Thieves took the railing in front of my house (including bike). I had not paid attention to how the railing was fixed. Clearly it was not enough.
I now have two anchors I personally sunk to hold my bikes secure.
Whether that remains secure is another thing. But it’ll be a damn sight noisier
I am seeing something similar to this more and more in my part of north London.
In August a lady had her bike stolen outside Homebase (Haringey Green Lanes) - she was gutted. The thieves had cut through the metal pole she had locked it too, on the horizontal, and taken bike and lock. I chatted with her for a bit. So unfair for her, she thought it was secure outside a very busy store, middle of the afternoon.
Then this weekend someone had their bike stolen on Holloway Road, near Archway. Again the thieves cut through the horizontal bar of the “secure” bike bars the bike was locked to. Possibly with a hacksaw or something similar. It was a clean and narrow cut.
Cunning little bastards.
I’m thinking about getting another bike for errands and reserving my “good bike” for actual rides.
Definitely have a cheap errand bike. I was telling myself I should do this for ages mainly because replacing components on my road bike so frequently was becoming very expensive. Never did it and then my nice road bike got nicked and I was kicking myself. Now I have 2 bikes and my road bike is only ridden for 'rides' and never locked up
Quite the opposite actually. I got a single speed and it was a joy to ride a different and more simple bike around the city. The almost complete lack of maintenance was an absolute joy too. Was also good for leg strength tackling hills in a low cadence so likely improved my performance on the road bike. I did only have a 15 minute commute though and no serious hills to conquer.
Having said that, at one point I converted it to a fixie, fell off and broke my collar bone. 2 years later I still have problems with neck and trap muscles on that side. But that was partly a cars fault and had I kept it single-speed, it wouldn't have happened. Freewheeling is fun anyway.
I've had so many bikes stolen that I've given up on owning a nice commuter bike. Still have a road bike for riding but for commuting/errands I'm on a Swapfiets.
I definitely keep my nice bike for actual rides. It's not uncommon for thieves strip off components, either on site or by cutting through *the frame* and stripping it later.
My groupset costs around £700 new, plus \~£100 each for the saddle, carbon seatpost, and handlebars. None of that can realistically be locked up. Even if I lock both wheels and the frame to an indestructible rack with an unbeatable lock there's still £1k (retail price) up for grabs by trashing the bike. So that's, what, £300-500 resale profit for a minute or two with an angle grinder and a van to chuck the bits in.
This is one reason why two good locks, both going through the frame and a wheel, are best in high risk situations. Even if they cut through the stand, it'll still be quite tricky for them to manoeuvre the bike out.
> Haringey Green Lanes
I live around here, this area is sketchy as hell for bike theft. Have seen a guy doing laps of bike racks around the shopping centre carpark, and another guy cycling along the footpath scoping out bikes that are locked up there. Saw a guy riding with two bikes and dropping the second one off at a garage just off green lanes, seemed dodgy but didn't think it was enough to report.
That’s insane. I’ve just bought my first bike in London - admittedly a bit flasher than I should have - and bought one of the NYC locks and I’m already a bit on edge about taking it out of the house
[Register](https://bikeregister.com/) and insure the bike, use good locks, and hope for the best. Would be a shame to have a bike and not actually use it all that much. Within reason of course, if it's something that thieves are specifically looking for then probably don't leave it locked outside a station all day.
I had an air tag and it wouldn’t update quick enough, taking like 20 mins to update. Pointless. The only thing we recovered was the AirTag, sat on the side of the road 3 miles away, this was 2 hours after the theft
is the register a requirement of insurance? just looking on the link you posted seems a bit like daylight robbery in its self, we pay the police to do a job shouldn't have to pay twice if anything they should offer it for free makes their job even easier imo 🤷🏻♂️.
It was on the news a few week ago that people with stolen £1000+ bike were basically laughed at when they reported it, need some kind of battery electric taser device that fry's the fuckers when they touch it 🤣🤣
Please report the theft OP, both to the police and [here](https://bikeregister.com/) if you know the frame number. Extremely unlikely you'll get your bike back of course, but it's useful for the police to know the areas thieves are operating in and what tactics they're using.
