Which ones are most likely to get stolen?
07-01-19, 05:06 AM
#26
Senior Member
Diamondback: Doesn't stand out.
Brand wise, I don' think it matters. Frames will be stripped and painted anyways.
After that I would look for the components. Which bicycle can I strip and sell all the components the easiest. Actually for just 'regular' thieves, I would think medium to entry level stuff is good to go. Keep the cheap bicycles going. High end stuff would be harder to get rid of and not worth the trouble.
The majority of bicycle thieves here seem to be homeless. Thieves of opportunity.
Been thinking about some of this as I've already had one bicycle stolen right from under me. Cabled my bicycle to a fence while I ran upstairs to get a quick bite to eat. Twenty minutes later it was gone.
Anyways, he (I say he because I actually saw my bicycle being ridden down the road, another story!) took my vintage Specialized Rockhopper. Now if I had one of my road bikes cabled to the fence would he have stolen it?
Probably not as my carbon bike has a fairly unusual profile and I could probably recognize it even if painted. My Bianchi, maybe for it's a steel frame.
Then again maybe not for both bicycles are Campy equipped and I'm not sure how easy that stuff would be to sell.
You don't see many high end bicycles at the police auction or Campy for sale on CL.
Based upon that kind of logic, I used to worry more about my beater bike than my high end stuff.
Brand wise, I don' think it matters. Frames will be stripped and painted anyways.
After that I would look for the components. Which bicycle can I strip and sell all the components the easiest. Actually for just 'regular' thieves, I would think medium to entry level stuff is good to go. Keep the cheap bicycles going. High end stuff would be harder to get rid of and not worth the trouble.
The majority of bicycle thieves here seem to be homeless. Thieves of opportunity.
Been thinking about some of this as I've already had one bicycle stolen right from under me. Cabled my bicycle to a fence while I ran upstairs to get a quick bite to eat. Twenty minutes later it was gone.
Anyways, he (I say he because I actually saw my bicycle being ridden down the road, another story!) took my vintage Specialized Rockhopper. Now if I had one of my road bikes cabled to the fence would he have stolen it?
Probably not as my carbon bike has a fairly unusual profile and I could probably recognize it even if painted. My Bianchi, maybe for it's a steel frame.
Then again maybe not for both bicycles are Campy equipped and I'm not sure how easy that stuff would be to sell.
You don't see many high end bicycles at the police auction or Campy for sale on CL.
Based upon that kind of logic, I used to worry more about my beater bike than my high end stuff.
07-01-19, 05:19 AM
#27
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None from the OP's list are particularly attractive brands. If I were the selective thief, I'd want a desirable bike, like:
Canyon
Pinarello
Merckx
BMC
Cervelo
Canyon
Pinarello
Merckx
BMC
Cervelo
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07-01-19, 09:10 AM
#28
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The OP is giving the average bike thief too much credit. The vast majority of bike crimes are thefts of opportunity. Rarely is the thief sophisticated enough to be selective among major brands. They may skip over total junk, but any bike they can sell or strip for quick and easy $$$ will do just fine. Joy riders are even lazier. Easy access and poor lock/technique are what will get your bike pilfered, not the name on the downtube. There are some sharks out there who carry battery operated cutoff grinders and stalk high-end merchandise, but they are few and far between.
07-01-19, 11:33 AM
#29
Banned
Echoing 2nd reply , the one locked up the most poorly ,
and in a city which has people willing to buy bikes which have been stolen.
and in a city which has people willing to buy bikes which have been stolen.
07-01-19, 12:18 PM
#30
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I'll agree that may be a factor some of the time but my thinking is the majority of bike thefts are crimes of convenience for the thief to get someplace he wanted to go. Paint it pink and maybe he'll be ashamed to be seen riding it.
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07-01-19, 12:20 PM
#31
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This is sort of like asking whether beer snobs would go for Bud Light or Milwaukee’s Best first.
If they are dying for a beer and there are no other options they will take whatever is colder.
If they are dying for a beer and there are no other options they will take whatever is colder.
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07-01-19, 02:26 PM
#32
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The common bike thief won't know the difference and likely won't care and will usually pick the lowest hanging fruit; of those you listed it's a toss up. Condition being equal and if I were the thief, I'd probably snag the Marin.
