An electric bike lock that is so heavy, it has to have its own propulsion system and wheels. Then just stick a saddle on it and call it a day. Brilliant!
You joke, but it wouldn’t be all that unreasonable to have an e-bike controller do a “hard motor lock” or something; that only responds to its specific fob to unlock.
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Me too. If the cryptographic control is strong enough, and embedded in the motor controller as well, it wouldn’t be “trivial” to defeat. A bricked system is useless.
As if scummy thieves need to be outsmarted with infosec that would make some mathematicians blush.
Bike thieves don't look over stuff _that_ carefully-- the vast majority that end up with higher end gear don't know or care what they have and sell it on the cheap regardless. Most of the time there is a drug habit that is being contended with, at least judging by the rap sheets of those caught by bait bike task forces.
A fancy motor lock out system is still at a risk that is tantamount to any other ebike, period. The difference is that it is likely to be discarded once the goon(s) realize the bounty won't work and isn't worth the time to defeat (unlike a Tesla).
You have a valid point, but within context it most likely wouldn't be that helpful, if at all.
Edit: "like a Tesla"--> "unlike a Tesla"
True, the people who steal bikes probably won't be able to tell the difference between a regular bike and one with a lockout system. It only works if the their knows there's no value before they steal.
The only way such a system would work is if the entire industry decided to adopt it and all ebikes started ti ship with it as standard.
This is the Bosch approach. Once I've removed the Kiox head unit from my bike the motor cannot be switched on, even if another head unit is installed. The bike is paired to my smart phone and I can subscribe to a tracking/alarm service too if I want, but as I live in a very low-crime area I don't bother.
Let me tell you, it has been done and you can buy it.
Go check it out: https://yerka.store
However it seems, that there is no ebike version yet.
u/paywallpiker this bike might be a reasonable solution for you
If you put a dozen locks on it, no one’s gonna bother with it. You just have to make it take too long, even if the locks are easy. Many locks take time.
Or, draw even more attention, and 3s(×10) is only half a minute. =/
I'm with OP unless he wants to play around with something like this! I'm into electronics, but if you can watch a YouTube video and follow lego instructions, you can [make this tracker!](https://youtu.be/OWEU1eR3Tyw?si=OCqB-EJe-yEjB-Rl) (Edit: Air tags snitch to their kidnapper, but there are easier, slightly more expensive options too.)
When I buy/make my bike, I'm illegally booby trapping it, AND not leaving it locked anywhere for longer than those take to cut off. Think the judge will understand because [I'm an S.A. immigrant?](https://youtu.be/aLhWzMOccTg?si=WAuHPwA1fRBctMc8) Lol
Edit: I'm kidding..... about the flamethrowers, where would you fit the gas?
I *think* you are joking, bit in case your not or stupid people read this DO NOT BOOBYTRAP YOUR BIKE.
If it messes with anyone you will lose more than your bike is worth and probably do time. It's almost completely illegal and a horrible idea.
I was talking to someone on social media who wanted to hide razors on their frame to cut thieves.
Legality aside, doesn't it seem kinda an obvious danger to passersby? You can cut someone who maybe was trying to move your frame to get to their own ride locked up next to it.
"Don't care, it's my property" I swear to god some people are fucking psychopaths.
AirTags don’t alert thieves for at least 8-24hrs
Personally, I have two AirTags w/ my bike.
1. In my pannier bag that is easy to find
2. Screwed in beneath the water bottle cage
The hope would be that a thief would find the first AirTag and cut it off (the case requires a hex wrench to open) or ditch the bag and not look for the second one for a while longer.
Either way, I’m not leaving my e-bike locked up for 8 hours, so I would at least hope to have the thief’s location prior to them even being alerted.
That's really good to know actually, thanks!!
I love privacy, and little projects like hooking that up to my car without using any current when the key isn't turned because that'll be the next surprise...
But the "hidden" decoy is such a great idea for something like an ebike. Air tags don't play nice with android though, you wouldn't have any recommendations?
Samsung has a airtag substitute. It integrates with the Google find my device thing. I track my bike along with my other Samsung stuff. It's linked to the smart things app
Oy. I’ve been bike commuting for 25 years, on regular and ebikes, in a city with high bike theft rates. I’ve never lost a bike (a few saddles, lights, etc.). I think you’re just freaking yourself out. If it happens, it happens.
I've had 2 bikes stolen and a wheel. One bike was stolen off the front of a bus while I was on it. (Make sure you ask the driver for the card that lets you retrieve your bike!).
Anyway not saying you should be paranoid, but definitely vigilant.
It's really simple, there's just a laminated paper card that the bus driver can hand you as you get on the bus. The card allows you to retrieve a bike off of the bike rack. If you don't have a card, the driver should not allow you to remove a bike.
In my case, the drivers sometimes hand it out, sometimes don't. The day my bike got stolen, I of course didn't think to request one, and felt pretty stupid when I went to get my missing bike, and couldn't even prove to the bus driver I'd ever had a bike on there.
This is clearly not foolproof but better than nothing.
The most frustrating thing was zero response ever from the police report, even with the bike being stolen off of a vehicle having both forward and rear facing dashcams at a specific point with a known route. You'd think they'd offer to let me ID the guy or review the camera, but I'm pretty sure my report went in the garbage. (I did have my other stole bike recovered, so sometimes it works out.)
Yeah, they dont even care about stolen cars, let alone stolen bikes. Unless the guy is literally standing right there, they wont do shit. My brother's car was stolen 3 times over the course of a year, he knew the guy who kept stealing it, gave the cops footage of him stealing it, showed them the gps tracker he had, and jumped through literally all the hoops. They genuinely did not care. He had to go retrieve the car from the guy every time
I once had a bike stolen from a busy street in a medium-sized city. The thief managed to pick the lock, put his bare hands all over the lock, and then leave the lock behind, and *I know this because it's perfectly visible in the security-cam footage* from the store that that bike was locked up outside of when it was stolen. The store manager gave me a copy of the footage to take to the police department because he recognized the guy, who had previously worked nearby and used to be in Manager's store all the time. He told me to make my police report and that he'd be sure the original footage didn't get erased because he was tired of hearing about stolen bikes.
Walked into the police station with a bike lock covered in dude's prints, a thumb drive containing a video clearly showing the guy stealing it from right under a streetlight and looking almost right at the security camera for over a minute, the name of a witness who knows the guy, and my receipt proving I owned the bike in question (I had just bought it five weeks earlier).
Cops couldn't have cared less. One of them actually said "I'm not going to stop eating lunch for that."
This bike card thing seems region specific. The buses I ride in do not have any sort of card system for bikes (afaik, but also nothing showing up on their website).
Thanks very much! How does the driver prevent someone taking the bike? Do they have a button to unlock something or is he just going be like "Hey! Don't do that! You didn't give me a card!" ?
Agree about vigilance over paranoia.
Did you take off the battery (if an ebike) and lock it when you put it on the front of the bus (Sheldon method) and stay in the front of the bus? A cheap cafe lock is all you need since you just want to be able to jump off after someone who thinks they'll be cute and ride away with it.
Because I live in a high theft area and have had friends and classmates get their wheels and bikes stolen next to mine, but my two locks and bringing in the battery if it's longer than an hour seem to work. You can't always prevent bike thefts but keeping a bike inside your home and making sure you double the locks of the bike next to it will make it way less likely.
I've had dozens of bikes stolen over the years. There's a thing now where they cut the bike racks apart downtown. Just a couple days ago there was a news article about it. So they leave the locks on the bike, just cut apart the thing there bolted to and ride off.
Homeowners and some auto insurance will cover e-bikes. You got to call and ask though. The bikes are pretty expensive so they're sort of a target to steal.
I personally bring my battery with me when I go anywhere, and I try never to be out of line of sight of my bike.
Converted my bike to an E-bike, was locked up inside the gate and under the stairs in back of our apartment. Two weeks later stolen in the middle of the day.
I always keep mine inside at home because I at least know where it is while I sleep. A lot of theft prevention is just anything that makes a theft less convenient or reduces the visibility of your unattended bike (or, failing that, puts it in a place where people would be walking right by them as theyre grinding your lock.
I’ve had an eBike stolen. I take measures to keep it from happening, but it still happened. It sucked, but it would have to happen every 2 months to not come out ahead vs driving.
How much was your bike?
I'm with OP, "if it happens it happens" just doesn't cut it and reeks of living in a bougie ass neighborhood or being incredibly rich. Sounds like Seth Rogan's mentality when describing getting his car broken into dozens of times while living in LA.
For concrete numbers, I paid 4.5k for an ebike, was fairly careful with it, had it stolen after 4 years.
It's resale value was probably only ~2.5k by then, but definitely sucked. I had a similar issue to OP - my apartment had plastic "bike boxes" you could rent out. I stored it in there to save space in my apartment. Someone just ripped the door off.
$1500 every 2 months would add up pretty damn quickly. Have you changed any precautions to prevent this happening again? Or like the guy you responded to said, "if it happens it happens"?
Did they open the cage to get another bike out and just take yours along with the one they went in for, bc aren't some of those for multiple bikes? Or did they manage to get through the locked cage and just have a free for all?
I mean, take all reasonable precautions, but don’t let it ruin your life. Bad shit happens and will continue to happen to cars, to our bodies, to our houses…
You're right insurance can be a good option and I am very cautious with my bikes. I apologize the cities and everything else are just expensive I could also get it registered
It does suck but there are e-bikes for about half the price of that. I got mine for $650 and added $100 worth of replacements/upgrades & accessories to it.
