Stolen Bikes Thread - Mod Note please read post #1 before posting

Squidgy Black

aloyisious wrote: »

I leave the locks there permanently for use with my other bike and took the racer in that one day, reckoning it would be safe. No, I don't have a photo of it. I had been in with Eurocycle nearby earlier that week looking at their shackle locks, but didn't buy one. One lives and learn's :eek:

I bought the frame in Cyprus some years ago, added the forks and built it up here. Are there many "LOOK" carbon frames here in Ireland? I was thinking I had the only one as I hadn't seen any others here.

There wouldn't be too many, but as seen with TinyExplosion, there's a good chance they'll just respray the frame if they think it'll stand out. It's a lesson learned I suppose, most of those combo locks can be pulled apart by hand without any tools, or even a decent kitchen scissors could cut through the cable.

aloyisious

Yerra, no luck with the video, recording not good enough for facial recognition for Gardai. Have photo'd my other bike, got Kryptonite U lock now. Now to google bikes.

Oh and ta to seamus for this from page 14. http://www.google.com/alerts

carlclancy

a friend had her bike stolen from smithfield on wednesday july 3rd between 9pm and 10pm. it's a dawes duchess:



she had a slightly darker leather saddle than this with a small tear at the back on the right. she also had the hand-stitched handlebar grips (an optional extra) and a fancier wicker basket than the one pictured.

any help much appreciated.

Eido

I had my Giant Rapid bike locked with a Kryptonite KryptoLok (series 2 Standard w/ 4' Flex) on Pembroke St. Lower (at the corner of Fitzwilliam Square) on Monday 1st July. Parked it at 9am. When I came out at 5 it was gone. Two locks zipped through with an angle grinder in broad daylight in a busy office district. Have reported it to Gardai etc. Just giving people a heads up - I thought my lock was decent, but there you go.

Pic of bike: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/rapid.4/9318/49831/
Pic of lock: http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/ProductInformation.aspx?PNumber=999416

Mr.Fred

Eido wrote: »

Pic of lock: http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/ProductInformation.aspx?PNumber=999416

I think a lot of people are buying these locks in the Amazon special offer because of the name attached but it's Kryptonite series 7 or Newyork model which are the ones to be getting.

That being said if they used an angle grinder any lock would only have delayed them.

Eido

Mr.Fred wrote: »

I think a lot of people are buying these locks in the Amazon special offer because of the name attached but it's Kryptonite series 7 or Newyork model which are the ones to be getting.

That being said if they used an angle grinder any lock would only have delayed them.

Thanks for your advice mr. Fred. Actually bought that lock yesterday... for my "new to me" 2nd hand piece of crap that didn't even cost me as much as the lock.

Didn't get the other lock on special offer, but thought it would be decent. Kryptonite has a good name. Sucker.

Guy in a bike shop on Dorset St said that "they're" going round with battery-powered angle grinders now that fit in your pocket and that can cut through most metal locks in less than a minute (have been on offer in Aldi recently it would seem...not necessarily for that purpose I hope??).

Advice seems to be - if you value your bike, don't leave it on the street, locked or otherwise. Come to think of it, i've also had a bike stolen from my garden with 2 meter high walls and a private electric gate, so nowhere's safe. Sleep with your bike in your bed y'all!

Surveyor11

I saw one of those battery powered jobbies in action. I locked my son's bike outside his school and the key broke in the lock when I went back to get it. Middle of the road cable lock, but the battery operated cutter produced by the school janitor to cut the lock went through it pretty pronto.

I think it's a given that a cable lock is worthless in town. Use the U lock to secure the bulk of the bike (i.e. frame to street lamp / railing) and cable lock part for securing wheels / saddle.

Squidgy Black

Big mistake is just using one lock if you're locking your bike anywhere that there's a chance of it being stolen. You need to use 2 locks.

Personally I use one of the krypto series 2 around the rear wheel frame and post, because of the long shackle, and a krypto mini evo to lock the front wheel to the frame.

If a thief's determined to get the bike though, he'll get it no matter what. Best thing to do is try and ward off opportunistic thieves and make it as hard as possible.

aloyisious

If you are to use Drury St car park (cause it's indoors and has security) use a Kryptonite U-lock and measure the shackle size (try for one with about 6 inches between the lock-bar & the U-bend) so it'll fit bike frame and securing post snugly. No room for insertion of forcing tool. Also use the wire-rope extra to keep your wheels. There's a hope thieves won't try use a noisy grinder there :-)

There's also Square-Wheel cycle shop on Temple lane, Temple-Bar. It has an indoor bike-park for a fee but you'll get a ticket so's you can reclaim your bike. Temple lane run's parallel to Eustace St on the Central Bank side. Check opening/closing times.

valleyoftheunos

Aint no such thing as a thief proof bike lock, only thing you can do is try and make it as unattractive a proposition as possible for any would be thieves. Best location possible and a shackle/u lock with a cable for wheels etc. even then your best hope is that there is something more tempting nearby.

