Going for a steal

With bike theft on the rise, Margot McGovern looks at ways to protect your ride. 

A few months ago, avid cyclist Grace returned home to an ominous sight: the front door of her home was ajar. She had left earlier in the evening to go to dinner—closing the door behind her and thinking it had locked. When she returned home she knew something was wrong. She pushed open the door with some trepidation and discovered her pride and joy—her Specialized Ruby Comp road bike—was missing from the front hall.

“The feeling of having your bike stolen is one of just utter vulnerability,” Grace explained.

“We have one of those bolts that you have to latch,” she said. “I thought it was latched, but it wasn’t.”

The worst part of Grace’s story is, she actually saw the thief.

“As I was coming home from dinner I saw a guy in a hoodie riding along on a bike that looked like mine, but I didn’t think much of it … But as I walked up to my house I saw the door was open and my bike was gone.” The thief hadn’t taken anything else. “Even Heath’s [her husband] commuter was still there.”

Grace called the police to make a report and told them that she had seen the thief. Two officers did a sweep of the neighbourhood, but they didn’t arrive until about an hour after the theft occurred and the culprit was long gone. Grace gave the police her bike’s serial number, specs and photos. They told her to keep an eye out on eBay, Gumtree and similar online marketplaces and assigned a detective to her case, but at the time of writing—more than two months later—there’s still no sign of her bike.

Sadly, Grace’s story is a common one. Thousands of bikes are stolen in Australia each year, and very few are ever reunited with their owners.

Determining exactly how many thefts occur is difficult. While some individual states have statistics on the number of reported thefts, there isn’t a national count. According to data available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2012–13 bikes and sporting goods comprised 14.8% (or 36.7 in every 1,000 households) of property stolen from ‘Victims of Other Theft’—‘other theft’ includes items such as money, mobile and smartphones, jewellery, purses and garden tools. Of these thefts, 64.6% of victims didn’t make a police report because they saw the crime as “too trivial/unimportant” or “thought there was nothing the police could do” (bit.ly/1zMXlKt). So while there were 5,006 bikes reported stolen in Victoria in 2013–14 (up from 4,660 the previous year), the actual figure would be significantly higher.

What the figures also reveal is that the chances of retrieving your stolen steed are slim at best. Of the 5,006 bikes reported stolen, only 339 were reunited with their owners. That’s just 7.4% of the reported thefts (bit.ly/1BtblvA).

Though the figures are disheartening, the good news is that there are steps you can take to make your bike less attractive to thieves and to increase your chances of getting it back (or at least getting compensation) if it is stolen.

 

Take precautions

Victoria Police’s Acting Sergeant Tim Cavanagh says that universities, workplace bike parking facilities and sporting events are common target areas for thieves, and while the police do what they can to patrol high risk sites, the best way to protect your bike is to keep it secure. “Make sure it’s locked when you leave it, whether that’s on the street, at the shops or in your front or back yard.” Around half of bikes reported stolen are taken from the home, where people are more likely to leave them unsecured and unattended for long periods of time. Ideally, your bike shouldn’t be visible from the street. Keeping it locked in a secure shed or inside the house (where it can’t be seen from the windows) is ideal, but if you must store it outdoors, keep it securely locked in the backyard, preferably undercover where it’s not exposed to the elements.

When you’re out and about, lock your bike in a well-lit, high traffic area and remove any accessories, such as lights, as these make for easy pickings. Check that what you’re locking to is also secure—many street signs lift straight out of the ground—and minimise the gap between your bike, lock and the object you’re locking it to. It’s also smart to mix up where you park; if you get into a routine of locking up in the same spot for the same amount of time on the same days of the week, thieves may pick up on your routine and target your ride.

Finally, avoid leaving your bike on the street overnight. If you’re planning a big night out, leave the bike at home. Alternatively, some veteran riders will invest in what they call a ‘pub bike’—a cheap bike they’re happy to leave locked at the watering hole if they end up having a few too many drinks and which won’t be too sadly missed if it’s not there the following morning.

A note on locks: D-locks offer the most reliable protection and in the most recent Ride On locks test, the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboutit was our best-in-test. It takes an angle grinder and a decent amount of time to cut through a strong D-lock and most thieves won’t have the equipment or take the risk. However, a D-lock really only protects your frame. If a thief can’t get your bike, they may be content with taking its parts, most commonly the wheel set. To minimise your risk, invest in a sturdy cable lock to secure your wheels, especially if they’re quick release (some D-locks, like the one pictured, come paired with a cable). To fit the cable lock, you may need to remove the front wheel. For a reliable list of locks, see results from the Ride On locks test.

 

What to do if your bike is stolen

If, like Grace, you find yourself a victim of bike theft there are a number of steps you can take to improve your chances of getting your bike back.