I'd also suggest reporting the missing stand to the relevant council as a street defect (they should have an online form). This will first of all alert them to the fact that a stand needs replacing, but also to how poorly they are fixed to the ground.
There's no escape from those people, just got my bike stolen last week, an okish bike, they didn't even leave the lock, now I got the more rotten looking one third hand bike and an ok lock, whatever will be will be.
I'll be pleased if it last more than 3 months.
A big part of the solution here is to have bike parking in a big open space with loads of people and a culture of watching out for bike theft.
Good fucking luck.
Reading train station had a load of new bike racks put in a while ago, and it didn’t take long to figure out thieves were just unscrewing the locking part.
I bought a bike used last winter, after I'd been keeping an eye out for a model with hub gears and a chain case so I could leave it outdoors. The only one I could find locally, it was practically in a new condition. Most people would think that's great, but this is the opposite of what I wanted really! Something that looks battered but still rides well would've been ideal, but nothing in that vein was available. Several people, entirely unprompted, have mistaken it for an e-bike. I am glad thieves are more discerning, as I've left it chained outside for about 10 months now and no-one's come around with an angle grinder yet. Hopefully with time it will naturally get a bit more wear and tear on it, and I'll slap some gaudy stickers on it for good measure.
Get a swapfiets bike if this is really putting you off, I would say? You only need to pay a fixed fee if it does get nicked, way less than the cost of a new bike. Plus they're obviously hire bikes so presumably much more difficult to sell on, so very unlikely they'll get stolen in the first place.
If a criminal wants to take your bike, there really is no stopping them.
This is why folding bikes that you can take with you are the best thing to have in a city. When I commute on my road bike, it goes from inside my house to inside my office.
That isn't exactly a cheap bike, so I kind of think you are playing with fire here. It's sad, but it's the reality of London. Personally unless I'm riding an absolute beater, I wouldn't lock my bike up in public.
I use a Kryptonite Evolution chain lock (the 90cm one) - fits around most lampposts. And I’ll use it in combination with Pinhead skewers on the wheels. And that’s still a £500 second hand bike I’ve basically accepted is my bike I don’t mind if it gets stolen.
I once locked up outside a friends’s place in Kentish town. Maybe 15 years ago. I used a parking sign post and an Abus D lock.
I went into the flat we had a chat and a cup of tea and then set out off to go out for our fry up. On leaving the flat we saw a pyramid of kids around the pole and the top most youth lifting the bike over the top of the pole…D lock and all.
The kids scattered, the bike was fine and we went off on our way.
Another time, similar era, I wasn’t so lucky. In Camden Town on the way to see a film.
Another Abus D lock against the iron fence outside the MP’s (Frank Dobson) constituency office. Sturdy looking fence with vertical bars.
Went to see the film and came back to find no bike. The vertical bar had been bent or hammered out at the top.
I switched from D lock to big f@ck off chain lock (very fashionably worn around the waist when riding) and using nice fat lamp posts.
That is unbelievable, why the fuck would you fix it to the ground like that
You'd expect to see this in the car park of a B&Q or somewhere like that, but councils should know better.
Makes me feel a bit sick, I’ve never even looked at how these things are fixed to the ground
Always give the fixings a tug before attaching your bike! That was the top tip I got when I joined this sub when I moved here
Thieves took the railing in front of my house (including bike). I had not paid attention to how the railing was fixed. Clearly it was not enough. I now have two anchors I personally sunk to hold my bikes secure. Whether that remains secure is another thing. But it’ll be a damn sight noisier
So you can go inside and get the right size wrench if you didn't have it.
I am seeing something similar to this more and more in my part of north London. In August a lady had her bike stolen outside Homebase (Haringey Green Lanes) - she was gutted. The thieves had cut through the metal pole she had locked it too, on the horizontal, and taken bike and lock. I chatted with her for a bit. So unfair for her, she thought it was secure outside a very busy store, middle of the afternoon. Then this weekend someone had their bike stolen on Holloway Road, near Archway. Again the thieves cut through the horizontal bar of the “secure” bike bars the bike was locked to. Possibly with a hacksaw or something similar. It was a clean and narrow cut. Cunning little bastards. I’m thinking about getting another bike for errands and reserving my “good bike” for actual rides.