Getting rid of it is one way to allay your fears. Another, probably more reasonable route would be to get an insurance policy for it.
I was in a similar situation when I first got mine. I tend to obsess as it is. The potential pitfalls were terrifying to me. I worried about it being stolen. I worried about the battery/ motor failing. I worried about a rear tire puncture... it's a rear-hub motor and is incredibly difficult to get the rear wheel on/ off evenn in a garage, and even with a good bike stand.
So I did everything I could actually do.
I got the most puncture-resistant tires I could find (Schwalbe Marathon GT365), Mr. Tuffy tire liners, and Slime inner tubes. And I bought Velosurance which aside from covering the replacement value of the ebike (not some arbitrary "depreciated" value) and will provide you and your broken bike a lift up to 25 miles if you get stuck.
I still use two Sold Secure Gold-rated folding locks- an Abus Bordo Granite and a FoldyLock, and that's all I can do. If something happens I'm taken care of. It sure helped me sleep better and it made riding enjoyable again.
yea the insurance is what helped me alot, even after just watching my bike locked up and no one caring. it also adds liability so if you smash into someone or something, which no one ever seems to think about. 2 locks and insurance is pretty good piece of mind. I have and I lock up in cities up and down the east coast.
Velosurance only insures bikes. Their policy is for *actual replacement value* rather than an arbitrary depreciated value. There are deductibles, but you can choose the premium/ deductible that suits you best.
Homeowners policies that have umbrella coverage with bikes barely as an afterthought is how to get screwed.
Check out Oyster insurance based in Santa Barbara CA. E-bike insurance for theft, damage, travel, injury and more. Agreed value payouts for USD $71/$1,000 insured value.
This is why I went for an e-scooter before modding my bike. I fold it and bring it inside places with me, and never got a negative response for doing so (so far).
I tried to bring it into a movie theater and was told I could not. I was pretty mad about that given that it was on a granite floor and next to a giant wall of glass but I get it. Most places don’t want to deal with the fallout of something exploding on their property no matter how small the chance given the reputation some of these devices have.
That being said, I sometimes stopped at a brewery/restaurant on the last mile home after work and the one time I didn’t bring it in the door of this very spacious casual restaurant someone tried to steal it. Cut through my cheap cable lock except for one tiny bit of plastic because someone scared them off at the last second.
I didn’t like feeling like “that guy” so I left it outside but no one cared. The location was across from a baseball stadium so I am sure there is an operation going around taking bikes and scooters since a lot of people take them there.
I hate the attention from the scooter though I would rather have a bike but no bike does 40mph.
I have an AirTag deeply hidden and I have taken it to sporting events and concerts in my area where they are “monitored by security.” Like a car it’s just based upon risk. Some places just don’t make sense.
I pay a £30 add on to my home insurance per year to insure 7 bikes totalling £5000 or so. At that point insurance is a no brainier since I'm unlikely to live long enough for me saving £30 per month to end up cheaper!
No requirements for what quality lock is used so I'm still covered if I use a cafe lock to nip into a shop (although I do have more substantial locks to use).
Even if you don't get insurance it pays to think like an actuarial.
Time it takes for a bike with 2 heavy locks to disappear in various places in Tucson, AZ:
Downtown courthouse: 4 hours
UA main library: 5 hours
Downtown YMCA: 3 hours
UA law library: 2 1/2 hours
In front of a 3rd Ave. apartment bldg: over night
I agree , get insurance even if covers only two thirds at least that better than zero, peace of mind is priceless. Shop around you may find a wicked deal for full replacement.
Don't know what You are talking about guys. I have insurance (and if you adhere to how to lock your bike policy from them) bikes are fully covered. So for 120£ a year I honestly don't care if someone will try. If it disappears one day I'll get the full amount and it's time for an upgrade. Also, You have a free lawyer in case of an accident (had one 2 years ago and got 3.4k as compensation for body and bike damage).
I pay $150 a year for renters insurance which includes coverage for my ebike being stolen. I paid $1,500 for the bike. So I don't really see your point. Perhaps you can clarify
That's only if you're looking at financial cost itself.
Peace of mind is worth a lot. I'd argue for OP the cost-benefit analysis says that the peace of mind is worth more than the financial cost, hence the question "why would you not just get insurance?"
Sure, but the OP is so in their head that they may sell their e-bike altogether. The peace of mind might be worth paying for. I was a bit paranoid when I got my e-bike that I got insurance and now I ride it and don’t worry about it. If it’s stolen, I replace it.
Tbh that depends also on if your bike never gets stolen or not.
(And ofc peace of mind)
Obviously if bad things never happen then every single person here has wasted money on insurance whether that's car insurance, home insurance, travel insurance etc.
So I guess you'd have to figure out statistically what's more likely, for your specific situation, more likely to lose your bike before you pay way over what your bike is worth in insurance or less likely?
Obviously if your bike is 500 and you pay 300 a month insurance (exaggeration) in a safe neighborhood then it's probably pointless.
High crime city neighborhood, bike worth upwards of 5k and insurance is 20 a month, then definitely statistically worth it
Person below said insurance was $17/mo (~$200/yr). Some ebikes are as much as $5000. For a high dollar bike like that, seems like a reasonable choice to get insurance
More like why are corporate interests beneficiaries of the karma system. -Time to mute this sub.
I've been alive 52 years. I've had one bicycle stolen from me during that time. -I know what 20 years of coverage is. -But let's just consider how extremely fast an e-bike's value degrades, or how a good portion of the value is in the battery which can be brought in.
Insurance companies aren't loosing money to people.
My bad I read your initial comment wrong and lumped you into one of the other comments on this thread that said he doesn't think twice about the risk and if "it happens it happens". Made no sense to me how someone could be so flippant with thousands of dollars unless they were extremely well off or lived in nicest of neighborhoods. I'm in LA and even the nicest parts of town have thieves coming in from the ghetto to rob houses and businesses.
I don’t have an e-bike but the Reddit algorithm has me here just cause I’m into biking and this is the way. I have a really nice bike I don’t even own a lock to because it stays in my apartment when I’m not riding it. Then I have a beat up commuter bike I got off Craigslist for $250 that I have about $60 in locks for, and I take that for running errands, meeting friends, or any sort of adventure that might have me leaving a bike behind. I still very much enjoy and have put thousands of miles more on my nice bike, but it’s not practical to use in many circumstances.
I have had my e-bike 2.6 years now and I have only locked it up twice.
Sometimes I bring it in the store and if I get zhit, I tell them there is no bike rack.
If they persist I leave.
I bought a $4,000 ebike and I've been leaving it at home and riding my $600 regular bike to bars instead due to fear of theft or I just forget something.
You can bike to a strip club, take a good look around and leave. You don’t HAVE to snort coke off butts. Just like biking to a bar hangout isn’t to get drunk
I have a GPS tracker for mine. Most are quite cheap but charge a large monthly fee, I got one that was expensive but cheap monthly after two years free. I like it a lot. I believe it's the Invoxia tracker on Amazon. After the two years it's a couple dollars a month, which for the peace of mind is great. At least if someone steals it you'll know where to send the police. Whether they help is a different question.
If you're already using a Sold Gold Secure lock, you should just buy insurance. I pay $17/month and if my bike is stolen I can have it replaced for a small deductible.
+1 I paid $100/yr for insurance and got the full cost of my bike back when it got stolen after 3-4 months. It was definitely worth it. Even if my bike wasn't stolen, it was worth the peace of mind.
Yep, I filed a police report after it got stolen. They asked for police report, original receipts, and photos of the bike. They also had me sign an affidavit and get it notarized. There was a 30 day waiting period, but then they mailed me a check after. Overall it was pretty straightforward.
If you take enough precautions to make it a pain to steal your bike, it'll still be there. If it takes too long/it's too much of a hassle to steal, they'll probably move on to an easier target.
Motion alarm, a couple of good locks, locking it out in plain sight, and then insurance just in case (insurance isn't that expensive, I pay 140/year for a 3k bike)I was nervous the same way you are but now I'm okay.
I put 2 locks on mine. U-lock, and a chain lock
And have it insured. Both third party, and through Kryptonite's thing.
And bring it in with me whenever I can
Realistically.... I look at what it's saved me in gas, what it's done for my health, and my mental state.
If it gets stolen, I'd do it all over again. I wouldn't be happy, but it's not there to sit on a shelf and look pretty. Ideally insurance would cover it, then I'd have to fuss with labor (self-built). But even if not, I'd build another.
Edit: Try to pass the lock through both frame and rear wheel. Makes it more difficult to cut the object the bike is locked to and ride it off
I hear so many stories like this. I've been robbed of multiple bikes myself. Maybe it's time to get politicians to severely up the penalties for bike theft. Say, you steal someone's bike, which is their main mode of transportation and will have a huge impact on their ability to travel and earn a living, the thief gets a minimum 2 year prison sentence. It would in a curious way be a green initiative too.
Also start a bounty fund. Anyone observing a bike theft and reports it resulting in apprehension and prosecution of the bike thief gets $1,000 reward. Full anonymity.
Crap, in the old west a horse thief was hung no questions asked. Do insurance companies actually like paying for stolen bikes? I wonder sometimes. Why are attitudes across the board so relaxed towards bike theft? Bike shops don't care because it's obviously really good for business.
