Designing Bikes to be Theft-proof
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.07
With my jazzy new mountain bike, everything is designed to come apart in seconds for adjustment and everything can be stolen just as quickly, so I wander about carrying a seatpoest and seat, and have a fifteen pound chain that weighs almost as much as the bike. EC thought about this and came up with such a clever solution: the seat post connects to the handlebars to turn the entire bike into a U-lock. He puts locking nuts on the hubs and voila! a self-locking bike.
One sees so many bikes that look like this- a good heavy cable lock and still the bike is stripped.
EC also has an idea for integrating a pump into the seat and tubing inside the frame to the tires, but that is perhaps overkill. and how can the seat both be a pump and a lock at the same time? I would stick with the locking idea. ::ECSketch via ::Core77
Sweet idea!
But that would mean I would to have.....to....buy a....road bike (shudders) :)
The locking hubs are a good idea, I'm not so sure about the seat post locking to the handlebars, especially if it only works with dropped handlebars that very few people use. The biggest problem with bike thefts is pure laziness on the part of the owner. Look at the example photo of the bike with missing parts. The owner did the laziest lock job possible- just looped the lock around the frame and a pole. How much more effort would it have been to loop it through the front wheel also? I used to work at a bike shop and we would replace a dozen front wheels a month despite warning the owners how easy they are to steal.
The locking hubs are a good idea, I'm not so sure about the seat post locking to the handlebars, especially if it only works with dropped handlebars that very few people use. The biggest problem with bike thefts is pure laziness on the part of the owner. Look at the example photo of the bike with missing parts. The owner did the laziest lock job possible- just looped the lock around the frame and a pole. How much more effort would it have been to loop it through the front wheel also? I used to work at a bike shop and we would replace a dozen front wheels a month despite warning the owners how easy they are to steal.
There are skewers on the market that lock your wheels and your seat post, so all you carry is a lock and if you can't lock the wheels due to the bike rack or something, you should be ok.
Compare the material in your U-lock or 15 pound chain to the material in your seat post or handlebars. A thief could easily saw through the average pair of dropped (or straight) bars or seat post in no time, easily defeating this system.
No bike can be theft-proof, it can only be harder to steal than the next bike!
In Oxford, over 3,000 bikes a year are stolen and so the police here have a lot of information on what can prevent a bike from disappearing! Here are some of the tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years ...
Theft prevention is easy ... there are two steps: buying a proper lock and correctly locking the bike.
When purchasing a lock, the best rule-of-thumb is to spend at least 10% of the cost of your cycle on the lock and never to spend less than £20 on the lock. The most reliable type is a D-lock - a solid metal hoop - and even a cheap D-lock will be more resistant than a cable. For around £35, it is possible to purchase a D-lock that will resist all but the most determined thief. Cable locks are okay but unless it is an expensive (£35 or more) cable lock, it is not recommended to be left outside overnight, especially in a vulnerable location. Finally, always get a key - combination locks are very easy to crack, despite how many times you may forget the combo yourself!
"Through the frame" means through a closed section of the frame, such as the front triangle. Additionally, if the lock can also pass through a wheel, it provides additional security.
"Round an immovable object" means anything which is bolted down, such as a cycle rack or an iron railing. If your immovable object is a signpost, be sure that the cycle and lock cannot be lifted over the top of the post. Additionally, a cable (with loops at each end) is useful when locking a cycle to a larger object (such as a lamppost or roadsign).
Another area where thieves can strike is at your wheels and saddle. Many new cycles are sold with quick release wheel and saddles because they are useful for mending punctures, storing the cycle, or for adjusting the riding position, but they are also convenient for thieves. They can be replaced with normal nuts and bolts but they can easily be undone with a cheap cycle spanner. A better solution is to replace them with locking skewers because, with the key, they are convenient as quick releases.
Other quick deterrents:
* Make your cycle look unattractive (or, at least, unique) because bikes are stolen to be sold and a bike covered in tape, crappy paint, stickers, or rust will not sell for a lot.
* Have two bikes. A nice one for long rides. A beater for riding around town.
* If possible, don't leave your cycle outside overnight.
I like the Batavus Personal Bike. It has an individual ID stamped in the structure of the frame. Here's a photo:
http://www.transportfiets.net/foto/transportfiets_840.jpg
Looks like the same kind of lock you can open with a disposable ball point pen.
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2004/09/64987
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/hacking/2004-09-18-lockpick-krypton_x.htm
Hey anonymous, that's old news. Do you see that both links point to 2004 texts? At that time, this kind of key (tubular lock) didn't have some "dents" on it. Nowadays, if your key (or pen cap) doesn't have the exact dents, you won't open the lock.
Take a look at a lock like this...
http://www.luma.es/ingles/catalogo/bicicletas/espirales/cont_espirales.htm#7361
or http://tinyurl.com/38dqbg#7361
...and try to open it with a ball point pen or its cap. You won't make it. Look that it says there is a "tubular lock with 7 pins". Take a closer look at a tubular key and you will see what I mean.
Actually, there are no locks that prevent bike theft. To prevent bike theft get a folding bike (Birdy, Brompton, etc.) and just take the bike with you wherever you go. You don't carry a lock and you NEVER leave the bike unattended. Carry a folded large black plastic bag (leaf/garbage bag) to "hide" the bike if you are taking it into a place where bringing a bicycle would offend. If they insist on knowing what is in the bag just tell them "bicycle bits".