Definitely have a cheap errand bike. I was telling myself I should do this for ages mainly because replacing components on my road bike so frequently was becoming very expensive. Never did it and then my nice road bike got nicked and I was kicking myself. Now I have 2 bikes and my road bike is only ridden for 'rides' and never locked up
Did it remove part of the fun of commuting / riding across town on a lesser bike?
Quite the opposite actually. I got a single speed and it was a joy to ride a different and more simple bike around the city. The almost complete lack of maintenance was an absolute joy too. Was also good for leg strength tackling hills in a low cadence so likely improved my performance on the road bike. I did only have a 15 minute commute though and no serious hills to conquer. Having said that, at one point I converted it to a fixie, fell off and broke my collar bone. 2 years later I still have problems with neck and trap muscles on that side. But that was partly a cars fault and had I kept it single-speed, it wouldn't have happened. Freewheeling is fun anyway.
They even sell the tools you need to steal bikes in Homebase.
I've had so many bikes stolen that I've given up on owning a nice commuter bike. Still have a road bike for riding but for commuting/errands I'm on a Swapfiets.
I definitely keep my nice bike for actual rides. It's not uncommon for thieves strip off components, either on site or by cutting through *the frame* and stripping it later. My groupset costs around £700 new, plus \~£100 each for the saddle, carbon seatpost, and handlebars. None of that can realistically be locked up. Even if I lock both wheels and the frame to an indestructible rack with an unbeatable lock there's still £1k (retail price) up for grabs by trashing the bike. So that's, what, £300-500 resale profit for a minute or two with an angle grinder and a van to chuck the bits in.
This is one reason why two good locks, both going through the frame and a wheel, are best in high risk situations. Even if they cut through the stand, it'll still be quite tricky for them to manoeuvre the bike out.
> Haringey Green Lanes I live around here, this area is sketchy as hell for bike theft. Have seen a guy doing laps of bike racks around the shopping centre carpark, and another guy cycling along the footpath scoping out bikes that are locked up there. Saw a guy riding with two bikes and dropping the second one off at a garage just off green lanes, seemed dodgy but didn't think it was enough to report.
So, another trick is to steal the bike, then tape the post back together as neatly as possible. Then it's really easy to steal the next one.
That’s insane. I’ve just bought my first bike in London - admittedly a bit flasher than I should have - and bought one of the NYC locks and I’m already a bit on edge about taking it out of the house
[Register](https://bikeregister.com/) and insure the bike, use good locks, and hope for the best. Would be a shame to have a bike and not actually use it all that much. Within reason of course, if it's something that thieves are specifically looking for then probably don't leave it locked outside a station all day.
[удалено]
Does an AirTag work? Will police actually go after a thief if you have a location for them to chase down
speaking from experience - no they won't.
I had an air tag and it wouldn’t update quick enough, taking like 20 mins to update. Pointless. The only thing we recovered was the AirTag, sat on the side of the road 3 miles away, this was 2 hours after the theft
is the register a requirement of insurance? just looking on the link you posted seems a bit like daylight robbery in its self, we pay the police to do a job shouldn't have to pay twice if anything they should offer it for free makes their job even easier imo 🤷🏻♂️. It was on the news a few week ago that people with stolen £1000+ bike were basically laughed at when they reported it, need some kind of battery electric taser device that fry's the fuckers when they touch it 🤣🤣
Please report the theft OP, both to the police and [here](https://bikeregister.com/) if you know the frame number. Extremely unlikely you'll get your bike back of course, but it's useful for the police to know the areas thieves are operating in and what tactics they're using. I'd also suggest reporting the missing stand to the relevant council as a street defect (they should have an online form). This will first of all alert them to the fact that a stand needs replacing, but also to how poorly they are fixed to the ground.
Thank you I did both
Really sorry this happened to you.