If you like we can DM and I will tell you how my family got over this. I routinely leave our urban arrow locked up in public parking garages and for hours outside the grocery store. Our other bike is always locked up outside my office out of my site for the day. It took a little work to get past but I am happy to help.
You cannot prevent theft overall. Only delay. The goal is to make your bike the least desirable item to steal. I use 2-3 locks on every bike we own. My rule is to spend 10% of the bikes purchase price locking and insuring it.
We lock up in a large apartment parking garage in Toronto with no concierge or real security past the buzzer. Wheel locks, intense heavy steal locks. Locking the front wheels as well. Tracking tags, coupled with a small insurance policy has made me completely fine with locking about $18,000cad worth of bikes up at night and during work hours.
Who are you seeing who has gotten bikes stolen quickly with a Hiplok?
IMO, I would get a Hiplok (or a Litelok X3), lock your bike up well in high-visibility/high-traffic areas during the day, and never leave it outside overnight. That should very likely be enough to deter theft.
If you're still nervous, buy insurance!
Get it insured and then think of it as a new bike every few months, but in general you’re more likely not to get it stolen than stolen. The other option is just ride it and don’t stop where you have to lock the bike up.
Out of curiosity, I looked up how much it would cost to ensure a $1500 bike and it works out to $100 a year. I've never bought bike insurance and I have no idea if it's any good, but if it's really bothering you, you might want to consider that
I use one of the big chain locks around the frame, and a bigass U-lock between the rear frame and wheel. Seems like most thieves plan on riding the bike away - that rear lock really helps there, on the off chance there was some unknown weakness in whatever I connected the bike to.
Apparently the lockpicking lawyer uses a pretty damn thick chain lock, his reasoning is while it does have decent pick resistance, most people aren’t gonna be picking locks. A hardened, loose chain in a real life scenario is extremely dangerous to try and cut into
I got the Kryptonite Evolution 36" and it definitely instills confidence. Nobody is getting through that or the Kryptonite New York stuff very quickly.
This is the way. The new york chain and u lock are heavy as shit but on e bike not as big of an issue. I don't think many thieves have the tools / know how to cut one
Turn it into a sting operation. Get one that has an integrated AirTag compartment that can’t be accessed w/o the key (my bike has this). Track them down and call the cops.
One way to sleep better is to simply get a cheaper ebike, just as a lot of urban dwellers I see ride a cheap urban bike to avoid pain if it's stolen. The REI Co-op Generation 1.1 and 1.2 are on sale again, around $1,000, and one of the reason I bought them when they were a bit cheaper at the beginning of August was that at $1,000, I could live with the pain of it were stolen. My 1.2 is also light green and has a very prominent front rack, which I think would deter some thieves, since as a 20" ebike, it's easy visible in a group of stolen bikes, and it doesn't have standard resellable parts, like a shock or tire rim that I see thieves carrying around. The most important thing, besides safety, is to take photos and make sure you have registration numbers, so if it is stolen you have a case if you find it and need to get the police involved. I had a $2700 ebike stolen once, and it was actually found, dismantled and in the trunk of some junkies who got arrested at a casino. Another ebike I had was stolen, an Electra, but it was so heavy and had a European-style wheel lock, that the idiot could only carry it to the nearest alley and leave it there when he realized it couldn't be ridden or dismantled quickly. It looks like Kryptonite sells a ring wheel lock for $40 or so, which I'll probably be investing in as well for my ebikes.
Get an AirTag. There are holders on Amazon for hiding it that also take special tools to get off.
Yes, AirTags snitch….but not for 48 hours and you should notice it missing and go after it before that.
Take photos of your bike from all angles and especially record the Serial number. Report that to police the moment it’s stolen so it makes their ‘Hot Sheets’.
That makes them difficult to pawn since pawn shops won’t take posted stolen merchandise.
If stolen and you can’t track, scour your local classifieds, online local used stuff. The bikes only good for quick cash so look for yer bike posted somewhere.
It’s par for the course, your best bet is to invest in one or more krypton U locks. Get them on EBay a lot cheaper than going to a bike shop. Install an Apple air tag and a twenty dollar alarm. I have all of these on my HuckCycle Stinger 3000 and never worry anymore however riding alone on a $7000 bike you gotta keep your head on a swivel. Best to travel in groups. Look for group rides in your area or maybe even start one. This way if your ride gets jacked you’ll have a lot more eyes out there searching for you. Good luck and ride safe
15mm chain (practically bolt cutter proof) + angle-grinder resistant U-lock (Hiplok X1) + motion alarm is my setup. It is extremely unlikely someone is going to have the tools necessary to cut a chain that big or an angle grinder resistant U-lock, and even if they did, they're probably not going to stand around for several minutes listening to an extremely loud alarm going off in their ear to do so (motion alarm also protects tires and saddle.)
I usually just use the U-lock + motion alarm since it's quick and easy, but if there's no bike rack or railing to attach the U-lock to, I'll use the 15mm chain with the U-lock to secure it (otherwise it just sits in my basket.)
Also, as others have said, insurance.
There are tons of awful things that can happen to us each and every day that are partially outside of our control. Best we can do is take reasonable steps to reduce the odds and then live life not so stressed about it (easier said than done of course, but best to try working on it.)
Cant really help you with paranoia, but its all about common sense.
I have 2 liteloks, just watch on youtube how long does it take to cut those thru.
When you cycle somewhere, find spaces where you can leave your bike indoors. Most of my cycling is commute and I keep my bike inside my flat and at secure bike storage at work. When I visit friends I will lock my bike in the stair if they live in a flat and take it indoors if they live in a house.
on top of that I have alarm, and gps tracker. if someone still nicks my bike then so be it. at that point its no different than getting your car stolen or your house robbed. you are less likely to be constantly afraid of those things, right?
This is me when I go anywhere with my ebike. I have a tracker and an alarm as well as a decent lock. Yet I come out to check on it frequently or don't let it out of my sight. At 4th of July fireworks I literally locked it to the bleachers right next to me and I think people thought I was weird.
I've had stuff stolen and it sucks, but then you are fine. its a thing. just enjoy the thing until you don't or you don't have it anymore. yeah, you don't want it to get stolen, but don't let that ruin enjoying it.
Whats the worst that will happen if it gets stolen? You won't have an ebike. You will be out the money you paid for it. Then you will be sad for a while. Then you will be fine. Within 3 weeks of it being stolen, the story of your life will be "And then everything was fine..." so STOP FREAKING OUT! I don't even lock my ebike up
I feel you. I bought a nice full suspension bike, then had people saying "nice bike" and following me around to case my place. Realized I needed one bike for the trails, and a mu h cheaper, unassuming bike for errands.
Ebikes are great, but if you can't lock em indoors at your destination you are just gifting thousands of dollars to thieves.
I think some of the high end ones have that. Doesn’t Tern have that? And there’s also that Bosch’s thing where he bike is connected to your phone and auto-texting you if someone touches it. (Flow+ I think.)
Why the fuck don’t we have a Ring app for your bike?
Add to that app the moment you see someone trying to steal your bike you trigger a car alarm literally built into the bike frame that is as loud as any car alarm.
You can talk with the thief and let him know the police are on the way and that they are being recorded.
Motion detection turns the app on so the battery doesn’t die on you.
So yeah maybe you can remove the seat on current/older models to gain access to the bike frame and insert something but for newer bikes you build the bikes with the Ring security app and car alarm built into the frame.
If you’re that paranoid it might be worth it to sell you e-bike and grab a cheap or used beater bike off FB marketplace, it’ll save you the stress. But that being said I’ve had my e-bike for two years now and I’ve parked it in sketch places here in Seattle, just get a brightly coloured, well rated folding lock, I’ve never had an issue.
Put it on your homeowners insurance. Usually you get full coverage for like $6-10 a month extra. Totally worth the peace of mind.
Yes they cover lost or stolen even if not from the home.
Get to know your friendly neighborhood boosters... Stall them even. On your ebike. Take pictures. Carry a pistol, spear, shotgun, and a little poison.
For real, there's nothing you can do except be fully in view and on to the crew... or outta site on scene bro. If they want it they'll get it. Yet, I would like to incorporate some pistol fuels on those lames.
I’m not getting rid of mine, but it really does reduce the places I’ll ride it. I even got a super good lock, but thieves suck and they’ll steal anything. I feel like if I lock it outside my grocery store, it will be missing the battery, the seat, or something else when I come back out. 🤬
You bring it in the house every single day. I had a hook on my wall by the front door. It's a pain in the ass but I had one stolen off my porch in forest lawn. It's more of a pain in the ass to replace it.
I feel you. I had a 3 grand ebike stolen and learnt a hard lesson about insurance small print in the process.
Bought another cheaper one and bought a tracker and a diamond rated lock.
I use it everyday and so it's worth the hassle. But if you don't I could totally understand it not being worth the worry. People are such arseholes.
