Battery powered angle grinders have been a game changer for cycle thieves. Small, powerful and quieter than their mains-powered cousins, the cordless tools make short work of every design of cycle lock. It’s a problem that prompted us to ask ‘what would Q dream up to protect James Bond’s bike?’ – a question that led to an anti-theft ejector seat.
However, cyclists need real world solutions. Research has shown that bike theft can stop a person cycling for good. It’s more sticking plaster than solution, but a good cycle insurance policy reimburses you for your stolen bike without devaluing it and a quick online claims service can have you back in the saddle within days.
Protection for you and your bike
A true test of a cycle insurance company is what happens when you make a claim – it’s why we don’t farm out the process to a third party like other providers. Your claim is dealt with by one of us here and you’re always welcome to call us directly. It’s also the reason we will never devalue your bicycle, no matter how old it is.
We don’t claim to be the cheapest cover on the market, but should you ever need to make a claim, you’ll understand why we consider ourselves to be the best. After all, we are judged by The Good Shopping Guide to be Britain’s most ethical provider.
Bike thieves are, for the most part, specialists; they target particular cycle racks at particular times and, if stealing from your shed, will overlook other valuable items in favour of a bicycle. From a thief’s perspective, it’s pretty much the perfect crime; most bicycles are easy to steal, difficult to trace and a breeze to sell on. Having a bicycle stolen is at best an inconvenience, but it’s also demoralising and if the bike is not covered by insurance, at worst it can mean that victims of theft give up on cycling for good.
How a thief plans to steal your bike
Lifting: If you lock your bicycle to an ‘unclosed’ structure such as a street sign, be prepared for thieves to stand on each others shoulders to try and lift it over the top. Another risk is that the post itself is not properly secured to the ground and can be simply lifted clear of your bicycle and lock.
Levering: Leave as little room as possible between your bicycle frame and lock as this makes it harder for thieves to insert crowbars or car jacks.
Striking: Avoid fitting your lock so that it rest on the ground as this makes it easier for thieves to strike it with a hammer.
Cutting: There is no lock on the market that can withstand attack by thief equipped with an angle grinder – this fact alone is a good reason to get cycle insurance.
Thieves would far sooner take a bike with flimsy security than tackle a gold standard lock. Invest as much as you can afford in your lock and learn to use it properly – insurers specify that it needs to secure the bike frame for good reason. Don’t worry too much about getting the lock around the wheels or other bike parts as the best insurance policies will cover them against theft whether they are locked or not.
Vincent Edwards
I recall that when I lived in Strasbourg (quite a long time ago) I made use of lockable cupboards provided by the local authority. You locked your bike to a rack inside the cupboard, put 50 centimes in the slot, locked the cupboard and took the key with you. Not only was there an extra layer of security for the bike itself, but it also meant people couldn’t steal the saddle, wheels etc or leave undesirable items in the saddle bag.
I would be happy to pay a reasonable fee for such a facility – these days it could be keyless and cashless. If sited in a space where people were constantly passing (rather than a quiet back alley) thieves would be deterred from even trying to break in. Two or three spaces in a car park would provide enough space for a dozen bikes. Do such facilities exist anywhere in this country?
Rob Hill
In reply to Vincent, here in Reading town centre there are bike lockers, similar to those which you describe, which have been broken into using an angle grinder. We have found that fear of bike theft is a major disincentive to cycling. We have been looking at the setting up of bike hubs but these are expensive and need significant financial grants to operate. Most of the recent cycling money has been spent on improving routes, which is very welcome, but there appears to be less consideration about bike parking and storage.
Bish
Gravesend Railway Station has a Dutch style Cycle Hub building for secure storage.
Greater investment in this type of facility would be welcome.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/news/on-your-bike-116756/
Vincent Edwards
Encouraging to hear that such lockers do exist in this country – disappointing to hear of the problems in Reading. I can’t imagine it would be impossible to design a virtually burglar-proof locker. Ideally such lockers would be sited in very open public areas where potential burglars would have nowhere to hide. Lack of security puts me off cycling to my local town centre, even though there’s a very pleasant cycle track all the way – I’m afraid that on returning to where I left my bike bits of it (or all of it) would be missing.