How to protect my boaty property

[stuhaynes]

I had my bike pinched last night. It was worth about £30, no more. I don't have a car at present, but it's winter, I only go to to the shops. Now means that I have to walk and carry the feckin rucksack.

No clever (comment) stuff please...

I'm going to get another bike.

Anyone got any ideas how to protect it for more than the 3 weeks that I owned the last (first) one?

No. I have no access to nuclear missiles. I cannot wire the damn thing up to the mains. Yes, I've ordered a pull cord rape alarm to attach to the (next) bike. Without being (too) flippant about this, WTF can I do to protect this little bit of kit?

Currently, having given up on a high frequency generator (unless you sparky types can suggest something none lethal) I'm stuck with the inconvenience of removing the front wheel (of the new bike) and storing the thing on the bow.

Thieving scrotes just walk in, 20.03 last night according to marina cameras, take a lump of something heavy, break the bl**dy lock and nick my current transport. We're on board most of the year, and didn't hear a thing.

Your thoughts....

 

[SpottyDog5]

Perhaps buy an old bike, that is less attractive to the thieving srotes, take the saddle off when you leave it, it's easier to carry than the wheel.

 

[stuhaynes]

Perhaps buy an old bike, that is less attractive to the thieving srotes, take the saddle off when you leave it, it's easier to carry than the wheel.

I paid 20 quid for the bike and a total of £12 for the mudguards (me age) and lights. I'm secretly hoping that one of our sparky types will come up with a method of inflicting pain! Quite innocently of course (wink wink) cos I know for a fact that plod reads this too....

 

[Frayed Knot]

Not much help, I know but a few years ago I unwittingly bought a house next door to a whole family of junkies - I gradually learned to be more relaxed about material posessions...

 

[SpottyDog5]

When I used to live in my flat, we were troubled, by yobs jumping over our fence as a short cut to a service road behind, as a good caring resident I picked up some dog ****e and smeared it along the top, they never came back
Perhaps you could "prepare" a second saddle ?

 

[stuhaynes]

When I used to live in my flat, we were troubled, by yobs jumping over our fence as a short cut to a service road behind, as a good caring resident I picked up some dog ****e and smeared it along the top, they never came back
Perhaps you could "prepare" a second saddle ?

I like that!, but no... I have to be able to (k)thrill... undetected

 

[Mrs FG]

I try to get anything that's commonly stolen, in bright pink. As men generally don't like the colour, you reduce its appeal for personal use or the resale market by more than half. Plus, men stand out more when they're making off with it. If you can bear it, get a woman's bike, for the same reason (I know kilt-wearing men who don't do cross-bars.)
I like the rape alarm idea! (I'd prefer to use a grenade, but I'd be too afraid of an own goal, even if it were legal.)

 

[Bobobolinsky]

Could get a lock alarm, saved mates o/b

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rolson-Al...8?pt=UK_HaG_Lock_Safes_GL&hash=item19d7547d4a

 

[sarabande]

leave a bar of Xlax chocolate, re-wrapped in e.g. Cadbury's, taped to the saddle.

At least it will be delayed revenge...

 

[chrisbitz]

get a chain and padlock. I've not seen one ever that could be smashed by "someting heavy".

I can't picture how even a hammer could smash even the cheapest £5 brass padlock...

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...earch&storeId=10001&catalogId=10151&langId=-1

Any of the above £15 locks would be genuinely hard to break without a vice and at least 10 minutes.

 

[Jim@sea]

Perhaps buy an old bike, that is less attractive to the thieving srotes, take the saddle off when you leave it, it's easier to carry than the wheel.

And undo things. As well as the saddle remove a pedal.

 

[maxi77]

get a chain and padlock. I've not seen one ever that could be smashed by "someting heavy".

I can't picture how even a hammer could smash even the cheapest £5 brass padlock...

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...earch&storeId=10001&catalogId=10151&langId=-1

Any of the above £15 locks would be genuinely hard to break without a vice and at least 10 minutes.

In my day in the RN we used cheap padlocks on things like the magazine flood valves to show they should be fiddled with but you could have them of in a second with a sharp blow from a wheel spanner

 

[chrisbitz]

In my day in the RN we used cheap padlocks on things like the magazine flood valves to show they should be fiddled with but you could have them of in a second with a sharp blow from a wheel spanner

That's kind of why I qualified it by saying £5. hat would buy you a 2-3" solid padlock. I appreciate suitcase padlocks are pretty rubbish

None of the locks in the link are anything like that, and wouldn't hold still long enough for you to hit them with a spanner.

 

[prv]

I can't picture how even a hammer could smash even the cheapest £5 brass padlock...

You're not trying very hard then. You just knock the body down away from the shackle, and in a cheap lock the shackle pops out. Especially brass, as it's softer than steel. It may be easier with a drift to direct the blow at the right place, but a bit of skill should let you hit the right point with the corner of your 2lb club hammer.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...earch&storeId=10001&catalogId=10151&langId=-1

Any of the above £15 locks would be genuinely hard to break without a vice and at least 10 minutes.

Bollocks. No comment on the D locks, but I'd expect my bolt-croppers to go straight through any of the cable ones. Had to do that at work just last week for someone who had lost his key. He was quite disconcerted - it was a "Sold Secure" Abus one that probably cost more than your £15, and it went through like butter. (Actually started cutting before I meant to, while getting things into position.)

Pete

 

[Blueboatman]

Bummer. Lock the bike to the boat, not in some dark marina corner? Or try an inexpensive ( haha, theyre all overpriced I know) fold up?

 

[chrisbitz]

Bollocks. No comment on the D locks, but I'd expect my bolt-croppers to go straight through any of the cable ones. Had to do that at work just last week for someone who had lost his key. He was quite disconcerted - it was a "Sold Secure" Abus one that probably cost more than your £15, and it went through like butter. (Actually started cutting before I meant to, while getting things into position.)

Pete[/QUOTE]

lol, I thought we were protecting against opportunist pi55heads coming home from the pub, rather than professionally equipped, steal to order, cat burglars

 

[stuhaynes]

The thing that really brassed me off was the fact that at 19.50 a mate knocked on the boat, and less than 15 minutes later the bike was gone. The security light in the marina is awaiting parts and I'd turned my own off because it was windy and the light was going off every few minutes.

When I get the new bike I'm going to secure it, on the boat, with a stainless steel chain. Normal chain is too easy to cut.

I'm not going to bleat about this too much, the desire to kill has passed.... Honest guv

 

[prv]

lol, I thought we were protecting against opportunist pi55heads coming home from the pub, rather than professionally equipped, steal to order, cat burglars

Sure - but you did say "genuinely hard to break". Halfords cable locks are in no sense "genuinely hard to break", they're good against opportunistic pilfering only. Probably appropriate for a £20 bike, I guess.

I rate D locks rather better. The only time I've tried to break one I failed spectacularly, but then again the only tool at my disposal was a rather blunt hacksaw borrowed from a French campsite madame. I'd be interested to have a go with a battery-powered angle-grinder, but I'm not going to trash a working lock just to find out

Pete

 

[wazza]

If they opertunists and they probably are obviously lock it but also take off either the saddle &/or the front wheel and take them onto the boat with u... quick couplings take 2 seconds to put on & take off. Alternatively take the whole bike on the boat with you..

 

[Niander]

Watch out for your cats under the car as i hear these are the latest things to get nicked[only takes seconds with the right tool]!
you'll know when you start the car and it sounds like a tractor!
worth a bit more than the 30
as said make it look nasty and get a descent lock on the thing and take the seat off, smear it in excrement , cut all the spokes and slash the tyres ...you should be ok then...