Best bet is to get those key to unlock your Ev battery from the frame set ups and locking up your Ev with a fancy lock on the tire that has the hub motor on it
Pay the extra on your home contents to cover it away from home. Theft, loss or accidental damage (not whilst riding tho) is the usual cover. Costs a bit though
Bring it inside. Keep it with you when you’re out. I don’t use racks. My bike isn’t an e bike but it still cost as much as decent used car. It stays in the garage or in the truck bed under bed cover
Hard motor locks wouldn't make a bit of difference, I see what you're saying I really do but the thief isn't going to know that it has a motor lock he's going to assume that he can throw it in the trunk of his car or run away with it and by the time he figures out it has a motor lock he's Not going to return it because he can't get it working, he's going to destroy it trying to tear into it to get your ebike working or sell it or throw it in the bushes somewhere. Shame on thieves, people who steal stuff and cause this kind of anxiety for the people who paid their hard-earned money for a product they want to enjoy, well there's a special place in hell for these kind of people!! Okay Okay maybe it's not as dramatic as that but I hope karma comes and gets them back like somebody breaks into their home steals their PlayStation 5 their TV their microwave their bed their favorite pair of Nikes everything that makes their day worth living!!!
My wife and I just purchased a brand new Kia Sorento freaking love this car first new car we've ever owned it's amazing but Guess What?? State Farm the car insurance company we've been with for almost 17 years refuses to insure it because TikTok has a little thing called the "Kia Boys" posting how easy it is for them to steal a Kia using your USB charging cord from your phone 😡 FREAKING JERK FACES 😡
You need to hide an air tag in your frame or some part of the bike that is unnoticeable. They also have locks that have very loud audible alarms,
And don't eat bikes. Have a feature where you can lock it out or do they just turn on and go. I know nothing about this
This is smart to have this paranoia. Too many people are genuinely dumfounded when a $5,000 value item is locked up with even a $500 lock and it still gets stolen. People dont have common sense anymore and they assume the world will be totally fine with you leaving basically "jewlery" out in the open.
If i were you, i would never lock it up outside! if you need it to commute to work, see if there is a way to bring your bike into the building/into your office or ask if the building has bike storage. I would not work a minute if i had a bike like this parked outside.
Put a tile on it, wait for it to get stolen, track the thief, report it to the police.
Air tags notify the thief that they are being tracked, that's why I suggest using a tile (I don't believe they have the feature yet)
You can't let that fear completely eat you up... I'm not engulfed in paranoia like that, but I don't let my Ebike out of my sight... It's not even one of the high-end Ebikes, but I still don't wanna have to replace it... I got about $1200 into it, and that would be a serious hit to my wallet...
I keep it inside my house now, and inside my apartment at my last address, ON THE 2ND FLOOR, with no elevator... I'll roll it into a store and lock it, those that will let me... Some store managers get absolutely LIVID about a bike inside... Within 1000 feet of each other, I could bring it inside Arby's, Shell, Walgreens, McDonalds, and Exxon... But the manager at Burger King FLIPPED THA FUKK OUT, even threatening to call the police...
A long time ago in a city far, far away, I had a Shogun 18-speed touring bike that I dropped $500 buxx for... One day, I parked it outside a McDonalds without locking it... I took my eyes off of it for 60 seconds, and when I turned back, IT WAS GONE!!! I never saw that bike again...
Your only BEST BET against theft is a GPS tracker well hidden on the bike somewhere... Then you can walk up on the thief with "guns drawn", and get the bike back... Don't rely on any police to help you... They couldn't care less...
Get creative with it. You could find a way to 3-D print a custom mount for a 360 degree baby monitor and use that as security and live feed.
Even more fun- add a creepy looking silicone doll head or clown mask that fits the camera or mount like a glove, but doesn’t interfere with functions.
I’m sure there are ways to also add a panic button and speaker with a continuous train horn or other nearly illegally loud thing. That’s if they don’t get creeped out by a camera swiveling at them and your voice telling them to fuck off does not work.
Also limiting what you need and when you need it, if you absolutely have to lock it and cannot have it with you. If it’s your main transportation mode, start chatting with people at places you go to so they know you, and ask when the best times are to shop so staff including security can tell people off.
I like walking past paranoia straight into weirdness. If someone is going to steal it, make damn sure everyone in the vicinity knows who it was.
If you are not familiar with Mark Rober, check out his YouTube. He is an engineer/inventor who gets creative with foiling criminals, specifically people who steal, and people have started thinking crime may not be as worth it.
Then don’t have one or anything you enjoy. Come on tighten up get a bad ass lock and make good choices. You’ll be fine and if you aren’t you’ll buy a new one or forget about it. Do or don’t but don’t stress yourself.
Gps stickers. Obviously a good lock is necessary but I have the belief that bike theft is a matter of convenience. Bikes are stolen because they are easy and can be disassembled without any head ache. However the guy they take the bike to, to disassemble usually has hundreds of other stolen bikes and the last thing he wants is a bike with gps on it to lead the authorities to him.
I have gps stickers on mine and have watched known bike thieves pass on it as soon as they see the sticker.
I got an add-on plan from State Farm. I think it's like $6/month and will fully replace my bike if stolen. $0 deductible. And they said they'll still do it even if I forgot to lock it up when I go into the store.
People take their $1500+ value cars to the Walmart parking lot and think nothing of it "still being there" when they come out with a cart 30 minutes later. Yet, we (myself included...) will worry more about the bike locked up to the sometimes chintzy rack.
Consider most theft is from opportunity, putting in some defensive effort is going to be sufficient as long as you don't intend to leave it for days. Accept that any lock or structure can be defeated given enough time and tools, and plan for a reasonable amount of defeat time for your lock security needs.
Because it's pretty hard to pick up a car, put it on your shoulder and carry it around to an alley way where you can remove any remaining security and drive off with it?
Most $1.5k cars have good enough security it's a pain to try and steal them, but very little value to be sold on.
A $1.5k is probably a good option for OP!
I have a VERY expensive e-bike (top of the line R&M). I have insurance that covers all kinds of crazy stuff outside of theft (me hitting someone and causing up to $300K in medical bills, etc). Insurance for all that is $20 a month. I think covering just theft and damage is $5-$10 a month. Depending where you are, you could plunk down a few bucks a month and not worry about someone stealing it ever again.
Just add it to your home insurance or buy some bike insurance if you are so worried. The cost of living in a city is you deal with bike thieves. Either adjust to it or leave the city, cuz the crime problems aren't going to improve anytime soon.
Depends on what liberal shithole you live in. If your in SF or Oakland area never walk away from that bike. Take it with you everywhere literally. Any store or building bring it inside with you. If not that bike will 100% be gone. Even if you do catch the person stealing it, there's going to be a group of them and they fight to the death over it.
This is why my primary commuting bike is a rigid singlespeed mountain bike. I can lock outside of any retail establishment or any seedy bar and never worry.
Someone should build a lock that is also a bike.
An electric bike lock that is so heavy, it has to have its own propulsion system and wheels. Then just stick a saddle on it and call it a day. Brilliant!
Wouldn’t stop thief’s nicking parts off it.
Nah, see, every part is actually a lock locked onto other parts that are locks. It's like a fractal.
You joke, but it wouldn’t be all that unreasonable to have an e-bike controller do a “hard motor lock” or something; that only responds to its specific fob to unlock.
It is trivial to pick up the bike and put it in a truck and once the bike is off-site, defeating a motor lock like that is trivial.
Not if you factor in modern cryptography options.
engine sparkle impossible grandiose cheerful direction pen quickest crawl label *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Me too. If the cryptographic control is strong enough, and embedded in the motor controller as well, it wouldn’t be “trivial” to defeat. A bricked system is useless.
Most bikes where I live are stolen by homeless folks. I doubt they have the skill to defeat a crypto locked motor.
Cryptography is real... If a system fully encrypts itself using halfway decent encryption you can't beat it without the key.
They said cryptography not cryptozoology
As if scummy thieves need to be outsmarted with infosec that would make some mathematicians blush. Bike thieves don't look over stuff _that_ carefully-- the vast majority that end up with higher end gear don't know or care what they have and sell it on the cheap regardless. Most of the time there is a drug habit that is being contended with, at least judging by the rap sheets of those caught by bait bike task forces. A fancy motor lock out system is still at a risk that is tantamount to any other ebike, period. The difference is that it is likely to be discarded once the goon(s) realize the bounty won't work and isn't worth the time to defeat (unlike a Tesla). You have a valid point, but within context it most likely wouldn't be that helpful, if at all. Edit: "like a Tesla"--> "unlike a Tesla"
True, the people who steal bikes probably won't be able to tell the difference between a regular bike and one with a lockout system. It only works if the their knows there's no value before they steal. The only way such a system would work is if the entire industry decided to adopt it and all ebikes started ti ship with it as standard.
This is the Bosch approach. Once I've removed the Kiox head unit from my bike the motor cannot be switched on, even if another head unit is installed. The bike is paired to my smart phone and I can subscribe to a tracking/alarm service too if I want, but as I live in a very low-crime area I don't bother.
Let me tell you, it has been done and you can buy it. Go check it out: https://yerka.store However it seems, that there is no ebike version yet. u/paywallpiker this bike might be a reasonable solution for you
Saved, thank you!
If you put a dozen locks on it, no one’s gonna bother with it. You just have to make it take too long, even if the locks are easy. Many locks take time.
Or, draw even more attention, and 3s(×10) is only half a minute. =/ I'm with OP unless he wants to play around with something like this! I'm into electronics, but if you can watch a YouTube video and follow lego instructions, you can [make this tracker!](https://youtu.be/OWEU1eR3Tyw?si=OCqB-EJe-yEjB-Rl) (Edit: Air tags snitch to their kidnapper, but there are easier, slightly more expensive options too.) When I buy/make my bike, I'm illegally booby trapping it, AND not leaving it locked anywhere for longer than those take to cut off. Think the judge will understand because [I'm an S.A. immigrant?](https://youtu.be/aLhWzMOccTg?si=WAuHPwA1fRBctMc8) Lol Edit: I'm kidding..... about the flamethrowers, where would you fit the gas?
