Bike Theft

The intent of this page is not to teach people how to steal bikes, it is to educate people on how to keep their bike from getting stolen, by learning about the methods thieves use for stealing them.

That is the same concept behind computer hacking. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is how the saying goes. So hackers find a hole in the system to prove it is indeed broken and requires fixing. They post instructions on how to duplicate the hack in the public domain which forces the software company (often Microsoft) to fix it.

Simple Facts

The best way to avoid becoming a bike theft victim is to bring it inside the building rather than using a bike rack!

• Most bikes that are stolen were unlocked.
• Amsterdam rule of thumb: your lock should be worth 3 times as much as your bike.
• Never leave a bike outside overnight, especially in a noticeable pattern or place.

Regularity

A smart thief will plan out the theft by 'casing' a place looking for patterns such as:

• Where you park your bike?
• When time do you usually park it?
• How long is it there for?
• What kind of lock do you use? How do you use it?

Be Irregular

• Use different kinds of locks.
• Don't park in the same place.

Your Inconvenience is a Thief's' Convenience

"My bike was stolen! I was just in the store for a minute, so I didn't lock my bike, but when I came out it was gone." "My bike was stolen! My bike wasn't worth that much, so I bought a crappy lock. They cut it off." "My bike was stolen! I had my bike locked up outside overnight."

Stories

Building Apathy

Car thieves steal cars by setting off the alarm the same time every night for a week or two leading up to the theft. What this does is make the car owner believe the alarm is defective and eventually they stop checking on it, at which point the thieves have all the time in the world to steal the car -- even if the alarm is blaring.