Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Hard hitting journalism

A london TV stations takes on bike theft- complete with COPS style takedowns of thieves:



Unfortunately I can't imagine either the police or the press taking this much interest in the topic.
It was somewhat disheartening that the "king of the bike thieves"  gets only 5 months of suspended sentence.  The trackers under the bike seat seem like a great idea.  I would pay $100 for something like that, but I think that the technology isn't quite there.

I was locked up yesterday next to a bike that appeared to be held to the rack with a piece of wire- thinner than a pencil.  It always makes me feel a bit safer to park next to something so poorly secured :)



4 comments:

  1. Frightening! Makes me think about getting a second U-lock, and using both.
    Is this an old video? It shows Boris Johnson as a MP, instead of Mayor of London (since 2008).
    Mark

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  2. Unfortunately, it is true: there isn't really absolute bike security, only relative security. We play the odds that the average bike thief will find someone else's bike an easier target than ours.

    While a Lojack-type tracker sounds good in theory, in practice I think it would be hard to make something that was usable on a bike that wouldn't also be easy for the thief to find and remove, unless it were an integral part of the frame itself.

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  3. Thanks for posting this. It's interesting to see how quickly even the best chains can be cut (although it is worth noting that high quality 36"+ bolt cutters do cost $150-$200 and will likely be damaged by cutting Kryptonite-style non-round chains).

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  4. Wow! I want this sort of journalism in San Diego!

    I'm absurdly paranoid to the point where friends here constantly mock me. But you know what? I don't care. My bike is my baby and I'll do everything I can to protect it.

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