Love your bike, and keep it from getting into the wrong hands.
Ever wanted to get into the mind of a bike thief? We stumbled upon some Tweets that a bike thief meant to search in Google and, well, the results explain a lot…
Bike thieves are the worst.
They take stuff that isn’t theirs, make our lives worse and may very well be the cause of global warming (jury’s still out on that last piece, but initial research is damning).
That’s why we love nothing more than making the “job” of a bike thief more difficult.
Well, thanks to 658 crime-stopping Kickstarter backers, we were able to do just that.
With your help, we hit 3.5X our goal and successfully funded Payback - the ultimate $25 bike-seat security that guarantees your seat is never stolen.
To all those who helped us embarrass our goal, we realize that neither words nor a simple picture can express how much we appreciate your support.
But a picture with words in it? That just might do the trick ; )
We really can’t thank you enough for all of your support. We’re excited to piss off a lot of bike thieves and couldn’t have done it without you.
Oh, and if you want us to protect your seat but were too shy to back us on Kickstarter, we promise we won’t take it personally. In fact, we’ll encourage you to join the movement and order yours here, today.
So you’ve made the investment, and spent all the money putting the bells and whistles on it, but what good is all of that if your new ride gets jacked à la Deebo from Friday? We can’t really help you if you get cold-cocked by the neighborhood bully— you’ll just have to charge that one to the game. But with a bit of common sense, the right equipment, and a little luck, you can keep your bike from being stolen.
1. Always lock your bike. It’s so simple, but there are plenty of poor souls who were “only gone for a minute” that have lost their bikes in the ether. Don’t be like them. Invest in a good bike lock and use it. Always.
2. Lock the frame, not the wheels. Don’t just lock the front or back wheel. People who have often come back to the bike rack to find only that wheel remains. Better to lock the sturdy metal frame in place. If the would-be thief steels the wheels, then he/she was just out to ruin your day and wasn’t even worried about the bike itself in the first place.
3. Don’t lock your bike to just anything. If you lock your bike up to a headless parking meter, the only thing that stands between a thief and your bike is the physical exertion it takes to lift it free. Trees are also a no-no. Stick to bike racks whenever possible.
4. Take your bike inside with you. Just avoid leaving the thing outside altogether. Bring it into the office if possible, or keep it in a garage. When you get home, bring the bike inside— if you payed as much as we know you have, and ride it as much as we know you do, it shouldn’t be outside if you can avoid it.
5. Make your bike your own. Adorn your ride with all manner of theft-resistant bike accessories. Paint it ridiculous colors. Nothing is more attractive to a bike thief than a bike whose “misplacement” will go unnoticed.
6. Park next to a nicer bike. Not the most “we are the world” thing you can do, but it’s safe to say that if your bike is parked next to a much more expensive rig, yours isn’t the one that the thief will be stealing.
7. Park your bike in a visible spot. If you do park it outside, park it where you can keep an eye on it and get to it easily if there’s a problem. When trying to keep it safe at night, park it in the most visible, open spot possible. I look for street lights.
Keep all of these things in mind when stowing your ride before and after your commute, and you’ve greatly increased you chances of it being there when you return.
© 2015 Reinventing The Wheel
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