Keeping bikes safe

[Maker]

It's time to buy another bike, everyone's telling me to get a cheap one but I know what I'm like, I'll hate a cheap one and blame the bike when something goes wrong, I want a nice one. I'm looking on eBay at hardtails around the £600 kind of mark but once I've got something decent for bombing around the Peaks I might then get a cheaper one, something a bit more commuter-y for rolling to uni on.

Has anyone used the GPS tracker things?

I'm in a rented house so bolting a big ground anchor somewhere is probably frowned upon but I could possibly get away with it and just keep the bike chained to it when I'm not riding it.

People have suggested scraping the paint off, spraying it black, covering it in stickers, etc so it looks crap but I don't see the point, anyone who knows about bikes will recognise an expensive groupset or a dropper post, regardless of how the frame looks.

It's probably safe just indoors during term times, we were burgled when everyone had gone home for Christmas so I suppose I could take it home with me at Easter, or give it to someone not going home to look after it.

 

[Melvyn Best]

When you find a way of keeping it safe let the people of Cambridge know! It’s been the bike theft capital of the UK for as long as I remember.

 

[Rudi McAnichal]

When you find a way of keeping it safe let the people of Cambridge know! It’s been the bike theft capital of the UK for as long as I remember.

.... and perhaps even longer than that (unless you are very old indeed). My late mother often spoke about the numbers of bike thefts that occurred in Cambridge when she was nursing there in the mid-1930s.

 

[Melvyn Best]

There is a new bike storage building near Cambridge station CCTV , hardened steel racks to lock bikes to, the lot. The tea leaves just unbolt the racks from the floor. Cordless angle grinders with a cutting disc make short work of most locks as well.

 

[Maker]

I did think about CCTV, I've seen cameras very cheap on eBay but there is, of course, only so much I can do while renting as a student.

 

[Wedg1e]

Put the bike in your room and live with the inconvenience, it's not forever.

 

[Gareth J]

I think the main reason to spray it up isn't to make it unrecognisable, but less saleable. Spray the lot- tyres, spokes and all! In something like yellow, or pink.

Won't stop it being stolen but it'll be less attractive!

 

[addjunkie]

Connect it up to an electric car charging point, be entertaining watching he scrotes steal it then

 

[sg66]

Cctv will just let you know what time it went as the hooded unrecognisable **** rides off.

 

[bigegg]

buy this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202832027515

*very* good bike, for not a lot of money.

 

[Maker]

What's so good about it? I'm all for a steel frame but 25 year old components? I'm really after something a bit more modern , bigger wheels, hydraulic discs, 1x groupset and a dropper post, all things that make it appeal to thieves too unfortunately. The absolute dream would be something like an Orange p7 or a BTR Ranger, maybe in a few years when I've got more money to waste (And less time to ride it ).

 

[bigegg]

What's so good about it? I'm all for a steel frame but 25 year old components? I'm really after something a bit more modern , bigger wheels, hydraulic discs, 1x groupset and a dropper post, all things that make it appeal to thieves too unfortunately. The absolute dream would be something like an Orange p7 or a BTR Ranger, maybe in a few years when I've got more money to waste (And less time to ride it ).

it was the *other* bike i lusted after in my yoof. (i couldnt find a "paragon" to suggest to you.)

its alloy framed, and the geometry is nigh perfect.
plus it doesnt have all the bits that make it appealing to thieves- although it will have deoore XT or XTR.
its only £75!!! gotta be as good as something more modern for £400.

 

[bourbon]

I think the main reason to spray it up isn't to make it unrecognisable, but less saleable. Spray the lot- tyres, spokes and all! In something like yellow, or pink.

Won't stop it being stolen but it'll be less attractive!

That's what we do with our trailers

 

[bigegg]

That's what we do with our trailers

its what i do with my powertools

 

[slim_boy_fat]

buy this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202832027515 *very* good bike, for not a lot of money.

it was the *other* bike i lusted after in my yoof.

What's been going on with that seat?

 

[Matchless]

all my stuff looks beaten to death, oh it is beaten to death...……… don't get much stolen though!

 

[bigegg]

What's been going on with that seat?

hungry.

 

[Craig-SM]

What's so good about it? I'm all for a steel frame but 25 year old components? I'm really after something a bit more modern , bigger wheels, hydraulic discs, 1x groupset and a dropper post, all things that make it appeal to thieves too unfortunately. The absolute dream would be something like an Orange p7 or a BTR Ranger, maybe in a few years when I've got more money to waste (And less time to ride it ).

This might be more up your street. Evil Sovereign running XT, although 9 speed. I built it up for my 40th nearly a decade ago unfortunately not getting the use it should be. I also have a PlanetX XLS cross-country bike as a first venture into carbon framed bikes. I always had vision of being stranded somewhere with a snapped frame as it feels so thin and fragile but it's surprisingly strong and comfortable too.

As for securing the bikes I just use wall mounts at the back of the garage with a cable locks between them all. Even free of the locks they are still cumbersome to remove as the need a technique to remove them.
Do not do like my mate and leave your angle grinders out that the thieves then used to cut through the locks, destroying the frame on his girlfriends bike at the same time.

My brother uses the GPS tracker on his motorbikes but they have been a bit of a pain too. It's not a small unit either that you could easily hide in a frame tube either. I have seen the little ones but even they're still large and battery life is very short too. The bluetooth trackers such as Tile are very short in range and more for finding something that you've misplaced.

 

[Maker]

This might be more up your street. Evil Sovereign running XT, although 9 speed. I built it up for my 40th nearly a decade ago unfortunately not getting the use it should be. I also have a PlanetX XLS cross-country bike as a first venture into carbon framed bikes. I always had vision of being stranded somewhere with a snapped frame as it feels so thin and fragile but it's surprisingly strong and comfortable too.

That's more like it, though it looks like a 26er? My Scott Genuis was my first carbon bike but it was also my first full sus so I can't really speak for the qualities of its carbonness as it wasn't very light or rigid, I'm not particularly sad it's gone to be honest, especially as insurance paid out more than I bought it for (though much less than they valued it at. ). I don't fancy another full sus but I wouldn't mind a carbon hardtail, I've seen a couple within my budget (On-One Lurcher springs to mind) but I'm more concerned with finding good components, on any old frame at the moment.

 

[stuvy]

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...MImazvh7jO5wIVAVPTCh3WQA0IEAQYAyABEgJnk_D_BwE

Got one of these in my orange p7 Need to get out on it more often
Typos seat post was the first thing to go now has hope pro 2 wheel set and new forks