too. I heard that two builders working at the dublin synagog took a wee nap over lunch hour and when they woke up their tools had been nicked.

Stark

My previous bike was stolen with a €50 Oxford Revolver lock that Wheelworx sold me. Didn't last 10 mins. Definitely a "Do not use" lock.

seamus

markfdrums wrote: »

Hollingsworth sold it to me.

Uh-oh, spaghetti-o's.

I'm not trying to be flippant, but locks are one of those things that I'd never ask a guy in a bike shop what he thinks. Different locks will suit different purposes and different areas. And in many cases, the shop will only stock one or two brands, so the guy you're speaking to wants to sell you something in stock, even if it's unsuitable for you.

Locks are one of the few bike "accessories" which have the potential to cost you more than you've paid for them. If you get a dud tyre, you might have to buy a new tyre and maybe a new tube. If you get a dud lock, you might have to buy a new bike.

I don't know if bike thefts are proportionally on the increase, but there are visibly more bikes on the road as a result of the BTW scheme and visibly more expensive bikes on the road. So I wouldn't be surprised if there are more bike thefts, because to a certain degree bike thieves must be kids in a candy store at the moment as most people seem to want to spend as little as possible on their bike lock.

I'm moving office next week and my bike is moving from an underground gate-controlled car park (with very little foot traffic) to an overground, gate-controlled, CCTV-monitored car park (with a lot of foot traffic) and I'm currently debating whether to continue with my Evo Mini + Kryptoflex, or buy a New York U-Lock or Fahgettaboudit Chain. Lots of people would call me nuts for spending €100+ on a lock, but my bike's not the one that's going to be taken.

markfdrums

I know what you're saying but i always like to support my LBS.

Theyre good lads just obviously dont know a good lock from a cr*p one. A neither did I at the time

Icyseanfitz

so what is a good bike lock? should probably have a stickied thread for people wanting to buy a lock, i will probably buy one eventually (dont cycle my mtb into town or do anything with it besides mtb'ing as its worth too much for some knacker to rob bits off of it ) when i get a second cheaper bike

i was looking at these are they good? or are you better off with one of those u-locks

youcancallmeal

This, when I use it I always lock my rear wheel and frame to something. Used to use the Kryptonite cable as well for my front wheel but I got some Hex Skewers.

Another option is this with the Kryptonite cable.

You could also go for this but to be honest it weighs a ton so is kind of impractical for carrying around. You could have it in a static spot though?

Icyseanfitz

so those u locks are much better than chain locks i take it? if i was to cycle my mtb into town (tralee) id nearly have three or four locks for it id also take the chain off so no one could cycle it if they broke the locks haha fecking hate thieves id nearly build a small device with tiny invisible needles in the saddle for when the bike is locked that would stop em

youcancallmeal

I wouldn't say ulocks are better than chains in general. A big beefy chain with a heavy padlock will take just as long if not longer to cut through with an angle grinder. Thing is do you want to carry around a 10kg chain or a 2kg ulock?

Good thread here discussing the merits of locks

kincsem

markfdrums wrote: »

I know what you're saying but i always like to support my LBS.
They're good lads just obviously don't know a good lock from a cr*p one. A neither did I at the time.

Hollingsworth? I had a new frame and asked them if they would build supply parts and build up the bike. Without looking up he said "No". Uncivil and unhelpful. I'll never enter their shops again. Imo they are ok for Santa bikes, and not much else. Tbh I'm glad now they didn't offer.

When I go to the local shopping centre I use two Kryptonite U locks and a chain and padlock to lock my bike, about €250 the lot.

Icyseanfitz

youcancallme>al wrote: »

I wouldn't say ulocks are better than chains in general. A big beefy chain with a heavy padlock will take just as long if not longer to cut through with an angle grinder. Thing is do you want to carry around a 10kg chain or a 2kg ulock?

Good thread here discussing the merits of locks

with my bike id carry the gate and chain that oxfords chain lock i pointed out early seems to be pretty hefty though? im going to be thinking of inventive ways to stop bike thieves all night....james bond style

Dord

It's all well and good using a pricey lock but one lock alone still isn't that secure. I have a U-Lock with a cable and also a chain and padlock. It's worked well so far. I'm not naive, someone could probably still steal it but the multiple locks should piss 'em off so they don't bother.

Fan

Here's a thread that was linked on here before

http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html

Beasty

markfdrums wrote: »

Like i said previously, I think there should be allowances for thefts but it should be capped at 3 every 5 years.

One every 5 years is them thinking a bike should last 5 years before needing replaced.. fair enough. but these days having a bike for 5 years, locking it every day outside work etc and it NOT being robbed is utter sh!te.

Its showing how out of touch they are with the problem of bike thefts.

And seriously, this scheme is SAVING the tax payer money in the long run.

The more people on bikes the bigger the saving. its not rocket science.

There are all sorts of "vested interests" who would like to see "improvements" to the scheme - the self-employed and unemployed cannot benefit for example. It's only new and complete bikes (plus prescribed safety equipment). All the money must be spent at once, with no spreading over the 5 years.

There are individuals who would see each of these examples as being more important to address than your own. The point is, however, that the relative simplicity of the scheme is what makes it workable, and allows the Revenue to adopt a light touch approach to auditing it. Make it more complicated, and the opportunity for abuse grows, probably making it more costly to administer, and increasing the overall cost to the general taxpayer

As I have already suggested, it's just not going to happen, and we should really be grateful for anything in the current economic climate.

In terms of saving taxpayer money in the long term, there are counter arguments. The people who use bikes extensively under the scheme will more often than not be cyclists anyway. Add to that, if the health benefits take pressure off the health service, it also increases the costs of funding pensions over the long term.

Outkast_IRE

Just ordered a cube ltd pro , first accessory i got was a kryptonite new york m18 lock http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kryptonite/new-york-m18-lock-ec007567#reviews and a kyrptonite 7 ft krptoflex 10mm cable to go with it .
I know no lock is perfect but my hope is that i will deter anyone just by the length of time it will take to steal versus another bike.

Karma

markfdrums wrote: »

My Trek got robbed about a month ago (as previously posted) i check all the sites (donedeal, etc..) daily and have posted reward ads on all the sites http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/23/72071123.html

I think the revenue should allow you to re-apply for the bike to work scheme if your bike has been stolen and you have reported same to guards.

obviously cap it at 3 stolen bikes every 5 years or something.

only allowing one bike every 5 years sucks.

especially since bike thefts are chronic and its the guards fault for not really doing anything about it.

any views??

hey, I am in dundrum and got my epic robbed last month about the 17th dec. yours was about the same time? inbetween the 2 big snows before xmas. reported it but the usual, if you cant solve it for us, not much we can do.

Gavin

http://wiki.boards.ie/wiki/Locks_%26_Security