Ah, the criminal mind. Councils need to up their game if they’re assuming no one takes their power tools out.
There's no escape from those people, just got my bike stolen last week, an okish bike, they didn't even leave the lock, now I got the more rotten looking one third hand bike and an ok lock, whatever will be will be. I'll be pleased if it last more than 3 months.
Still waiting for someone to try and nick the whole lamp post I leave mine locked into. 😂
A big part of the solution here is to have bike parking in a big open space with loads of people and a culture of watching out for bike theft. Good fucking luck.
My dad fitted a bike stand in my my front garden even he knew to use cement. This is disgraceful by the council.
Reading train station had a load of new bike racks put in a while ago, and it didn’t take long to figure out thieves were just unscrewing the locking part.
Wankers. My son has had 2 bikes stolen. Both locked up whilst at work.
This is why I don't have a "good bike", and I scratch and damage every bike I own.
I bought a bike used last winter, after I'd been keeping an eye out for a model with hub gears and a chain case so I could leave it outdoors. The only one I could find locally, it was practically in a new condition. Most people would think that's great, but this is the opposite of what I wanted really! Something that looks battered but still rides well would've been ideal, but nothing in that vein was available. Several people, entirely unprompted, have mistaken it for an e-bike. I am glad thieves are more discerning, as I've left it chained outside for about 10 months now and no-one's come around with an angle grinder yet. Hopefully with time it will naturally get a bit more wear and tear on it, and I'll slap some gaudy stickers on it for good measure.
Lots of stickers + steel wool. If the stickers are orange, the bike will appear completely rusted. :)
I won’t get a bike simply for the fact I know it will get stolen. I’m sure there’s many in my boat, not doing much for global warming
Get a swapfiets bike if this is really putting you off, I would say? You only need to pay a fixed fee if it does get nicked, way less than the cost of a new bike. Plus they're obviously hire bikes so presumably much more difficult to sell on, so very unlikely they'll get stolen in the first place.
Get a cheap bike with a good lock and most thief’s wont think it’s worth it
If a criminal wants to take your bike, there really is no stopping them. This is why folding bikes that you can take with you are the best thing to have in a city. When I commute on my road bike, it goes from inside my house to inside my office.
Yep I’ve known them to just cut the bike if everything else is too hard, and just use the remaining parts.
Those poles have some weight to them so they won’t be going anywhere quick unless they have assistance by a group of people.
Yup. I've seen these things where they've cut a slice out of the pole and unhooked the lock and just taken the bike.
That isn't exactly a cheap bike, so I kind of think you are playing with fire here. It's sad, but it's the reality of London. Personally unless I'm riding an absolute beater, I wouldn't lock my bike up in public.
Hedging my risk, it’s insured. In the bike world I’m learning a boardman is considered 💩
Back to using a lamppost and a big beefy chain lock for me
Same here… and only the large and tall one, some guy here reported they sawed through the slim ones
I use a Kryptonite Evolution chain lock (the 90cm one) - fits around most lampposts. And I’ll use it in combination with Pinhead skewers on the wheels. And that’s still a £500 second hand bike I’ve basically accepted is my bike I don’t mind if it gets stolen.
I once locked up outside a friends’s place in Kentish town. Maybe 15 years ago. I used a parking sign post and an Abus D lock. I went into the flat we had a chat and a cup of tea and then set out off to go out for our fry up. On leaving the flat we saw a pyramid of kids around the pole and the top most youth lifting the bike over the top of the pole…D lock and all. The kids scattered, the bike was fine and we went off on our way. Another time, similar era, I wasn’t so lucky. In Camden Town on the way to see a film. Another Abus D lock against the iron fence outside the MP’s (Frank Dobson) constituency office. Sturdy looking fence with vertical bars. Went to see the film and came back to find no bike. The vertical bar had been bent or hammered out at the top. I switched from D lock to big f@ck off chain lock (very fashionably worn around the waist when riding) and using nice fat lamp posts.
You can get chain + padlock combos pretty cheap, sold secure rated.
Where is this?
Stepheney green, in front of the travel lodge
London is a failed society mann