High-end road bikes, mountain bikes, e-bikes, hybrid bikes, and folding bikes are among the most popular targets for thieves. By understanding which bikes are most often targeted by thieves, riders can make informed decisions about their bike security and minimize the risk of theft.
Indeed, research by 529 Garage suggests that the number of bike stolen (rather than just reported stolen), in the US in 2019 could be closer to 2 million. Which is equivalent to one bike every 30 seconds! The cities with the highest bike crime in the US include (somewhat predictably), New York and San Francisco!
In Victoria, there are around 3.53 million bikes and 5.16 million registered vehicles. However, their theft rates are actually quite similar: 2 thefts per 1000 bikes, and 3 thefts per 1000 vehicles.
A bicycle is stolen every 30 seconds in the United States. That's roughly two million bikes a year, totaling about $350 million . To give you some perspective, less than one million motor vehicles are stolen each year in America.
It's so easy to get away with it
One major contributing factor to the increase in bike theft is that it's just so easy for criminals to get away with it. A bicycle's very nature makes it an easy target for theft: they are lightweight and simple to disassemble, making them easy to transport.
The unfortunate reality is that stealing a motorcycle is relatively easy, and bikes are stolen every day. A car thief will have to deal with windows, alarms, and locks before accessing your car. A motorcycle thief, on the other hand, can simply hotwire the motorcycle and wheel it away.
As already mentioned, a person with stolen goods wants to get rid of them fast in exchange for cash. Pawnshops provide fast liquidity for thieves. So make sure to check out your local pawn shops. If there are neighborhood yard sales or flea markets, those are also places your bike could be sold for quick cash.
As the website WeLoveCycling.com suggests making your bicycle as unpleasant looking as possible helps repelling thieves. There a few ways to do this: using duct tape is one these, you can also use spray paint or even cocoa powder to give the bike that unattractive rusty look.
Bikelinc is a joint initiative with Crime Stoppers ACT, and is safe, secure and confidential. The searchable online database allows anyone to check if a bike is registered as safe, lost or stolen.
Upwards of 30,000 bikes are stolen each year in Australia with very few recovered! Don't become a bike theft statistic, take action and protect your bikes identity and your ownership today for FREE! Not just bikes .... BikeVAULT part of PropertyVAULT protects all assets including pets vulnerable to theft!
Close to 9,000 motorcycles are stolen in Australia each year. Owners of on and off-road motorbikes, all-terrain vehicles, scooters and mini bikes are falling victim to the crime every day.
Understanding which bikes are most often targeted by thieves can help riders make informed decisions about their bike security and minimize the risk of theft. High-end road bikes are often the most popular target for thieves due to their high value and lightweight design.
The front wheel is a very standard item, easily resold. The back wheel has all the expensive parts on it. They are stolen sometimes because people lock the bike frame but NOT the wheels, as that takes more time. Wheels usually come off fast, they have something called a 'quick release', on any bike worth thieving.
But despite the belief of many that leaving a bicycle is unsafe Japan does have bicycle thieves and hundreds of thousands of bicycles are reported stolen each year.
You might think the police will do nothing. You might think it's a waste of time. But the fact is that almost half of stolen bikes are eventually recovered by the police. And the only reason that just 5% of stolen bikes are returned to their owners is that the police can't link the bikes to the owners.
Any bike is easily stolen but not all bikes are worth stealing. Thieves most want bikes that will command a decent price and/or can be easily sold. Expensive-looking road bikes and mountain bikes top the list. Roadsters and hybrids with practical features such as mudguards are less likely to be pinched.
A lot of people think bike or motorcycle thieves pick locks. But that only works for simpler locks — the kind you can pick with a pen. In most cases, it's faster and easier to cut directly through the surrounding mechanism while avoiding the actual lock.
The most secure way to lock your bike is with two locks. And ideally to a bike rack that's cemented into the ground. The first lock should go around the back wheel, the frame and the bike rack. The second should go around the front wheel, the frame and preferably the bike rack as well.
The bottom line: Leaving your bike outside for a day or two won't do major damage. You may see signs of rust after a week of neglect. After one month in bad conditions, your beloved bike parts will start to degrade.
Can Kryptonite Bike Locks Be Cut? Unfortunately there isn't a lock out there that can't be cut. That being said, the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Mini's 18mm hardened steel shackle is impossible to crop by hand with bolt cutters.
Wheels, saddles, and accessories are the most commonly snagged items, but ultimately no part of your bicycle is safe, not even your cockpit.