How NOT to lock your bike in London - ABUS X London Cycling Campaign

[@johncoldham3625]

Great video Roger, anyone leaving their bike locked up would do well to take note of this best practice 😊

[@BeeBee3_Adventures]

The police are the ones who should listen to advice and spend at least 20% of their annual budget on having police patrols on the streets , they’re supposed to prevent crime not tell you what to do when they have failed to prevent it.

[@LondonCycling]

We agree that the police need to do more to tackle bike theft. We have a lot of reports from people who have reported a stolen bike for sale online, and the follow-up is minimal. In the meantime, we want people to be able to use the resources available to protect themselves as much as possible.

[@Biggusdickuss111]

The police nick loads of e bikes every day, usually from delivery riders, oi wheres my kebab?, in the back of the box on the back of the bike in the back of the police van lol

[@Glenrsi]

You remind me of Peter Cook. 😊

[@fToo]

Great advice But of the 80,000 bicycles stolen each year in London - only about 50 get returned through Bike Register - it's a form of security theatre

[@nbartlett6538]

Registering my bike with Bike Register got me 10% off my insurance. Of course the registration was not free but it will pay for itself if I keep the same bike for over a year.

[@LondonCycling]

Bike Register needs more people using it for it to work, particularly when *buying* a second-hand bike - if everyone knew to check the register and see the true owner, it would be much harder to sell on (and so less desirable to steal) a bike. It starts with everyone using it to register the bikes they have - for the cost of a bike marking kit (~£5) and the cost of using the registration database (£0) it's an effort worth making.

[@nbartlett6538]

@@LondonCycling Yes, perhaps some information campaign is needed, because not enough bike buyers know to check the register. Maybe some pressure could be brought to bear on the main online marketplaces (eBay, FB Marketplace and Gumtree) - they could make it mandatory to provide frame numbers and proof of ownership when selling a bike. Or at least they could show advice to buyers on how to avoid unintentionally buying stolen goods.

[@liamness]

Having a clearly displayed registration sticker may be the reason a thief moves on to steal a different bike, though. You don't need your bike to be impossible to steal, or have a foolproof way to retrieve it if it's stolen. You just need your bike to not be the one in the bike racks that looks most attractive to thieves. If we get to a point where most people have registered their bikes, and most buyers of second hand bikes check the frame number before handing over cash, then it will become much harder to make a good "living" as a bike thief.

[@busog97641]

*Either turn the music DOWN (why did this video even need music added?) or turn up the volume of the speaker/presenter.

[@tsd550]

Get rid of that awful ‘music’. It destroys an otherwise informative video.

[@lesallison9047]

Yes, that was really bad 🤮

[@AgencyScum]

Buy or build a PISH BIKE! a.k.a. " Pub Bike. " Your average scrote wants to nick... -disc braked bikes ( i.e. posh and fence-able ) -ebikes ( massive resale value and good for battery/motor sales ) -top-end components -easy-to-nick bikes ( not locked like Roger described ). Have a lovely carbon road bike, have a gorgeous full suss mountain bike. If, however, you've business in the city you're using " the beater. "

[@bitchoflivingblah]

Pretty much like the Dutch - where they are all basically the same commuter bike (egos put aside). Singlespeed would be a sensible option - it's cheap, the gearing can be selected for your chosen terrain and there is less to go wrong.

[@davidbrennan8800]

I second the comment on the obtrusive badly chosen music.

[@busog97641]

@@davidbrennan8800 hear hear, pun intended 🤭

[@tsd550]

Agree 100%

[@manwithnoname6580]

80,000 a year?? In London alone? That is a very sad indictment of policing in London . There are 35,000 officers in the Met who do an absolutely brilliant job of remaining invisible. Yet another sign that the police have given up on preventative and proactive policing. I despair at the state of the Met.

[@stephenb741]

Bike theft, shoplifting and burglary are punishment free, easier making money this way than going to work.

[@Biggusdickuss111]

​@@stephenb741But... But... But...stealing ebikes is work for some 😂

[@Tom_-]

They'd rather arrest people for Tweeting!

[@bastogne315]

Cops too busy abducting women mate.

[@chicofoxo]

All thieves carry angle-grinders nowadays. So just the one tool, some spare discs and batteries. Even your 9/10 example, that'll be 30 secs on the D-lock and 30 secs on the chain. With the grinder "resistant" ones - they just attack the stand and put it into a van.

[@synhet84]

Only good option is the 300€ Hiplok D1000. And a solid post to attach it with.

[@ruperttristanblythe7512]

Can you do a video to show how to lean your bike against a wall please?

[@brauzeuge]

Arrived 16th of July in Isleworth, bike gone by 17th in the morning. Red Mondraker Thundra ebike, cork Grips, dropper post.

[@TheMoldManFromBlockTales]

Britain for the British

[@Naptime48]

the BEST bike lock is a bike nobody wants to steal, save £$£$ on expensive locks an get a charity shop beater. People must be F'in dumb to take thier pride an joy an leave it in any city

[@aerowilly65]

Correct, my friend. I have several bikes I paid less than £20 for and they are all very usable for shopping or going somewhere where I need to leave the bike.

[@a1white]

Sounds awful but find stands with more expensive badly locked bikes to lock your bike next to

[@napilopez]

Nah, in a big city like NYC, thieves will steal your bike as long as it looks rideable. Unless your bike is obviously new, the average thief can't tell good bikes from bad ones. I see people with beater bikes that get stolen all the time. If you have the money for a fancy bike, just get insurance and ride what you love. Especially now that angle-grinder resistant locks actually exist.

[@LondonCycling]

This is definitely a reasonable tactic! The Met Police in London recommend spending at least 10-20% of the value of your bike on locks, and if that isn't an amount of locks you can reasonably carry around with you, your bike might not be suitable for casual leaving-on-the-street use. Equally people should be able to lock a bike and expect to come back to it, so hopefully some of the tips here help people use the locks and stands available in the best possible way.

