You are hereForums / General Discussion / NoBMoB Chat / Bikes Stolen From Garage
Bikes Stolen From Garage
Having recently moved from an apartment to a house with a garage, I wanted to ask about bike theft from garages (I am having nightmares)!!
For those of you who have experienced it, I have a few questions:
1) Was it overnight, or while you are at work?
2) Were the bikes locked to an immovable object and if so were the locks cut, walls damaged etc?
3) What sort of garage doors did you have and how did they gain access?
4) Any brilliant, but not too expensive solutions?
Thanks
Ian
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
Tags
To answer none of the above, the best and most expensive option is insurance.
There's some really good info in this thread - http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?8...
I don't really want to describe my setup on the internet for obvious reasons...
I think the key to bike survival, is out of site, out of mind. If the bikes are not visable from the road or even your driveway, or garage windw, then they would be quite safe.
Thieves are generally opportunistic. They see a hot bike in a carport, they take it. Or they've snuck in around the house, and see a shed in the back yard, they're going to search it and take anything they feel is worth anything. They don't generally stake out a house for a bike. An Expensive bike is a rare bike, a rare bike is hard to sell. So they'd only be stealing it for their own needs.
If it's too hard or time consuming, they're not going to bother. Unfortunately, this makes it a pain for you.
Also, visual deterents work wonders. Seeing big padlocks and heavy guage multi-strand cables routed through a heavy duty loop on a wall is always a good thing.
Another thing is to not advertise the fact you've got a good bike. ie, when you've pulled up at your house, get the bike off asap.
If you have insurance and your bike is stolen from your locked garage then you're covered. Simple. I almost wish mine got stolen so I can upgrade
Just a heads up chitts and others, i popped into renegade cycles last week and they had just had there shop window smashed and four brand new bikes stolen, and while i was there the guy had mentioned that there had been a lot of garages broken into recently!
Mountain bikes are expensive and pretty untraceable once there stolen, why wouldn't thieves target them?
lock up your daughters + bikes!
You need to look further than just what can be seen from the street, window or around the house.
In addition to getting the bike off the car ASAP, I'd be removing your high-quality bike rack. Where there's an expensive rack, there's going to be an expensive bike.
As for deterrents, a fully fenced back yard with "Beware of The Dog!" posted on the side access gate works really well. Dog is optional.
Been there....don't want it to happen again! Mine went missing overnight at 4.30am. They broke into my garage by popping the lock, broke the pad lock and away they went. If they want it, they'll get it.
The week my bike went missing, the house across from me was been renovated, hence "Beware of tradesman" too......they see everything from you pulling up in your driveway to how you store your bike....trust me i've learn't my lesson.
I'm very sorry if i may have offend any tradesman out there, but this has happen way to many times. Just last week a tradesman working on a neighbours property decided to hook up a box trailer to his van that of course did not belong to him.........he was picked up by Northern beaches police and asked to please explain.
Golden rule...if it doesn't belong to you...DON'T F%$&*% touch it.
Sorry, but i'm still shattered about loosing my bike.
My advice to go with what the others have offered is to install sensor lights, and plenty of them. One outside the garage and one inside the garage.
Thieves hate lights!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck with the new house.
when you're working in your garage or just popping in and out, keep the door closed. If you can see your garage from the street anyone driving by could spot your pride and joy.
If you have windows, drape a sheet inside so they can't see in, and as everyone says, hide the bike and rack as soon as you can. Even riding in and out after a tune up can be risky.
I bought a wireless alarm for about $300 online that let me put an IR sensor in the garage and alarm the house too. If anyone opens the door now in the night I'll get a piercing alarm instantly. I also lock all bikes together and then to the wall. You can't stop a determined thief but you can slow them down.
Then it comes down to insurance. Don't just assume your insurance covers it if it's in the garage. Most have a limit so check what it is, you may to specify. If you want it covered outside the home too (back of the car in a car park while you stop at the shops for some milk), maybe get bike specific cover.
Just renewed contents insurance with Allianz - it only covers bikes up to $500 in the open air - thats not gunna cut it. Still gotta find out how much it'll cost to list it as a specified item
Just reminded me to go down to the garage to double horse-shoe lock my rig.
The U lock will take a wookie lasergun to get through it.
I came home to find a couple of punks with a ginormous bolt cutter getting through my standard 1.8mm cable lock.
Little did the dumbshits realise that the U-horn attached to a ground anchor and bolted when i came in ...
A $150 mother is cheaper than insurance and the agony of your pride and joy goin for walkabouts.
There is a thread on here somewhere regarding insurance. AAMI doesn't cost anything to include it in your contents, you just need to nominate it. It does however cost extra to insure outside the home (which I have).
Doesn't everyone just keep their bike(s) next to their bed? I thought that (I) was normal.
Mine used to have their own bedroom but since the new carpet went down they are now restricted to the hall way just outside my bedroom door
see picture on right
hope he/she is a bit older though cause isn't he/she a puppy here? Or perhaps he/she might lick you to death?
..... I am thinking of getting 4 American Pitbulls to keep in the garage
I have Westpac's premium cover contents insurance which covers my bike anywhere in Australia from theft, loss and acciidental damage. I also keep both my bikes in my flat - can't be careful enough!
your knicks,jerseys and gloves that are drying on your clothes line, thats a dead set give away you have a bike/s