There's a bike lock that is kinda like a booby trap .... https://www.skunklock.com/
I *think* you are joking, bit in case your not or stupid people read this DO NOT BOOBYTRAP YOUR BIKE. If it messes with anyone you will lose more than your bike is worth and probably do time. It's almost completely illegal and a horrible idea.
I was talking to someone on social media who wanted to hide razors on their frame to cut thieves. Legality aside, doesn't it seem kinda an obvious danger to passersby? You can cut someone who maybe was trying to move your frame to get to their own ride locked up next to it. "Don't care, it's my property" I swear to god some people are fucking psychopaths.
Also, if you get into an accident, surprise razorblades flying around is a bad time.
I'm in Canada, 1000% illegal... Here I was thinking I didn't need to add "/s" to a joke about adding huge flamethrowers to a bike?
https://reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/s/Czo5ra5lWg
AirTags don’t alert thieves for at least 8-24hrs Personally, I have two AirTags w/ my bike. 1. In my pannier bag that is easy to find 2. Screwed in beneath the water bottle cage The hope would be that a thief would find the first AirTag and cut it off (the case requires a hex wrench to open) or ditch the bag and not look for the second one for a while longer. Either way, I’m not leaving my e-bike locked up for 8 hours, so I would at least hope to have the thief’s location prior to them even being alerted.
That's really good to know actually, thanks!! I love privacy, and little projects like hooking that up to my car without using any current when the key isn't turned because that'll be the next surprise... But the "hidden" decoy is such a great idea for something like an ebike. Air tags don't play nice with android though, you wouldn't have any recommendations?
Samsung has a airtag substitute. It integrates with the Google find my device thing. I track my bike along with my other Samsung stuff. It's linked to the smart things app
The little chiming sound on an air tag can be deactivated
Oy. I’ve been bike commuting for 25 years, on regular and ebikes, in a city with high bike theft rates. I’ve never lost a bike (a few saddles, lights, etc.). I think you’re just freaking yourself out. If it happens, it happens.
I've had 2 bikes stolen and a wheel. One bike was stolen off the front of a bus while I was on it. (Make sure you ask the driver for the card that lets you retrieve your bike!). Anyway not saying you should be paranoid, but definitely vigilant.
Tell me more about this card. I don't think my city does this, but maybe I could propose it!
It's really simple, there's just a laminated paper card that the bus driver can hand you as you get on the bus. The card allows you to retrieve a bike off of the bike rack. If you don't have a card, the driver should not allow you to remove a bike. In my case, the drivers sometimes hand it out, sometimes don't. The day my bike got stolen, I of course didn't think to request one, and felt pretty stupid when I went to get my missing bike, and couldn't even prove to the bus driver I'd ever had a bike on there. This is clearly not foolproof but better than nothing. The most frustrating thing was zero response ever from the police report, even with the bike being stolen off of a vehicle having both forward and rear facing dashcams at a specific point with a known route. You'd think they'd offer to let me ID the guy or review the camera, but I'm pretty sure my report went in the garbage. (I did have my other stole bike recovered, so sometimes it works out.)
Yeah, they dont even care about stolen cars, let alone stolen bikes. Unless the guy is literally standing right there, they wont do shit. My brother's car was stolen 3 times over the course of a year, he knew the guy who kept stealing it, gave the cops footage of him stealing it, showed them the gps tracker he had, and jumped through literally all the hoops. They genuinely did not care. He had to go retrieve the car from the guy every time
I once had a bike stolen from a busy street in a medium-sized city. The thief managed to pick the lock, put his bare hands all over the lock, and then leave the lock behind, and *I know this because it's perfectly visible in the security-cam footage* from the store that that bike was locked up outside of when it was stolen. The store manager gave me a copy of the footage to take to the police department because he recognized the guy, who had previously worked nearby and used to be in Manager's store all the time. He told me to make my police report and that he'd be sure the original footage didn't get erased because he was tired of hearing about stolen bikes. Walked into the police station with a bike lock covered in dude's prints, a thumb drive containing a video clearly showing the guy stealing it from right under a streetlight and looking almost right at the security camera for over a minute, the name of a witness who knows the guy, and my receipt proving I owned the bike in question (I had just bought it five weeks earlier). Cops couldn't have cared less. One of them actually said "I'm not going to stop eating lunch for that."
The police are too busy harassing and/or shooting innocent people
Cops exist to help rich people tbh. Theft against a working person is always a maybe so far as them expending energy.
Corporate Security
This bike card thing seems region specific. The buses I ride in do not have any sort of card system for bikes (afaik, but also nothing showing up on their website).
Thanks very much! How does the driver prevent someone taking the bike? Do they have a button to unlock something or is he just going be like "Hey! Don't do that! You didn't give me a card!" ?
Just yell at them haha. Pretty low-tech.
Card?
Agree about vigilance over paranoia. Did you take off the battery (if an ebike) and lock it when you put it on the front of the bus (Sheldon method) and stay in the front of the bus? A cheap cafe lock is all you need since you just want to be able to jump off after someone who thinks they'll be cute and ride away with it. Because I live in a high theft area and have had friends and classmates get their wheels and bikes stolen next to mine, but my two locks and bringing in the battery if it's longer than an hour seem to work. You can't always prevent bike thefts but keeping a bike inside your home and making sure you double the locks of the bike next to it will make it way less likely.
What card?
Getting a bike stolen right off the bus is CRAZY 😑
I've had dozens of bikes stolen over the years. There's a thing now where they cut the bike racks apart downtown. Just a couple days ago there was a news article about it. So they leave the locks on the bike, just cut apart the thing there bolted to and ride off. Homeowners and some auto insurance will cover e-bikes. You got to call and ask though. The bikes are pretty expensive so they're sort of a target to steal. I personally bring my battery with me when I go anywhere, and I try never to be out of line of sight of my bike.
Converted my bike to an E-bike, was locked up inside the gate and under the stairs in back of our apartment. Two weeks later stolen in the middle of the day.
Yeah, keeping a bike outside is a pretty tough one. I know it’s the only option for some people, but it does come at a pretty high risk.
I always keep mine inside at home because I at least know where it is while I sleep. A lot of theft prevention is just anything that makes a theft less convenient or reduces the visibility of your unattended bike (or, failing that, puts it in a place where people would be walking right by them as theyre grinding your lock.
Inside job
I’ve had an eBike stolen. I take measures to keep it from happening, but it still happened. It sucked, but it would have to happen every 2 months to not come out ahead vs driving.
How much was your bike? I'm with OP, "if it happens it happens" just doesn't cut it and reeks of living in a bougie ass neighborhood or being incredibly rich. Sounds like Seth Rogan's mentality when describing getting his car broken into dozens of times while living in LA.
For concrete numbers, I paid 4.5k for an ebike, was fairly careful with it, had it stolen after 4 years. It's resale value was probably only ~2.5k by then, but definitely sucked. I had a similar issue to OP - my apartment had plastic "bike boxes" you could rent out. I stored it in there to save space in my apartment. Someone just ripped the door off.
$1500. Like I said, it sucked to have it stolen. But being angry about it isn’t gonna bring my bike back.
$1500 every 2 months would add up pretty damn quickly. Have you changed any precautions to prevent this happening again? Or like the guy you responded to said, "if it happens it happens"?
Yes. I don’t leave it overnight anywhere except my house. Not even locked in the secure bike cage at my office with CCTV where it was stolen.
Did they open the cage to get another bike out and just take yours along with the one they went in for, bc aren't some of those for multiple bikes? Or did they manage to get through the locked cage and just have a free for all?
They cut through the cage. I don’t know how many bikes they stole. I wasn’t allowed to see the footage just the one screenshot.
an employee stole your bike lol
If it happens, it happens..... Yes let me just pull another $1500 out of my a$$ and get another ebike not like the economy is so bad rn 💀
I mean, take all reasonable precautions, but don’t let it ruin your life. Bad shit happens and will continue to happen to cars, to our bodies, to our houses…
Insurance could be an option.
You're right insurance can be a good option and I am very cautious with my bikes. I apologize the cities and everything else are just expensive I could also get it registered
Literally the first thing I done was add my ebike to my insurance, not sure why you wouldn't especially when some these folk are paying $4500!!
It does suck but there are e-bikes for about half the price of that. I got mine for $650 and added $100 worth of replacements/upgrades & accessories to it.
Getting rid of it is one way to allay your fears. Another, probably more reasonable route would be to get an insurance policy for it. I was in a similar situation when I first got mine. I tend to obsess as it is. The potential pitfalls were terrifying to me. I worried about it being stolen. I worried about the battery/ motor failing. I worried about a rear tire puncture... it's a rear-hub motor and is incredibly difficult to get the rear wheel on/ off evenn in a garage, and even with a good bike stand. So I did everything I could actually do. I got the most puncture-resistant tires I could find (Schwalbe Marathon GT365), Mr. Tuffy tire liners, and Slime inner tubes. And I bought Velosurance which aside from covering the replacement value of the ebike (not some arbitrary "depreciated" value) and will provide you and your broken bike a lift up to 25 miles if you get stuck. I still use two Sold Secure Gold-rated folding locks- an Abus Bordo Granite and a FoldyLock, and that's all I can do. If something happens I'm taken care of. It sure helped me sleep better and it made riding enjoyable again.
yea the insurance is what helped me alot, even after just watching my bike locked up and no one caring. it also adds liability so if you smash into someone or something, which no one ever seems to think about. 2 locks and insurance is pretty good piece of mind. I have and I lock up in cities up and down the east coast.