Personally I wouldn't leave anything locked on the street for more than a short while.

Eido

Surveyor11 wrote: »

I saw one of those battery powered jobbies in action. I locked my son's bike outside his school and the key broke in the lock when I went back to get it. Middle of the road cable lock, but the battery operated cutter produced by the school janitor to cut the lock went through it pretty pronto.

I think it's a given that a cable lock is worthless in town. Use the U lock to secure the bulk of the bike (i.e. frame to street lamp / railing) and cable lock part for securing wheels / saddle.

The u-lock /cable combo is what I had. They cut through both. Cleanly. If I could figure out how to post photos here I'd post a pic.

I think if they want it, they'll get it.

Qualitymark

Eido wrote: »

The u-lock /cable combo is what I had. They cut through both. Cleanly. If I could figure out how to post photos here I'd post a pic.

I think if they want it, they'll get it.

Until cyclists get together politically and campaign to stop bicycle theft, they will. It's an easy crime at the moment, and it's the starter crime for so many boys who go bad. A real shame that there isn't activism.

aloyisious

Eido wrote: »

The u-lock /cable combo is what I had. They cut through both. Cleanly. If I could figure out how to post photos here I'd post a pic.

I think if they want it, they'll get it.

1. To post photos, go to the "Go Advanced" icon below the message board, open it and write your message.

2. For photos scroll down to the "Attach Files" below the board, use the MANAGE ATTACHMENTS icon to look in your PC/Phone for the image/s you want (j-peg) and post them up. The details will show up above the board.

3. Click "submit reply" to post your message.

Edit; leatsway's that's what I do. I see carlclancy has put up an actual photo, so there's some other route.

Galway K9

stetyrrell wrote: »

Big mistake is just using one lock if you're locking your bike anywhere that there's a chance of it being stolen. You need to use 2 locks.

Personally I use one of the krypto series 2 around the rear wheel frame and post, because of the long shackle, and a krypto mini evo to lock the front wheel to the frame.

If a thief's determined to get the bike though, he'll get it no matter what. Best thing to do is try and ward off opportunistic thieves and make it as hard as possible.

If ya really wanna get these guys and your bike, the best is GPS. Something liek this or you can get smaller, http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GTU-GPS-Tracking-Unit/dp/B004HFRA7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373040166&sr=8-1&keywords=gps+tracker

And angle grind the back part high below at the very back, (effectively a alloy plate welded to a a hollow bar), put GPS tracker in,and weld it back up (any mechanic would this very cheaply for ya) and then just start randomly leaving your bike outside shops unlocked LOL and let the fun begin. It texts you the location, precise to 5 metres or could just pop it under the saddle down the hollow LMAO.

Eido

Here is a pic of the locks (u-lock and cable) that were sawed through cleanly.

lecker Hendl

I don't leave my bike on the street anymore. Bring it into the office at work. Signed up to Dublin bikes last night too so I'll use them if I have any trips into the town to make where I'll be stopping for a while. Just not worth the risk locking it up, only to come back and have it stolen.

ionapaul

My workplace signed up to Bike-2-Work very recently and I was the first person in here to get their application processed, picking up my new bike (nothing fancy, it was this one in fact: http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/64573/Specialized-Crossroads/) on Sunday, July 30th. I also grabbed a Kryptonite Series 2 lock with the cable. Cycled to and from Grand Canal Dock to the Charlemont Luas bike rack on Monday and Tuesday, cycled to the Luas stop again on Thursday and returned from work that evening to find the lock in two pieces at the very bottom of the nearby bin (couldn't even reach in to grab them). Only had my new bike for 3 1/2 days

And as I had sold my old bike on Monday, I am currently bikeless. Looks like my bro is going to give me his unused (but pretty nice) hybrid bike, I plan to duct-tape and scrape the hell out of it to make it as unattractive as possible before returning to the Charlemont Luas bike rake! Also will use two locks, a heavy chain one and a steel cable one, hopefully will do the trick.

Thargor

I think those grey Kryptonites are like putting a STEAL ME sign on a bike nowadays, getting a bit nevous about my Orange evolution Mini now, going to grab a New York I think, they never seem to come up as bargain alerts though.

valleyoftheunos

ionapaul wrote: »

And as I had sold my old bike on Monday, I am currently bikeless. Looks like my bro is going to give me his unused (but pretty nice) hybrid bike, I plan to duct-tape and scrape the hell out of it to make it as unattractive as possible before returning to the Charlemont Luas bike rake! Also will use two locks, a heavy chain one and a steel cable one, hopefully will do the trick.

