Coincidentally, I just had my e-bike stolen from my garage around 3AM in the wee hours after Family Day. What’s really dumb is it could have been avoided: the thief was randomly checking car doors, and found ours unlocked (mistakenly). When they searched the glove box they found our clicker, and opened the garage. After forty minutes, they made off with my (relatively) new e-bike. Even though I’ve owned it for over a year I’ve only ever ridden it once or twice. I hadn’t even had a moment to take a photo, record the serial number, and register it with Project 529 Garage (conversely, when I bought my first e-bike in 2021 I immediately registered that one!) Thanks for all you do when we do what we’re supposed to. This has been an expensive lesson.
Some renter's or home owner's insurances would cover stolen bikes and some do not, so it's a good idea to double check your policy. Also, as Tony pointed out, sometimes the deductible is higher than the value of the bike, so it ends up basically meaning no coverage.
Heh. Well let’s say we had some issues with that. I reported the theft to the police. This manufacturer doesn’t track serial numbers on their invoices. And I was supposed to record the serial number from the bike. But as it stands I have no photos, no serial number, no proof that I originally had the bike. So the police couldn’t do anything. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of paying my deductible. It was a $2000 life lesson.
Thanks for the info. I have an Apple tag hidden on my bike, plus 2 disk brake alarms, plus one kryptonite $200 ulock with a chain and another kryptonite ulock that’s about $150.
I bought one of the hand-brake grip locks, but unfortunately my grips are flared and this lock is only good for straight grips.
My friend bought a disk brake alarm that has a tracker in it, plus it’s remote-controlled.
People can check out the Lockpicking Lawyer to see which locks are best or worst.
Hi Gordon - Hmm - I clicked through them and they all look right to me. One on bike bus, one on how easy it is to clip a cable lock, the right way to lock, etc.
Hi Greg - A shield is a tamper resistant decal with a unique ID that goes on the bike as both an indicator that the bike is registered, and an extra piece of identification for the bike. The ID is a 7-character code, similar to a license plate which is much easier to look up than a bike's serial number.
Like many others, I had my last bike stolen right out of my garage when I was moving into my current home. It happened in the span of less than one minute, and I didn't know to lock down the garage door since I was used to apartment/condo living. My 3 bikes are now secured with two cable locks daisy-chained together. While those can be cut, it will still make it more difficult for a thief to have time to grab them like they did last time. I also keep the deadbolt on my garage door always locked down unless I am physically present. I met the alleged thief (my neighbor's son) a few months later when I was in my garage and had the door remote in my hand. I opened the door and we were face to face, he mumbled his way through some kind of excuse why he was on my property and I gave him the 1,000 yard stare and said nothing for what was probably less than a minute. The moment seemed to slow down time for both of us. I then clicked the remote and closed the door. I've never seen that guy around since then!
Coincidentally, I just had my e-bike stolen from my garage around 3AM in the wee hours after Family Day. What’s really dumb is it could have been avoided: the thief was randomly checking car doors, and found ours unlocked (mistakenly). When they searched the glove box they found our clicker, and opened the garage. After forty minutes, they made off with my (relatively) new e-bike. Even though I’ve owned it for over a year I’ve only ever ridden it once or twice. I hadn’t even had a moment to take a photo, record the serial number, and register it with Project 529 Garage (conversely, when I bought my first e-bike in 2021 I immediately registered that one!) Thanks for all you do when we do what we’re supposed to. This has been an expensive lesson.
Would house insurance not cover that?
Some renter's or home owner's insurances would cover stolen bikes and some do not, so it's a good idea to double check your policy. Also, as Tony pointed out, sometimes the deductible is higher than the value of the bike, so it ends up basically meaning no coverage.
Heh. Well let’s say we had some issues with that. I reported the theft to the police. This manufacturer doesn’t track serial numbers on their invoices. And I was supposed to record the serial number from the bike. But as it stands I have no photos, no serial number, no proof that I originally had the bike. So the police couldn’t do anything. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of paying my deductible. It was a $2000 life lesson.
Bummer! Good points on your reply for us to note.
Thanks for the info. I have an Apple tag hidden on my bike, plus 2 disk brake alarms, plus one kryptonite $200 ulock with a chain and another kryptonite ulock that’s about $150.
I bought one of the hand-brake grip locks, but unfortunately my grips are flared and this lock is only good for straight grips.
My friend bought a disk brake alarm that has a tracker in it, plus it’s remote-controlled.
People can check out the Lockpicking Lawyer to see which locks are best or worst.
My $200 lock is what he has himself.
Why does 529 Garage not have a place to put the Bikebac tracker information for each bike I have registered?
Hi Jeff - Thanks for the question. This is something we are looking at adding in a future update.
Very good article and reminder that I have two new touring bikes to register!
Great stuff here. So many simple tips of which I’ve been conscious for years…and frequently ignore. Thanks for posting this reminder.
Why are the links in the Feb 28 email newsletters taking me to tik tok? You been hacked?
G
Hi Gordon,
Those were just some fun videos we thought folks would enjoy, like the Bike Bus video where communities come together to ride with kids to school.
Most of them are just random videos and not related to bikes at all. Is it something at my end?
Hi Gordon - Hmm - I clicked through them and they all look right to me. One on bike bus, one on how easy it is to clip a cable lock, the right way to lock, etc.
Well, that is so odd, I swear I’m not making it up! Lol
Maybe since I’m not a member of good standing with the tickety tok I’m not allowed I have mighty resisted!! oh well, I shall go crawl back under my
Hi Gordon - so sorry that's happenig for you. I quit my TikTok account about a month ago, but the links are still working for me.
But here's a fun bikebus video for you on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5S8c_rgxIY
What exactly is “the shield”?
Hi Greg - A shield is a tamper resistant decal with a unique ID that goes on the bike as both an indicator that the bike is registered, and an extra piece of identification for the bike. The ID is a 7-character code, similar to a license plate which is much easier to look up than a bike's serial number.
Like many others, I had my last bike stolen right out of my garage when I was moving into my current home. It happened in the span of less than one minute, and I didn't know to lock down the garage door since I was used to apartment/condo living. My 3 bikes are now secured with two cable locks daisy-chained together. While those can be cut, it will still make it more difficult for a thief to have time to grab them like they did last time. I also keep the deadbolt on my garage door always locked down unless I am physically present. I met the alleged thief (my neighbor's son) a few months later when I was in my garage and had the door remote in my hand. I opened the door and we were face to face, he mumbled his way through some kind of excuse why he was on my property and I gave him the 1,000 yard stare and said nothing for what was probably less than a minute. The moment seemed to slow down time for both of us. I then clicked the remote and closed the door. I've never seen that guy around since then!