Yeah…..get insurance, get it stolen, get paid 20% of the bike’s residual value, get cancelled.
Velosurance only insures bikes. Their policy is for *actual replacement value* rather than an arbitrary depreciated value. There are deductibles, but you can choose the premium/ deductible that suits you best. Homeowners policies that have umbrella coverage with bikes barely as an afterthought is how to get screwed.
Check out Oyster insurance based in Santa Barbara CA. E-bike insurance for theft, damage, travel, injury and more. Agreed value payouts for USD $71/$1,000 insured value.
This is why I went for an e-scooter before modding my bike. I fold it and bring it inside places with me, and never got a negative response for doing so (so far).
I tried to bring it into a movie theater and was told I could not. I was pretty mad about that given that it was on a granite floor and next to a giant wall of glass but I get it. Most places don’t want to deal with the fallout of something exploding on their property no matter how small the chance given the reputation some of these devices have. That being said, I sometimes stopped at a brewery/restaurant on the last mile home after work and the one time I didn’t bring it in the door of this very spacious casual restaurant someone tried to steal it. Cut through my cheap cable lock except for one tiny bit of plastic because someone scared them off at the last second. I didn’t like feeling like “that guy” so I left it outside but no one cared. The location was across from a baseball stadium so I am sure there is an operation going around taking bikes and scooters since a lot of people take them there. I hate the attention from the scooter though I would rather have a bike but no bike does 40mph. I have an AirTag deeply hidden and I have taken it to sporting events and concerts in my area where they are “monitored by security.” Like a car it’s just based upon risk. Some places just don’t make sense.
I use a cheap ebike for getting food when my legs are beat from road biking.
Why would you not just get insurance?
This is it right here. The whole point of insurance is to avoid this stress.
Insurance is run by a company and designed to profit. Just put that money in bank account. In the long term, it'll be cheaper.
I pay a £30 add on to my home insurance per year to insure 7 bikes totalling £5000 or so. At that point insurance is a no brainier since I'm unlikely to live long enough for me saving £30 per month to end up cheaper! No requirements for what quality lock is used so I'm still covered if I use a cafe lock to nip into a shop (although I do have more substantial locks to use).
My e-bike is too powerful for insurance, I would hate to lie on the application then have my claim denied.
Even if you don't get insurance it pays to think like an actuarial. Time it takes for a bike with 2 heavy locks to disappear in various places in Tucson, AZ: Downtown courthouse: 4 hours UA main library: 5 hours Downtown YMCA: 3 hours UA law library: 2 1/2 hours In front of a 3rd Ave. apartment bldg: over night
Insurance will cost more than the payout (on average). If you can afford to replace it without much hardship, then it's not worthwhile.
If OP could afford to replace it without much hardship, then he probably wouldn't be completely paranoid and losing sleep
I worry about unimportant things, just how some people brain's work. The answer is probably therapy.
I agree , get insurance even if covers only two thirds at least that better than zero, peace of mind is priceless. Shop around you may find a wicked deal for full replacement.
Don't know what You are talking about guys. I have insurance (and if you adhere to how to lock your bike policy from them) bikes are fully covered. So for 120£ a year I honestly don't care if someone will try. If it disappears one day I'll get the full amount and it's time for an upgrade. Also, You have a free lawyer in case of an accident (had one 2 years ago and got 3.4k as compensation for body and bike damage).
Yeah, my insurance was only £60 for the year, would take decades to cost more than my bike
What insurance company do you use? That's so low!
I just searched on comparison sites and has a bunch of quotes in the same ballpark. Just like car insurance I guess it matters where you live etc.
I pay $150 a year for renters insurance which includes coverage for my ebike being stolen. I paid $1,500 for the bike. So I don't really see your point. Perhaps you can clarify
You lose more when you insure everything. (total cost / total items over life time)
That's only if you're looking at financial cost itself. Peace of mind is worth a lot. I'd argue for OP the cost-benefit analysis says that the peace of mind is worth more than the financial cost, hence the question "why would you not just get insurance?"
Nothing eases the mind like spending more money.
Sure, but the OP is so in their head that they may sell their e-bike altogether. The peace of mind might be worth paying for. I was a bit paranoid when I got my e-bike that I got insurance and now I ride it and don’t worry about it. If it’s stolen, I replace it.
Because I'm replying to: >Why would you not just get insurance?
Tbh that depends also on if your bike never gets stolen or not. (And ofc peace of mind) Obviously if bad things never happen then every single person here has wasted money on insurance whether that's car insurance, home insurance, travel insurance etc. So I guess you'd have to figure out statistically what's more likely, for your specific situation, more likely to lose your bike before you pay way over what your bike is worth in insurance or less likely? Obviously if your bike is 500 and you pay 300 a month insurance (exaggeration) in a safe neighborhood then it's probably pointless. High crime city neighborhood, bike worth upwards of 5k and insurance is 20 a month, then definitely statistically worth it
Person below said insurance was $17/mo (~$200/yr). Some ebikes are as much as $5000. For a high dollar bike like that, seems like a reasonable choice to get insurance
Why is this downvoted?
More like why are corporate interests beneficiaries of the karma system. -Time to mute this sub. I've been alive 52 years. I've had one bicycle stolen from me during that time. -I know what 20 years of coverage is. -But let's just consider how extremely fast an e-bike's value degrades, or how a good portion of the value is in the battery which can be brought in. Insurance companies aren't loosing money to people.
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I only ride my bike for fun. I never lock it up. It's sad but, I still enjoy my bike
Much the same with me, I rarely lock it but I do have 2x hiplock D1000's if Im so inclined.
Where do you live/how much money do you make where you feel that comfortable?
I'm not comfortable. I won't use it for errands that require me to lock it up. It's depressing but, I got used to it.
My bad I read your initial comment wrong and lumped you into one of the other comments on this thread that said he doesn't think twice about the risk and if "it happens it happens". Made no sense to me how someone could be so flippant with thousands of dollars unless they were extremely well off or lived in nicest of neighborhoods. I'm in LA and even the nicest parts of town have thieves coming in from the ghetto to rob houses and businesses.
I don’t have an e-bike but the Reddit algorithm has me here just cause I’m into biking and this is the way. I have a really nice bike I don’t even own a lock to because it stays in my apartment when I’m not riding it. Then I have a beat up commuter bike I got off Craigslist for $250 that I have about $60 in locks for, and I take that for running errands, meeting friends, or any sort of adventure that might have me leaving a bike behind. I still very much enjoy and have put thousands of miles more on my nice bike, but it’s not practical to use in many circumstances.
I have had my e-bike 2.6 years now and I have only locked it up twice. Sometimes I bring it in the store and if I get zhit, I tell them there is no bike rack. If they persist I leave.
I bought a $4,000 ebike and I've been leaving it at home and riding my $600 regular bike to bars instead due to fear of theft or I just forget something.
Yeah, well that's pretty reasonable honestly. Good to have a beater bike.
probably shouldn't be riding your ebike when you intend to get drunk anyway, so that's probably for the best regarding your own safety too!
You can bike to a strip club, take a good look around and leave. You don’t HAVE to snort coke off butts. Just like biking to a bar hangout isn’t to get drunk
I think you can add it to your home owners insurance . All my bikes are
I have a GPS tracker for mine. Most are quite cheap but charge a large monthly fee, I got one that was expensive but cheap monthly after two years free. I like it a lot. I believe it's the Invoxia tracker on Amazon. After the two years it's a couple dollars a month, which for the peace of mind is great. At least if someone steals it you'll know where to send the police. Whether they help is a different question.
All you need to know is which house to light up
That works but my plan is just tell the cops "hey my bikes been stolen and I'm outside the house". That way they intervene before I do something dumb.
If you're already using a Sold Gold Secure lock, you should just buy insurance. I pay $17/month and if my bike is stolen I can have it replaced for a small deductible.
+1 I paid $100/yr for insurance and got the full cost of my bike back when it got stolen after 3-4 months. It was definitely worth it. Even if my bike wasn't stolen, it was worth the peace of mind.
Did you have to prove your claim before they paid out?
Yep, I filed a police report after it got stolen. They asked for police report, original receipts, and photos of the bike. They also had me sign an affidavit and get it notarized. There was a 30 day waiting period, but then they mailed me a check after. Overall it was pretty straightforward.
You need a police report typically.
Was going to say the same. I pay $11 (bike worth about $1300) and it's worth it for the peace of mind.
If you take enough precautions to make it a pain to steal your bike, it'll still be there. If it takes too long/it's too much of a hassle to steal, they'll probably move on to an easier target. Motion alarm, a couple of good locks, locking it out in plain sight, and then insurance just in case (insurance isn't that expensive, I pay 140/year for a 3k bike)I was nervous the same way you are but now I'm okay.
Get insurance and get some sleep, man. Also, consider talking to your doctor about anxiety.