Charlemont Luas (or any other luas stop) is not a safe place to leave a bike for more than a short time.

allibastor

ionapaul wrote: »

My workplace signed up to Bike-2-Work very recently and I was the first person in here to get their application processed, picking up my new bike (nothing fancy, it was this one in fact: http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/64573/Specialized-Crossroads/) on Sunday, July 30th. I also grabbed a Kryptonite Series 2 lock with the cable. Cycled to and from Grand Canal Dock to the Charlemont Luas bike rack on Monday and Tuesday, cycled to the Luas stop again on Thursday and returned from work that evening to find the lock in two pieces at the very bottom of the nearby bin (couldn't even reach in to grab them). Only had my new bike for 3 1/2 days

And as I had sold my old bike on Monday, I am currently bikeless. Looks like my bro is going to give me his unused (but pretty nice) hybrid bike, I plan to duct-tape and scrape the hell out of it to make it as unattractive as possible before returning to the Charlemont Luas bike rake! Also will use two locks, a heavy chain one and a steel cable one, hopefully will do the trick.

I only had my own new one for a few hours before it was stolen. I still hold a record, I went a total of 2.8 miles on it, Nearly 100 euro per mile.

quozl

ionapaul wrote: »

Also will use two locks, a heavy chain one and a steel cable one, hopefully will do the trick.

Honestly, buy a good U-lock. You were using a pretty bad one and the bike got stolen - that shouldn't put you off u-locks, it should put you off poor u-locks. Cable locks in particular are absolute muck.

http://www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-997986-Black-Fahgettaboudit-U-Lock/dp/B000OZ9VLU

or

Abus Granit X-Plus.

Or the New York mini.

You're right on the idea about having 2 locks. I use a New York u-lock and a kryptonite evolution mini chain lock. I think that about all you can do is make it too much effort compared to all the other nearby bikes they could steal instead.

ionapaul

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

Charlemont Luas (or any other luas stop) is not a safe place to leave a bike for more than a short time.

Unfortunately I've no choice if I want to cycle to and from the Luas - I have to lock it for the full day at the stop. Have done it probably 100+ times with my old crappy bike, now just have to wreck the brother's bike enough that no-one will steal it! What a wonderful world we live in, never thought I purposefully damage a bike to make it less attractive!

endacl

Time for these again... Just quoted my previous. Out of laziness. All still worth a look, but a poster since has had a bike lifted from drury st, so probably best triple lock there too.

endacl wrote: »

I posted these before, several times, but they're well worth anybody having a peek at.

I might repost every 20 pages or so!

Beasty, lemme know if this would cause a problem, and I'll cease and desist!


Firstly, for the Dubs...
http://www.dublincitycycling.ie/blog/index.php/2009/10/new-cycle-parking-facility-on-drury-street/

And just in case you ever wondered how to lock...

Hal Ruzal! Both informative and entertaining!

aloyisious

I was in Pennyfarthing last week checking out bikes, prices etc. A gent came to ask if the staff had moved his bike, he'd gone into a local shop for 5 Mins and it was gone when he came out. he'd locked it to a lamp-post. He was like me when I found mine gone, walking around looking everywhere, and at the post from all angles, trying to convince himself it was not gone.

Qualitymark

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

Charlemont Luas (or any other luas stop) is not a safe place to leave a bike for more than a short time.

Nice easy arrests and convictions for the Gardaí if they put cameras there for evidence, and scooped up the robbers red-handed.

Police in some US and UK jurisdictions (and maybe the Gardaí for all I know) have had huge success stopping burglaries by concentrating officers into an area where a burglary has happened. It would be easy to do the same with bike thefts - could we make a map of commonly targeted areas and keep it updated?

valleyoftheunos

ionapaul wrote: »

Unfortunately I've no choice if I want to cycle to and from the Luas - I have to lock it for the full day at the stop. Have done it probably 100+ times with my old crappy bike, now just have to wreck the brother's bike enough that no-one will steal it! What a wonderful world we live in, never thought I purposefully damage a bike to make it less attractive!

If your brother's bike is anyway nice, ie good frame with decent components and wheels the thieves won't be put off by scratches or duct tape. I would either use a different bike or find a different place to lock it but I would never leave it in the same place my previous one was stolen.

Best of luck anyway, hopefully you won't have to post here again!

Thargor

Buy a big heavy lock like the Kryptonite New York and leave that locked at the LUAS stop so you dont need to be carrying it and get a lighter lock like the Evolution mini that you can mount on the bike without adding too much weight and still have an okay lock on you at all times, then use both locks during the day at the LUAS stop, that should do it. The mini comes with a free cable for wrapping around the wheels aswell.

ford2600

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

If your brother's bike is anyway nice, ie good frame with decent components and wheels the thieves won't be put off by scratches or duct tape. I would either use a different bike or find a different place to lock it but I would never leave it in the same place my previous one was stolen.

Best of luck anyway, hopefully you won't have to post here again!

Get a 2nd ss or fixie. Nothing fancy, just a hack bike.

Squidgy Black

ford2600 wrote: »

Get a 2nd ss or fixie. Nothing fancy, just a hack bike.

Fixed gear bikes if anything are probably more prone to getting nicked because there's a big enough market for them with younger lads.

Planet X

I don't really get it with the 2 U locks idea? And a cable or not.
If the thieves can "dismantle" one U lock what's going to stop them doing two? If they want your locked bike..................