07-02-19, 03:14 AM
#34
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I think the names Raleigh or Diamondback would be more recogniseable than the rest, so would be easier to find a buyer for. Marin might have some cache with the traditionalist MTB crowd, and that's about it.
I'll echo what was said above about crimes of convenience, but also note that I've had 2 bikes stolen, ever. One, a Trek road bike, stolen along with several other bikes (as many as 20-30) all chained up in a downstairs garage of an apartment complex. The thieves clearly had targeted the site, though I don't know if they had anything to do with the garage's electronic lock being disabled leaving the gate wide open. Judging by the 3 or 4 bikes left behind, and the bikes that had been locked the night before, these guys had a big van, and knew the difference between a €50 and €1,000 bike.
2nd time, our 2 bikes were locked together in the car-port. Judging by the strands of cable on the ground, the thief (there must have only been 1) took some time cutting through the (admittedly flimsy) cable lock, and made off with my wife's $100 beach cruiser, leaving my Schwinn Fastback (Tiagra-equipped road bike, approx $1000 retail at the time) behind.
I'll echo what was said above about crimes of convenience, but also note that I've had 2 bikes stolen, ever. One, a Trek road bike, stolen along with several other bikes (as many as 20-30) all chained up in a downstairs garage of an apartment complex. The thieves clearly had targeted the site, though I don't know if they had anything to do with the garage's electronic lock being disabled leaving the gate wide open. Judging by the 3 or 4 bikes left behind, and the bikes that had been locked the night before, these guys had a big van, and knew the difference between a €50 and €1,000 bike.
2nd time, our 2 bikes were locked together in the car-port. Judging by the strands of cable on the ground, the thief (there must have only been 1) took some time cutting through the (admittedly flimsy) cable lock, and made off with my wife's $100 beach cruiser, leaving my Schwinn Fastback (Tiagra-equipped road bike, approx $1000 retail at the time) behind.
07-03-19, 10:43 PM
#36
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Hi, I agree with poster #2 . Any unlocked bike will be the first ones stolen. If you fear leaving a bathroom or store & you'll be sprinting down the street after it. Seen bike cops use their handcuffs on their 2 wheel cruisers. Jamis & KHS & Kona, seem to stick with the mostly same balance of road, hybrid bikes thru the years. I remember the early Jamis Earth Cruisers. happy 4th .
07-07-19, 07:36 PM
#38
Junior Member
While not in the list of bicycle brand names in the original post, I'd guess Cannondale ,Trek, Specialized and Giant would be the most tempting targets as they are the biggest bicycle brands in the USA with the least secure, shiniest bikes the first taken, regardless of brand
07-08-19, 11:58 AM
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I have a couple of bikes. One would be worth about $2k if it were new (Aluminum Cannondale Synapse with upgraded wheelset and 105 drivetrain). The other would be worth about $1k as outfitted if new (Aluminum Cannondale Quick CX with Alivio components and a Tubus rack).
Which one do I worry more about when I chain it up somewhere? The Quick, because its flashy color scheme just looks more enticing, and because it has platform pedals, flat bars, and a rack. Any dweeb tall enough to mount it could ride it off into the sunset. The Synapse has clipless pedals, drop bars, a subdued (even boring) color scheme, and no rack. It would be a little more difficult for someone to hop on it and ride off, and the color scheme just isn't all that enticing -- it doesn't stand out to someone who doesn't know what they're looking at.
Fortunately for me I've never lost a bike to theft. My hybrid is my commuter bike, but at work there's a key-card access bike cage and we individually lock our bikes inside the shared cage. Anywhere else, it's not out of my sight for long. I guess it could possibly go missing when I ride it to the gym; that's the one spot I park it for several hours without it being in my line of sight, though it is in a very public area and in front of windows that are visible from inside the gym.
I don't tend to park my road bike on racks much. It's for riding, not for trips to the store / work / gym, etc.
All locks can be defeated given enough time, and enough time is measured in minutes, not hours or days. The best approach, I think, is to have the best lock among the bikes on the rack you lock up to. Having a less flashy bike can probably help too; given the same locks, the junker bike is less likely to disappear than the flashy high end one.
