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I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

cyclingtips.com

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Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#101

Post by pjmlp »

Freak_NL wrote: post #38
ThePhysicist wrote: post #26

Slightly off topic, but I think bike thieves are becoming more and more professional recently. Here in Berlin many now use small cordless screwdrivers with a custom gearing mechanism that operates a bolt-cutter. With that they can even cut through thick steel-bar type bike locks in a few seconds, without making any noise. I saw that in a police report lately but I can't find a link with a photo of the device now, unf…

These days not having an e-bike is probably one of the easiest deterrents. Next step seems to be to avoid design bikes like Van Moof. And finally, have your bike look used. Then again, my bike is probably not the first one they'll consider, given that it has a 70cm frame making it all but impossible to ride for anyone under 195cm (being 200cm myself). If you steal a bicycle you have to be able to sell it, and given t…

> And finally, have your bike look used.

That doesn't help, we used to joke with an aquaitance of mine that it was a miracle that his bike still worked, and he used to reply at least it wouldn't attract the attention of thieves, until the day he got stolen.

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#102

Post by manquer »

franciscop wrote: post #76

I find it sweetly ironic that ALL those magazines talking about stealing bikes are committing copyright infringement (which the media is used to call "stealing").

More likely the picture was added to stock photo library (illegally maybe) and they all use from there.

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#103

Post by verbify »

darkwater wrote: post #49
globular-toast wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Erm.. my non-e-bike costs well over a thousand euros! But I guess e-bikes have made "normal" people consider spending that much money on a bike. People into biking have always been spending this much money on bikes although oddly it seems to surprise many people, even though they'll happily pay 10x that for a car that requires fossil fuel to do anything.

Yes and no. E-bikes start at 2-3k EUR and the norm is 5-6k. Obviously you can buy a road bike for 15k EUR as well but most will gravitate toward the 1-3K EUR range.

My partner recently bought a folding ebike for 600 GBP and it wasn't even their entry level model. It is a great bike. 2-3k EUR is not entry level.

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#104

Post by verbify »

im3w1l wrote: post #46
ThePhysicist wrote: post #26

Slightly off topic, but I think bike thieves are becoming more and more professional recently. Here in Berlin many now use small cordless screwdrivers with a custom gearing mechanism that operates a bolt-cutter. With that they can even cut through thick steel-bar type bike locks in a few seconds, without making any noise. I saw that in a police report lately but I can't find a link with a photo of the device now, unf…

My bike was stolen enough times that I gave up. I don't own one anymore.

I bought a folding bike, never bought a lock and that worked for me.

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#105

Post by namdnay »

globular-toast wrote: post #79
namdnay wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A bicycle has higher margins because the volumes are much smaller. The engineering that goes into even the cheapest of Dacias is hundreds of times more complex

> A bicycle has higher margins because the volumes are much smaller. Are you sure? There are more bicycles in the world than cars. > The engineering that goes into even the cheapest of Dacias is hundreds of times more complex Again, that does not make something more valuable. The engineering that would go into a lunar orbiting plant pot would be very complex, but has no value.

There are far more bicycles than cars, but 99% of these are very basic cost-efficient designs , probably sold for less than 100eur new

The discussion was about the engineering value of a 10k bike (or a 100k watch I guess) - it’s more of a luxury good than an engineering necessity

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#106

Post by klyrs »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #26

Slightly off topic, but I think bike thieves are becoming more and more professional recently. Here in Berlin many now use small cordless screwdrivers with a custom gearing mechanism that operates a bolt-cutter. With that they can even cut through thick steel-bar type bike locks in a few seconds, without making any noise. I saw that in a police report lately but I can't find a link with a photo of the device now, unf…

Couldn't find the exact device, but this matches the general description...

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/7-ton-cutters-crimpers/ba...

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#107

Post by shever73 »

bambax wrote: post #57

This is reminiscent of another story about images: https://www.hanselman.com/blog/there-is-only-one-cloud-icon-... If an image works then people will copy it at nauseam.

A similar thing happened to one of my photos from Flickr. It was of a riverbed dried up in the Kenyan drought. Someone messaged me to ask permission to use it in a project and since then, it has appeared in news articles everywhere - mostly without attribution - and with the location varying from a selection of African countries to California and lots of places in between.

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#108

Post by klyrs »

kuschku wrote: post #87
globular-toast wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't say thousands actually (also specifically said it wasn't normal). It's just that I own a fairly mid-high end road bike (that I bought 10 years ago) that cost more than €1000. I used to ride a road bike that cost around €800 as my commuter bike until it got stolen. The quality at this price point is definitely worth it, with diminishing returns above it. I would strongly recommend upgrading to a road or town…

I’d honestly consider 800€ already enthusiast grade, but I’m interested. What does your 800€ bicycle have that mine doesn’t have? For reference, I’m currently using https://www.boc24.de/p/bocas-bari-trapez/217333/ (which I bought at 320€ on sale) with some changes (B&M 100 lux front light, seat post with suspension), and I don’t think I’d get any major improvements with other changes. Due to cycling in city traffic,…

> What does your 800€ bicycle have that mine doesn’t have?

For that much money, you could afford... a Rohloff hub? No frame though

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#109

Post by emaginniss »

pjmlp wrote: post #101
Freak_NL wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These days not having an e-bike is probably one of the easiest deterrents. Next step seems to be to avoid design bikes like Van Moof. And finally, have your bike look used. Then again, my bike is probably not the first one they'll consider, given that it has a 70cm frame making it all but impossible to ride for anyone under 195cm (being 200cm myself). If you steal a bicycle you have to be able to sell it, and given t…

> And finally, have your bike look used. That doesn't help, we used to joke with an aquaitance of mine that it was a miracle that his bike still worked, and he used to reply at least it wouldn't attract the attention of thieves, until the day he got stolen.

Were you ever able to find your acquaintance?

Re: I became the internet’s most notorious bike thief

#110

Post by snovv_crash »

kuschku wrote: post #97
globular-toast wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yours isn't a low end bike and this might be the price point for you if you aren't enthusiastic about it at all. I don't know a lot about town bikes, though. I prefer road bikes (even for commuting and getting around town with panniers). Higher end bikes don't have any "features" that yours doesn't have. But you could also spend half as much as you did and still get the same features. Higher price points get you ligh…

But what’s that gonna provide for me? There’s diminishing returns beyond this point, the efficiency gains are in the single digit percentages or often only placebo effects, and I’ve never even seen a bicycle that stopped being used out of old age. A new coat of paint every decade or two, replacing the tires and brake pads every two years, and maybe the chain every decade, and it’ll run forever. I feel like it’s just…

Lighter bikes are more comfortable to ride - they feel nimble. Modern frames absorb bumps while still being stiff to allow maximum leg power to actually go through the drivetrain instead of frame flex. Disc brakes make an enormous difference if you have long downhill sections or regularly ride in the wet. Sure there are diminishing returns, but better components really are better, and not just 20g lighter.

High end derailers shift easier, chains have lower friction (especially in high/low gears), spokes and rims are more aerodynamic and stiffer, ratchets have smaller engagement angles, brakes require less force and don't overheat, tyres have lower rolling resistance and better grip, seat posts have compliance to remove chatter etc., And this is before you get into eg. MTB specific features like chain clutches and suspension tuning, or for triathlon aero bars, for city bikes pannier clips and built in lights, etc

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