Acting Sergeant Cavanagh says that the more information you can provide police about your bike, the better your chance of recovering it. When you first purchase a bike, photograph it, make a note of the serial number (typically located on the underside of the bottom bracket) and store the information securely (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.). It’s also smart to keep hold of the receipt. Many bike shops also keep records of serial numbers, although it saves a lot of hassle if you note it yourself. Additionally, police recommend engraving your driver’s licence number near the serial number to make it easier for them to get in touch if they find your bike, and police and community groups, such as Rotary, run free engraving sessions.

Some bike owners also choose to install a GPS tracker on their bike. GPS trackers are normally discreet, nestling inside your head stem or seat post, and send information to an app on your phone. In theory, they’re a good precaution. However, there’s a reasonable chance a savvy thief will detect and disable them.

In the event of a theft, make a police report. The more information you can provide about your bike, the better. However, Acting Sergeant Cavanagh says that even if you don’t have photos of your bike or its serial number, you should still make a report. “We know bike theft is a problem, but if people don’t report it, we don’t know how much of a problem it really is,” he said. Making a report can help police identify and target high risk areas. It can also help in making insurance claims,or if you’re lucky enough to find your stolen bike locked up on the street, as I did (the story is available online: bit.ly/1sonOig).

Engage the local bike community in the search by listing your bike on stolen bike registers and putting the word on local cycling forums and social media. You might also post flyers around the area where it was stolen, which has the added benefit of alerting other riders that thefts are occurring in the area.

Finally, check online marketplaces, such as eBay and Gumtree, and report any suspicious listings to police.

 

Invest in insurance

Given the slim chances of getting your bike back if it’s stolen, you might consider having it insured. Grace’s bike wasn’t insured, but given the thief didn’t forcibly enter her home, she may not have been covered. Brad Tresidder, Managing Director of Tresidder Insurance Brokers (www.tresidders.com.au) explained that there are two main policy types that cover bikes in the event of theft.

“The first insurance option is a ‘stand-alone’ bike insurance policy—in short you buy a policy that only covers the bike,” he said. “The second insurance option is a home/contents insurance policy with the requested bike insurance extension.”

Mr Tresidder said home and contents insurance can be the way to go. “A tailored home and contents policy that covers bikes is more sustainable and cheaper in the long term.” He also made it clear that not all policies offer the same level of cover, and said it’s important to clarify what is covered before committing to a particular policy.

“Some policies automatically cover bikes up to a certain value, while others you’ll have to specify in detail the year and make,” he added.

Policies also differ in the circumstances under which they will cover theft. For example, you may not be covered if your bike is stolen away from the home. Mr Tresidder said riders should be aware that there is “a distinction between theft with forcible entry [when a thief has broken a bike lock or forced their way into a secure space, such as a locked house or garage to steal a bike] and theft without forcible entry [when a bike is left unlocked or in an insecure location],” and your policy may not cover the latter—yet another reason to make sure you always lock your bike.

If your bike is stolen and you need to make a claim, it is likely that you’ll need to provide both proof of the bike’s purchase and of forcible entry. For the first, Mr Tresidder recommends keeping all receipts related to the bike in a separate folder, particularly if you’ve upgraded the bike’s original componentry. As an extra precaution, scan digital copies of your receipts. To prove forcible entry, most policies will require you to have a police report and, ideally, photographic evidence. Again, requirements will differ from policy to policy (with ‘stand-alone’ policies generally having a more rigorous claims procedure), so read the fine print of your chosen policy carefully.

Insurance policies generally only cover bikes stolen within Australia, so what about if your bike is stolen while you’re travelling? Mr Tresidder said that this situation is a bit tricky. Most travel insurance policies don’t cover bikes and can’t be altered to accommodate them. However, some will cover bikes under ‘sporting goods,’ but usually only to a certain value and not for damaging the bike while in use.

 

Buyer beware

The canny thief isn’t after a bike to ride; they’re stealing to turn a profit, and stolen bikes and parts often find their way onto the market. While buying secondhand is a great way to snag a bargain, taking possession of stolen goods is a criminal offence and you need to be careful who you buy from.

Buying from licensed pawnbrokers and secondhand stores, such as Cash Converters, is a fairly safe bet as sellers must provide 100 points of identification and bike serial numbers are recorded and checked against police records (yet more reason to record your serial number and make a report in the event of a theft).

However, sellers on sites such as eBay and Gumtree don’t have to provide such information, and potential buyers should exercise caution. “Look at the seller’s rating and feedback,” Acting Sergeant Cavanagh said. You might ask them to provide proof of the bike’s purchase before committing to a sale, and if you suspect a fishy deal, contact the police, as Acting Sergeant Cavanagh says: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

 

Have you seen Grace’s bike?

Grace’s bike is a Specialized Ruby Comp, serial no. WSBC614010968I. It’s matte black, 54cm and has a special stem cap with a red star. If you have any information, contact Grace via Bicycle Network (03) 8376 8888 or Victoria Police.

 

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