At my home I have a Ring doorbell/camera and a Ring motion light/camera in front of the house. I know we cyclists constitute a smaller potential market than companies like Ring are seeking to conquer, but hopefully someday a kit with a beacon GPS and motion-activated front/rear cams will become commonplace and affordable for cyclists. It would be great if a bike could report its whereabouts and send pictures periodically of the front and rear view. Better still if the front-view cam had a selfie-facing camera too so you could receive mug shots of the rider. But we're not there yet; beacon GPSs exist but I suspect they would require a cell signal which can mean an expensive contract. Motion detecting cameras, I don't think, are a thing yet for bikes, and certainly not ones that send their captures to the owner.
But the technological revolution is still ongoing. And the public interest in expensive eBikes may just be motivation enough for security systems to be developed.
Nobody wants to get to the point where bikes need license plates and registration stickers as cars do, but vehicle theft is a lot less compelling in a world where vehicles are easily identified and bogus registrations are not easy to fake.
Which one do I worry more about when I chain it up somewhere? The Quick, because its flashy color scheme just looks more enticing, and because it has platform pedals, flat bars, and a rack. Any dweeb tall enough to mount it could ride it off into the sunset. The Synapse has clipless pedals, drop bars, a subdued (even boring) color scheme, and no rack. It would be a little more difficult for someone to hop on it and ride off, and the color scheme just isn't all that enticing -- it doesn't stand out to someone who doesn't know what they're looking at.
Fortunately for me I've never lost a bike to theft. My hybrid is my commuter bike, but at work there's a key-card access bike cage and we individually lock our bikes inside the shared cage. Anywhere else, it's not out of my sight for long. I guess it could possibly go missing when I ride it to the gym; that's the one spot I park it for several hours without it being in my line of sight, though it is in a very public area and in front of windows that are visible from inside the gym.
I don't tend to park my road bike on racks much. It's for riding, not for trips to the store / work / gym, etc.
All locks can be defeated given enough time, and enough time is measured in minutes, not hours or days. The best approach, I think, is to have the best lock among the bikes on the rack you lock up to. Having a less flashy bike can probably help too; given the same locks, the junker bike is less likely to disappear than the flashy high end one.
At my home I have a Ring doorbell/camera and a Ring motion light/camera in front of the house. I know we cyclists constitute a smaller potential market than companies like Ring are seeking to conquer, but hopefully someday a kit with a beacon GPS and motion-activated front/rear cams will become commonplace and affordable for cyclists. It would be great if a bike could report its whereabouts and send pictures periodically of the front and rear view. Better still if the front-view cam had a selfie-facing camera too so you could receive mug shots of the rider. But we're not there yet; beacon GPSs exist but I suspect they would require a cell signal which can mean an expensive contract. Motion detecting cameras, I don't think, are a thing yet for bikes, and certainly not ones that send their captures to the owner.
But the technological revolution is still ongoing. And the public interest in expensive eBikes may just be motivation enough for security systems to be developed.
Nobody wants to get to the point where bikes need license plates and registration stickers as cars do, but vehicle theft is a lot less compelling in a world where vehicles are easily identified and bogus registrations are not easy to fake.
07-08-19, 12:24 PM
#40
Junior Member
Downtown Reno NV bike
I read a post long ago stating that homeless types prefer flat bar fatter tire style bikes for personal use because: they are comfortable for street riding and standover, and, one can sling multiple grocery sacks over a flat bar easily. He suggested his ugly older downtube shifter and tall(bonus) road bike thus was highly unlikely to be snagged for a homeless runabout. My personal experience is my similar 35 year old rattle can painted road bike has always been waiting for me even though I only use a combination cable lock. And I can't believe the freaking 20lb logging chains that poor people use to secure their $35 beaters.
07-08-19, 12:30 PM
#41
Banned
Judicially ,Court Ordered, Cyclists seem to opt for Mountain bikes when they lose their Licence.
07-08-19, 10:31 PM
#42
☢
My adult daughter did a very clever trick to avoid having her bike stolen. She plastered it with garish stickers. It looks kind of ugly, but no one could sell a bike looking like that. For many of us, we care a lot about how our bike looks, but if protecting your bike is your first priority, her solution works.
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