[@Naptime48]

@@LondonCycling Deffo! when if the lock is too strong tea leaves will just cut what the bike locked to OR even cut the frame to make off with hundreds of £££ worth of parts to sell!

[@alexwilsonpottery3733]

People spend thousands on sub-20lb bicycles, then have to weigh them down with 60lbs of locks that take but a minute to break with a hydraulic jack, bolt-croppers, or cordless angle-grinder with a cutting disc. The thieves on videos I’ve seen here on youtube seem pretty nonchalant about having their faces filmed…well, apart from threatening GBH. Where are the police in any of these situations?

[@nonegone7170]

imagine being this gullible and naive.

[@mikethebloodthirsty]

Kicking back waiting for their early generous pensions...

[@minners71]

The Police are the biggest bike thieves around mine was reported stolen and gave them all the details never heard back from them then saw a guy on my bike, long story short he bought it at a Police auction. The money going to their Christmas party fund!!!

[@skaboosh]

Thank you

[@justinstephenson9360]

Most D locks are completely useless to a reasonably well equipped thief. Between 36-42" loppers and battery angle grinders, most D locks will survive less than a minute. So always park your bike in a reasonable busy area so there are plenty of people who could see a thief. A good example of well intentioned but utterly flawed security occurred in a new block of flats opposite me - builders put in a proper covered bike rack but no other security, of course round the back of the block of flats where there is virtually never any foot traffic, and just off a quiet street. The residents described the bike rack as an "all you can eat buffet" for bike thieves who would come in at night in a van and within 5 minutes steal 5+ bikes. Depending on the bike lock, the thieves would simply use an angle grinder to cut the bike rack or loppers to cut the D lock

[@Naptime48]

I've even heard stories of tea leaves cutting through the frame to still get hundreds of £'s worth of parts to sell. Why any one would lock thier pride an joy up in any city is beyond me. Just get a beater nobody wants to steal

[@sandy_knight]

My nephew's bike was stolen the other day in plain sight of people recording them on their phones. One person tried to intervene but they pulled out a knife.

[@BabyCowGoingmadinafield]

litelok or hiplok

[@justinstephenson9360]

@@BabyCowGoingmadinafield I agree, so much so that I own a Litelok!

[@bjornlangoren3002]

@@justinstephenson9360 Many D locks can also be picked embarrassingly easily so the thief can get away without flashing any suspicious looking power tools. They also corrode easily, so it is common to see a cyclist fiddle with his D lock for a while, so little chance of getting interrupted.

[@Supersyncopation]

Never leave a good bike locked up outside , any lock will only delay a thief if they really want the bike , get an old cheap bike that people don't want

[@LondonCycling]

No bike is 'unsteal-able' - it's about a balance of what is convenient and reasonable for locking (cost, portability) versus the value of the bike, how long/where it is going to be left, etc. There's definitely a case for an old, cheap bike if you're going for everyday casual city use.

[@stemac1969]

Monkeys and battery angle grinders.

[@michaelblurry6559]

I have a 1 step solution. Move out of the UK and head to Japan.

[@rosst3277]

I completely agree with your logic. For me it's Thailand.

[@Howie57]

May I add....an alarm is very useful as well, I have one, £20

[@draugmithrin]

Stay out of London, problem solved :)

[@msscoventry]

80000 a year that's 220 a day or 9 an hour.

[@bjornlangoren3002]

My lock of choice is a length of chain from the HW store and a strong padlock. Fits in a water bottle. And have a taillight with built in motion sensor alarm.

[@LondonCycling]

This works!

[@michaelmonaghan1980s]

No bike lock can stop a battery grinder !!!!

[@minners71]

Doesn't matter what you do when they have angle grinders and the public just film them stealing the bikes.

[@johnhatfield1070]

Yes nothing is unstealable and a well locked value bike may well be stolen by attacking the mount itself. Answer is a £30 bike, rust and rim brakes, dirty and undesirable!

[@nigelhughes6096]

Never use a bike in a town or city more expensive than the lock you have

[@davis7099]

Lets be certain of one thing. The Police are NOT INTERESTED in your or my stolen bike. A good tactic not discussed here is to " deface" your bike by spraying it an ugly colour. No one wants to steal such a bike and if you dont mind then this might be an option.

[@Tricyklist]

ABUS: Purveyors of expensive, Dreadnought, pre-WW1 ships anchors. Which weigh more than the bike they protect. Seriously? It is 2024! What Londoner's call "A nice little earner." Keep taking the money! 🤑

[@getmetothegeek4066]

You're not making sense, possibly because you seem to be telling us you're ill.

[@SofiaisSunshine]

I like how this guy is just out there casually stealing parts off of peoples bikes without permission for the sake of a video…

[@LondonCycling]

Disclaimer: all wheels and parts taken off for this video were reattached fully afterwards...

[@coops1964]

Just a bit nasty that comment, hope it makes you happy.

[@SofiaisSunshine]

@@coops1964 you are not wrong. Gave it a little edit. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@ShapezPuller64]

Wild that you needed the channel to point that out for you.

[@SofiaisSunshine]

@@ShapezPuller64point what out?

[@mitch3683]

Completely useless video from Abus. Thieves use angle grinders!!!

[@LondonCycling]

Yes, thieves use angle-grinders. But for many of the bikes in this video, you wouldn't even need that much equipment to steal the bikes, or many of the bike parts. In addition, the best defence against angle grinders is a combination of chain and D-locks - you need different tools to break the two different types of lock, and so it makes your bike that much harder to steal. Lots more locking tips here: lcc.org.uk/advice/bike-security/