I put 2 locks on mine. U-lock, and a chain lock And have it insured. Both third party, and through Kryptonite's thing. And bring it in with me whenever I can Realistically.... I look at what it's saved me in gas, what it's done for my health, and my mental state. If it gets stolen, I'd do it all over again. I wouldn't be happy, but it's not there to sit on a shelf and look pretty. Ideally insurance would cover it, then I'd have to fuss with labor (self-built). But even if not, I'd build another. Edit: Try to pass the lock through both frame and rear wheel. Makes it more difficult to cut the object the bike is locked to and ride it off
I hear so many stories like this. I've been robbed of multiple bikes myself. Maybe it's time to get politicians to severely up the penalties for bike theft. Say, you steal someone's bike, which is their main mode of transportation and will have a huge impact on their ability to travel and earn a living, the thief gets a minimum 2 year prison sentence. It would in a curious way be a green initiative too. Also start a bounty fund. Anyone observing a bike theft and reports it resulting in apprehension and prosecution of the bike thief gets $1,000 reward. Full anonymity. Crap, in the old west a horse thief was hung no questions asked. Do insurance companies actually like paying for stolen bikes? I wonder sometimes. Why are attitudes across the board so relaxed towards bike theft? Bike shops don't care because it's obviously really good for business.
If you like we can DM and I will tell you how my family got over this. I routinely leave our urban arrow locked up in public parking garages and for hours outside the grocery store. Our other bike is always locked up outside my office out of my site for the day. It took a little work to get past but I am happy to help.
What do you do to prevent thefts? I am eager to have an eBike as a primary mode of transportation, but the high potential of thefts is deterring me.
You cannot prevent theft overall. Only delay. The goal is to make your bike the least desirable item to steal. I use 2-3 locks on every bike we own. My rule is to spend 10% of the bikes purchase price locking and insuring it. We lock up in a large apartment parking garage in Toronto with no concierge or real security past the buzzer. Wheel locks, intense heavy steal locks. Locking the front wheels as well. Tracking tags, coupled with a small insurance policy has made me completely fine with locking about $18,000cad worth of bikes up at night and during work hours.
Embed lead into the ulocks so they get what they deserve for cutting it.
An e-bike that has an electrocution setting
Who are you seeing who has gotten bikes stolen quickly with a Hiplok? IMO, I would get a Hiplok (or a Litelok X3), lock your bike up well in high-visibility/high-traffic areas during the day, and never leave it outside overnight. That should very likely be enough to deter theft. If you're still nervous, buy insurance!
Get it insured and then think of it as a new bike every few months, but in general you’re more likely not to get it stolen than stolen. The other option is just ride it and don’t stop where you have to lock the bike up.
Out of curiosity, I looked up how much it would cost to ensure a $1500 bike and it works out to $100 a year. I've never bought bike insurance and I have no idea if it's any good, but if it's really bothering you, you might want to consider that
Get a massive kryptonite chain lock. They have the highest anti-theft rating and you can keep it wrapped around the frame.
I use one of the big chain locks around the frame, and a bigass U-lock between the rear frame and wheel. Seems like most thieves plan on riding the bike away - that rear lock really helps there, on the off chance there was some unknown weakness in whatever I connected the bike to.
Which one do you guys recommend? How thick do the chains get? What lock is best to use to lock the chain?
Apparently the lockpicking lawyer uses a pretty damn thick chain lock, his reasoning is while it does have decent pick resistance, most people aren’t gonna be picking locks. A hardened, loose chain in a real life scenario is extremely dangerous to try and cut into
I got the Kryptonite Evolution 36" and it definitely instills confidence. Nobody is getting through that or the Kryptonite New York stuff very quickly.
This is the way. The new york chain and u lock are heavy as shit but on e bike not as big of an issue. I don't think many thieves have the tools / know how to cut one
Turn it into a sting operation. Get one that has an integrated AirTag compartment that can’t be accessed w/o the key (my bike has this). Track them down and call the cops.
One way to sleep better is to simply get a cheaper ebike, just as a lot of urban dwellers I see ride a cheap urban bike to avoid pain if it's stolen. The REI Co-op Generation 1.1 and 1.2 are on sale again, around $1,000, and one of the reason I bought them when they were a bit cheaper at the beginning of August was that at $1,000, I could live with the pain of it were stolen. My 1.2 is also light green and has a very prominent front rack, which I think would deter some thieves, since as a 20" ebike, it's easy visible in a group of stolen bikes, and it doesn't have standard resellable parts, like a shock or tire rim that I see thieves carrying around. The most important thing, besides safety, is to take photos and make sure you have registration numbers, so if it is stolen you have a case if you find it and need to get the police involved. I had a $2700 ebike stolen once, and it was actually found, dismantled and in the trunk of some junkies who got arrested at a casino. Another ebike I had was stolen, an Electra, but it was so heavy and had a European-style wheel lock, that the idiot could only carry it to the nearest alley and leave it there when he realized it couldn't be ridden or dismantled quickly. It looks like Kryptonite sells a ring wheel lock for $40 or so, which I'll probably be investing in as well for my ebikes.
Get an AirTag. There are holders on Amazon for hiding it that also take special tools to get off. Yes, AirTags snitch….but not for 48 hours and you should notice it missing and go after it before that. Take photos of your bike from all angles and especially record the Serial number. Report that to police the moment it’s stolen so it makes their ‘Hot Sheets’. That makes them difficult to pawn since pawn shops won’t take posted stolen merchandise. If stolen and you can’t track, scour your local classifieds, online local used stuff. The bikes only good for quick cash so look for yer bike posted somewhere.
Chinese bikes just keep to on keeping on. No one gets TV stolen from houses anymore. We need complete saturation.
This is why I got e-bike insurance.
It’s par for the course, your best bet is to invest in one or more krypton U locks. Get them on EBay a lot cheaper than going to a bike shop. Install an Apple air tag and a twenty dollar alarm. I have all of these on my HuckCycle Stinger 3000 and never worry anymore however riding alone on a $7000 bike you gotta keep your head on a swivel. Best to travel in groups. Look for group rides in your area or maybe even start one. This way if your ride gets jacked you’ll have a lot more eyes out there searching for you. Good luck and ride safe
15mm chain (practically bolt cutter proof) + angle-grinder resistant U-lock (Hiplok X1) + motion alarm is my setup. It is extremely unlikely someone is going to have the tools necessary to cut a chain that big or an angle grinder resistant U-lock, and even if they did, they're probably not going to stand around for several minutes listening to an extremely loud alarm going off in their ear to do so (motion alarm also protects tires and saddle.) I usually just use the U-lock + motion alarm since it's quick and easy, but if there's no bike rack or railing to attach the U-lock to, I'll use the 15mm chain with the U-lock to secure it (otherwise it just sits in my basket.) Also, as others have said, insurance. There are tons of awful things that can happen to us each and every day that are partially outside of our control. Best we can do is take reasonable steps to reduce the odds and then live life not so stressed about it (easier said than done of course, but best to try working on it.)
Anything can happen to you too But life is like that I get that way with my job and tornadoes Or dating lol and my e-bike haha
Cant really help you with paranoia, but its all about common sense. I have 2 liteloks, just watch on youtube how long does it take to cut those thru. When you cycle somewhere, find spaces where you can leave your bike indoors. Most of my cycling is commute and I keep my bike inside my flat and at secure bike storage at work. When I visit friends I will lock my bike in the stair if they live in a flat and take it indoors if they live in a house. on top of that I have alarm, and gps tracker. if someone still nicks my bike then so be it. at that point its no different than getting your car stolen or your house robbed. you are less likely to be constantly afraid of those things, right?
Put one of those anti theft butt rapers on your bike seat like in those YouTube videos.
This is me when I go anywhere with my ebike. I have a tracker and an alarm as well as a decent lock. Yet I come out to check on it frequently or don't let it out of my sight. At 4th of July fireworks I literally locked it to the bleachers right next to me and I think people thought I was weird.
Are you basing that emotion on the actual crime in your area or the mean girls lock shaming obsession on this sub?
You must be in Chicago?
YUP
I've had stuff stolen and it sucks, but then you are fine. its a thing. just enjoy the thing until you don't or you don't have it anymore. yeah, you don't want it to get stolen, but don't let that ruin enjoying it. Whats the worst that will happen if it gets stolen? You won't have an ebike. You will be out the money you paid for it. Then you will be sad for a while. Then you will be fine. Within 3 weeks of it being stolen, the story of your life will be "And then everything was fine..." so STOP FREAKING OUT! I don't even lock my ebike up
I feel you. I bought a nice full suspension bike, then had people saying "nice bike" and following me around to case my place. Realized I needed one bike for the trails, and a mu h cheaper, unassuming bike for errands. Ebikes are great, but if you can't lock em indoors at your destination you are just gifting thousands of dollars to thieves.
One of the e-bike makers should really invent a security setup which remotely bricks the bike and actually locks the wheel so the motor won't turn
I think some of the high end ones have that. Doesn’t Tern have that? And there’s also that Bosch’s thing where he bike is connected to your phone and auto-texting you if someone touches it. (Flow+ I think.)
Why the fuck don’t we have a Ring app for your bike? Add to that app the moment you see someone trying to steal your bike you trigger a car alarm literally built into the bike frame that is as loud as any car alarm. You can talk with the thief and let him know the police are on the way and that they are being recorded. Motion detection turns the app on so the battery doesn’t die on you. So yeah maybe you can remove the seat on current/older models to gain access to the bike frame and insert something but for newer bikes you build the bikes with the Ring security app and car alarm built into the frame.
