What kind of people steal bikes?

Types of offenders

Most of these offenders are male and under the age of 16. Acquisitive: These thieves steal bicycles for financial gain and usually trade them for cash or goods. The bikes may also be sold in pieces for drugs or money.

Is bike stealing common?

Bicycle theft is an unfortunate occurrence and an increasing trend these past few years, and cyclists from the United States are no exception. According to the latest FBI Uniform Crime Report, from 2007 to 2011, bicycle theft in the United States rose (on average) 14% each year.

What do people do when they steal a bike?

How can you tell if someone is stealing your bike?

How to know if a bike is stolen? A definitive way to find out if its stolen is by asking for the bike's serial number and putting it into a bike registry database to check. Also Look for red flags such as too good of a price, spray painted bike, or a seller who gives little information.

Where do bikes get stolen the most?

Watch How Long It Takes For A Thief To Snatch A Locked Bicycle

Why do people steal bikes so much?

Acquisitive: These thieves steal bicycles for financial gain and usually trade them for cash or goods. The bikes may also be sold in pieces for drugs or money. In Portland, Oregon bike thieves are often drug addicts who provide stolen bicycles to drug dealers in exchange for drugs.

Why do bikes always get stolen?

Another reason theft is so prevalent is that locks haven't kept pace with the times. The ones that do work can be so expensive or so heavy that they actually deter people from riding in the first place. GPS trackers can locate a stolen bike, but do nothing to stop thieves who only want to strip its parts.

Where do thieves sell stolen bikes?

Check ebay, Gumtree, craigslist. Check out the listings on ebay, Gumtree and craigslist. Thieves will often try to sell stolen bikes through these sites.

How do I protect my bike from theft?

Lock both wheels and the frame of your bike to a cycle stand or other immoveable object. Use designated parking areas where possible. Make sure the locks go through the bike frame as well as both wheels and the post you are securing it to. Otherwise, a thief may steal the bike and leave the wheels behind.

What are the chances of getting a stolen bike back?

With these bleak statistics, it's no wonder that only 5 percent of owners get their stolen bike back.

Are bike locks easy to break?

The lock cylinder is high quality and difficult to pick for bike thieves. The metal bars are hardened steel; like other high-end bicycle locks the only practical way to break it is by using a grinder.

Do Thieves steal bike racks?

It does happen but not often. Bike racks are designed to fit specific model vehicles, so they are not universal. In addition, they have security features such as locks, cables, brackets, and hitches. When a bike rack gets tampered with, it's usually because they are attempting to steal the bikes on the rack.

How many bikes get stolen a year?

I wouldn't consider myself especially lucky in that respect but according to crime data over 376,000 bicycles are stolen each year, which is roughly one every 90 seconds.

How do you steal a street bike?

Best security: “The most common way of stealing a motorcycle is by lifting it off of the ground and loading into a van. Quick, easy, quiet, once the bike is in the van it's invisible, riding it comes with a greater risk of being caught. Plus you don't even need to know how to ride it. No need to override the ignition.

Where do you go if someone stole your cycle?

How common is London bike theft?

In the past five full calendar years – 2017 to 2021 – a huge 162,943 bicycles were reported stolen in London. That's roughly one every 16 minutes. The true figure is likely to be higher still, as many people do not bother reporting thefts. Combined, these stolen bikes were worth £93m – about £570 each on average.

What do thieves do with stolen bike?

Professional Thieves.

They have the tools that can cut through u-locks and aim to resell stolen bikes at a price near their “fair market value.” These thieves acquire the bicycles from the streets, but then resell them on online markets to maximize the selling price.

How often does bike theft occur?

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.

Do road bikes get stolen?

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.

How do thieves steal motorcycles?

Most Common Motorcycle Theft Methods

Sometimes it's as easy as throwing a leg over and riding away. The thief walks up to your bike, disables anti-theft devices and locks, jump starts the engine and hits the road with your bike.

How do you track a bike?

The most comprehensive tracking product, Rover Bike is a discreet motorcycle tracker that once fitted to your bike, lets you see where it is through on a secure portal! Rover Bike tells you the LIVE locations of your Bike on map, with direction as well as speed.

How do thieves cut bike locks?

A pair of hand held cable cutters will snip through most cable locks in seconds. Cheap, inconspicuous and easy to carry around in a coat pocket, this is the tool that's most commonly used by bike thieves. And it's worth repeating again: they will cut through nearly all cable locks in seconds.

Is there a bike lock that can't be cut?

Is There a Bike Lock That Can't Be Cut? The Altor SAF and the Skunklock are the two most uncuttable bike locks on the market. Both of these locks employ anti-cut features that make them capable of defeating power tools. These two locks are the strongest and most unbreakable bike locks on the market.