jfouellette

Only 1,7% of cases end with charges layed. Theft can reduce the interest in cycling. Should the industry be doing more if they want to keep selling more quality and expensive bicycles?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...land-and-wales

rsbob 

Thieves which have been apprehended should be sentenced to clean 100 drivetrains. That should make them think twice.

Inusuit

What do you suggest the "industry" could do to reduce theft?

Gresp15C

Ironically, start selling lower quality, less expensive bicycles.

But seriously, my #1 anti-theft measure is to reduce the value of what can be stolen, to the bare minimum. The only hitch is that I become emotionally attached to my bikes.

jfouellette

I don’t have enough information to provide an answer. I think the industry has quite a few smart people who could. The fact we don’t see solutions could mean the problem is not theirs or just not large enough. A stolen bike is replaced by another one sold. That’s an additional sale. The wheels keep turning…

Buzzkill53120

There isn't much to prevent bike thefts since the advent of the cordless angle grinder/cut-off tool.

Bald Paul

The industry could develop a special "dropper" seatpost with an electronic locking device that would prevent movement when it detects the correct radio signal code from a microchip imbedded in the padding of your cycling shorts. When a thief grabs your bike and attempts to ride away, the saddle drops down because it doesn't see the correct chip, causing the hypodermic needle hidden in the seatpost to enter the thief's buttocks, injecting a sufficient quantity of cyanide solution to assure the thief doesn't get far, and has no chance of becoming a repeat offender.

Hint: check the battery in your shorts often.

Buzzkill53120

The problem is that professional thieves don’t necessarily ride the bike away. They grab a bike and throw it in a van.

Inusuit

It would be interesting to see a compilation of the value of stolen bicycles. I know that in some cases, expensive bikes have been targeted and stolen from stores. I wonder if your average tweaker cares whether the bike is worth $2500 or $250 if he can sell for $25 and get his next fix.

Gresp15C

That would be interesting to know. My hunch is yes, because the fences are probably competing with one another, and at some point one of them will realize that they can skim the better bikes by offering $35 for them. A good arbitrage rarely lasts very long.

Still, I'd rather risk a $250 bike than a $2500 one.

skidder

I was thinking something more like a $10,000 bicycle. There's not a big market for those besides bicycling aficionados who would know what it is and probably know there a stolen one floating on the 'black market.' If one pops up on a 'for sale' add or website it'll raise suspicion. There was a $10,000 bike stolen a few years ago from a shop here in the Los Angeles area, it got a lot of publicity and the thief ended up anonymously returning it.

icemilkcoffee 

Our local BART station has these enclosed lockers for you to store your bike in. I think that is the best solution. The next best solution is security cameras .

jfouellette

on average 20 000 bicycles are stolen every year in Montreal. At 200$ each, that is 4 000 000$.

rsbob 

Cars with sophisticated anti-theft systems are defeated with ease. And stealing a bike is so much easier. People concerned about theft should probably place an Air tag under the seat of another clandestine area. If the car industry can’t keep a car from being stolen, what luck would the bike industry have on something that can be easily walked off with?

Koyote

They ARE selling more "quality and expensive bicycles." What is your point?

wadewarner

Oh my God! It's a huge amount in the whole year. What is the local police opinion about it.

Herzlos

I think there are 2 completely different types of theft.

The opportunity will grab whatever looks easy, and will be more likely to be low value stuff that's not locked or badly locked. Here the bike thieves often steal an easy bike and then ride around town looking for a better one. Some just steal them to get from A to B quicker.

Then there's the targeted stuff, which tends to be higher end. Whether it's thieves stealing speculatively or to order I don't know. We've had a few bike shops broken into with $100k of stock being stolen in pretty professional operations. I think even at the high end there are people who'll cast a blind eye over provenance if they get a good enough deal.

Ther'es a bike registration/marking scheme here to make it easier for the cops to reunite bikes with owners, but the police are so under funded that they won't deal with it unless it's particularly heinous or easy. I've heard of people on a local bike group who've had a bike stolen, and are watching someone cycling it around the city and the police still don't get involved.

Bald Paul

Did you actually think I was being serious?

Buzzkill53120

Wasn't referring to your post, just an observation.

50PlusCycling

Here in Japan crime is rare. This isn’t because companies or stores make goods harder to steal, but because the laws against theft are harsh, and are even more harshly enforced. Crime levels are generally low because drugs have never become a social issue in Japan. With no illicit drug use, there is no drug related crime. In America, Europe, and most other places, the overwhelming majority of all crimes, from bicycle theft to murder, are drug related.

The penalties for breaking any law in Japan are severe, and the penalties for breaking anti-drug laws are especially severe. You can literally get more than a month in jail in Japan for stealing a bag of chips, and more than a year if you are caught with a joint. Japanese jails are no joke; discipline is military, cells are poorly heated or air conditioned, the food is bland, and portions are small. Most prisoners are housed solitarily, long-term prisoners must work.

Then there is the criminal justice system itself, which in Japan is especially scary. No phone calls, no lawyer present during questioning, and no bail. You can be held indefinitely without being charged in Japan, and if you are arrested, you will likely remain behind bars until you are exonerated or serve your sentence.

Japan’s system sounds very harsh and unfair. But on the positive side, it keeps society safe and peaceful, and Japan’s incarceration rate is only 37 per 100,000, compared to a regular place like America, where the rate is 629 per 100,000. Then there is the argument that keeping drugs out of society saves countless Japanese from addiction, mental illness, and homelessness, not to mention preventing them from turning to crime.

If you actually arrest criminals and seriously punish crime, there is less crime.

chaadster

I have no first-hand experience with Japan, but that’s a couple of very hard to swallow statements.

Here’s an alternate take on the situation in Japan:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/xg8q...n-drug-problem

And that the Yamaguchi-gumi and other yakuza aren’t involved in illicit drugs is just unbelievable.

jfouellette

The point being that people who have a bike stolen, are less likely to purchase another expensive one. The extreme situation is that theft turns people away from cycling. In other words why invest in an expensive bike if it risks being stolen or vandalized.

Koyote

Do you have any evidence to support this assertion?

jfouellette

Yes, me! You can also read up on this hypothesis by doing a google search.

Koyote

You are not evidence; you are an anecdote.

And I'm not the one making a completely unfounded, unsupported assertion -- so it's not my job to do a google search. If the evidence is so easily found, you can provide it. Otherwise you are engaging in mere supposition.