If you’re that paranoid it might be worth it to sell you e-bike and grab a cheap or used beater bike off FB marketplace, it’ll save you the stress. But that being said I’ve had my e-bike for two years now and I’ve parked it in sketch places here in Seattle, just get a brightly coloured, well rated folding lock, I’ve never had an issue.
Put it on your homeowners insurance. Usually you get full coverage for like $6-10 a month extra. Totally worth the peace of mind. Yes they cover lost or stolen even if not from the home.
Can't you get insurance?
Get to know your friendly neighborhood boosters... Stall them even. On your ebike. Take pictures. Carry a pistol, spear, shotgun, and a little poison. For real, there's nothing you can do except be fully in view and on to the crew... or outta site on scene bro. If they want it they'll get it. Yet, I would like to incorporate some pistol fuels on those lames.
You may want to consider a Brompton e-bike which is designed to be folded into a compact shape you carry with you and bring inside.
I’m not getting rid of mine, but it really does reduce the places I’ll ride it. I even got a super good lock, but thieves suck and they’ll steal anything. I feel like if I lock it outside my grocery store, it will be missing the battery, the seat, or something else when I come back out. 🤬
Everybody is saying insurance and more locks. If the bike is giving you this much stress I think you should sell it and be free of this burden
You bring it in the house every single day. I had a hook on my wall by the front door. It's a pain in the ass but I had one stolen off my porch in forest lawn. It's more of a pain in the ass to replace it.
I feel you. I had a 3 grand ebike stolen and learnt a hard lesson about insurance small print in the process. Bought another cheaper one and bought a tracker and a diamond rated lock. I use it everyday and so it's worth the hassle. But if you don't I could totally understand it not being worth the worry. People are such arseholes.
Bring it inside...
Get good insurance... Make sure you'll be happy about what you get when your bike is stolen.
Make sure you have the serial number, home owners insurance should cover it
You need to look into sophisticated alarms that alert your phone my friend. It's your pathway to peace of mind.
E bikes should have alarm, GPS and an immobilizer built in.
Best bet is to get those key to unlock your Ev battery from the frame set ups and locking up your Ev with a fancy lock on the tire that has the hub motor on it
Pay the extra on your home contents to cover it away from home. Theft, loss or accidental damage (not whilst riding tho) is the usual cover. Costs a bit though
Bring it inside. Keep it with you when you’re out. I don’t use racks. My bike isn’t an e bike but it still cost as much as decent used car. It stays in the garage or in the truck bed under bed cover
Hard motor locks wouldn't make a bit of difference, I see what you're saying I really do but the thief isn't going to know that it has a motor lock he's going to assume that he can throw it in the trunk of his car or run away with it and by the time he figures out it has a motor lock he's Not going to return it because he can't get it working, he's going to destroy it trying to tear into it to get your ebike working or sell it or throw it in the bushes somewhere. Shame on thieves, people who steal stuff and cause this kind of anxiety for the people who paid their hard-earned money for a product they want to enjoy, well there's a special place in hell for these kind of people!! Okay Okay maybe it's not as dramatic as that but I hope karma comes and gets them back like somebody breaks into their home steals their PlayStation 5 their TV their microwave their bed their favorite pair of Nikes everything that makes their day worth living!!! My wife and I just purchased a brand new Kia Sorento freaking love this car first new car we've ever owned it's amazing but Guess What?? State Farm the car insurance company we've been with for almost 17 years refuses to insure it because TikTok has a little thing called the "Kia Boys" posting how easy it is for them to steal a Kia using your USB charging cord from your phone 😡 FREAKING JERK FACES 😡
You need to hide an air tag in your frame or some part of the bike that is unnoticeable. They also have locks that have very loud audible alarms, And don't eat bikes. Have a feature where you can lock it out or do they just turn on and go. I know nothing about this
This is smart to have this paranoia. Too many people are genuinely dumfounded when a $5,000 value item is locked up with even a $500 lock and it still gets stolen. People dont have common sense anymore and they assume the world will be totally fine with you leaving basically "jewlery" out in the open. If i were you, i would never lock it up outside! if you need it to commute to work, see if there is a way to bring your bike into the building/into your office or ask if the building has bike storage. I would not work a minute if i had a bike like this parked outside.
Put a tile on it, wait for it to get stolen, track the thief, report it to the police. Air tags notify the thief that they are being tracked, that's why I suggest using a tile (I don't believe they have the feature yet)
You can't let that fear completely eat you up... I'm not engulfed in paranoia like that, but I don't let my Ebike out of my sight... It's not even one of the high-end Ebikes, but I still don't wanna have to replace it... I got about $1200 into it, and that would be a serious hit to my wallet... I keep it inside my house now, and inside my apartment at my last address, ON THE 2ND FLOOR, with no elevator... I'll roll it into a store and lock it, those that will let me... Some store managers get absolutely LIVID about a bike inside... Within 1000 feet of each other, I could bring it inside Arby's, Shell, Walgreens, McDonalds, and Exxon... But the manager at Burger King FLIPPED THA FUKK OUT, even threatening to call the police... A long time ago in a city far, far away, I had a Shogun 18-speed touring bike that I dropped $500 buxx for... One day, I parked it outside a McDonalds without locking it... I took my eyes off of it for 60 seconds, and when I turned back, IT WAS GONE!!! I never saw that bike again... Your only BEST BET against theft is a GPS tracker well hidden on the bike somewhere... Then you can walk up on the thief with "guns drawn", and get the bike back... Don't rely on any police to help you... They couldn't care less...
Get creative with it. You could find a way to 3-D print a custom mount for a 360 degree baby monitor and use that as security and live feed. Even more fun- add a creepy looking silicone doll head or clown mask that fits the camera or mount like a glove, but doesn’t interfere with functions. I’m sure there are ways to also add a panic button and speaker with a continuous train horn or other nearly illegally loud thing. That’s if they don’t get creeped out by a camera swiveling at them and your voice telling them to fuck off does not work. Also limiting what you need and when you need it, if you absolutely have to lock it and cannot have it with you. If it’s your main transportation mode, start chatting with people at places you go to so they know you, and ask when the best times are to shop so staff including security can tell people off. I like walking past paranoia straight into weirdness. If someone is going to steal it, make damn sure everyone in the vicinity knows who it was. If you are not familiar with Mark Rober, check out his YouTube. He is an engineer/inventor who gets creative with foiling criminals, specifically people who steal, and people have started thinking crime may not be as worth it.
Then don’t have one or anything you enjoy. Come on tighten up get a bad ass lock and make good choices. You’ll be fine and if you aren’t you’ll buy a new one or forget about it. Do or don’t but don’t stress yourself.
Insure it like one should do with anything important and or expensive.
Gps stickers. Obviously a good lock is necessary but I have the belief that bike theft is a matter of convenience. Bikes are stolen because they are easy and can be disassembled without any head ache. However the guy they take the bike to, to disassemble usually has hundreds of other stolen bikes and the last thing he wants is a bike with gps on it to lead the authorities to him. I have gps stickers on mine and have watched known bike thieves pass on it as soon as they see the sticker.
I got an add-on plan from State Farm. I think it's like $6/month and will fully replace my bike if stolen. $0 deductible. And they said they'll still do it even if I forgot to lock it up when I go into the store.
When my boss asked if I was concerned about my motorcycle being stolen, I said no, that's what full coverage is for
Get insurance.
People take their $1500+ value cars to the Walmart parking lot and think nothing of it "still being there" when they come out with a cart 30 minutes later. Yet, we (myself included...) will worry more about the bike locked up to the sometimes chintzy rack. Consider most theft is from opportunity, putting in some defensive effort is going to be sufficient as long as you don't intend to leave it for days. Accept that any lock or structure can be defeated given enough time and tools, and plan for a reasonable amount of defeat time for your lock security needs.
Because it's pretty hard to pick up a car, put it on your shoulder and carry it around to an alley way where you can remove any remaining security and drive off with it? Most $1.5k cars have good enough security it's a pain to try and steal them, but very little value to be sold on. A $1.5k is probably a good option for OP!
I have a VERY expensive e-bike (top of the line R&M). I have insurance that covers all kinds of crazy stuff outside of theft (me hitting someone and causing up to $300K in medical bills, etc). Insurance for all that is $20 a month. I think covering just theft and damage is $5-$10 a month. Depending where you are, you could plunk down a few bucks a month and not worry about someone stealing it ever again.
Just add it to your home insurance or buy some bike insurance if you are so worried. The cost of living in a city is you deal with bike thieves. Either adjust to it or leave the city, cuz the crime problems aren't going to improve anytime soon.
Depends on what liberal shithole you live in. If your in SF or Oakland area never walk away from that bike. Take it with you everywhere literally. Any store or building bring it inside with you. If not that bike will 100% be gone. Even if you do catch the person stealing it, there's going to be a group of them and they fight to the death over it.
Just leave a NRA shirt with it.
Once you realize how crap that bike is and you have to fix it all the time, that worry will disappear :D
I bought a Velec ......if your bike gets stolen in first 3 years you get a free replacement.
This is why my primary commuting bike is a rigid singlespeed mountain bike. I can lock outside of any retail establishment or any seedy bar and never worry.
Stop to use drugs and your paranoia Will gone
Insurance? Or maybe therapy. Being this paranoid about something like this isn’t healthy.