Over on the Fatbiking & Health thread contained within the Fat Bikes forums on MTBR (it's where I personally have been posting for the past 4 years or so), one of our fellow thread members had his
Specialized carbon fat bike (with fancy high dollar carbon rims) stolen out from under him while he was inside his local northern California meet up and eatery shop during the past month.
Seems like one of the local homeless/druggy types made off with it.
Don't recall the lock he used, but it was one of those minimalist kevlar-belt type locks that saved on weight.
With the advent of portable, 24 to 50 volt grinders with all manner of cutting wheels; easily purchased at the local Harbor Freight (20% off coupons, too!), it has never been easier for bicycle thiefs today to steal our bikes.
The best thing aside from locking our bikes with a heavy duty lock like the Abus Bordo or something similar is Situational Awareness in those times we are off and away from our bikes. There is no lock out there that is 100% theft proof; take that fact with a very determined thief armed with one of these portable, battery powered cutting tools and we lose every single time. Situational Awareness like sizing up the surroundings of an establishment we wish to go into; people......eyeing up folks eyeing up your bike as you roll up. Getting that sketchy feeling? Keep on rolling to another place of business until your Spidey Sense says you feel safe.
Every now and then on my local rides I will stop at one of 2 particular local Wawa convenience stores for a sandwich and drink on the go. Both are located near NJ Turnpike on and off ramps, so folks are constantly driving in and out on a constant basis. Though I always lock my Haibike around a steel handicapped parking sign post; while I am inside, I am ALWAYS looking outside towards the bike to see if it catches any interest. And it does; but most folks are just interested in the bike for what it is and will start a conversation when I come out to it, my business inside having been concluded. But what if????
Situational awareness as having a front row table where your locked bike can be observed by you should you be stopping off for a mid-ride slice of pizza and drink.
Situational awareness as in knowing the towns and cities we are pedaling in. Up on the Delaware and Lehigh Canal, even with an Abus Bordo employed, it may not be a wise idea to leave our Ebikes unattended for long in towns such as Bristol, Morrisville, Easton. Know that along some stretches of that canal, especially the southern end, there are homeless encampments hidden within those woods off the towpaths. But that kind of thinking can apply to any other middling to large populated center; in any state of our country.
The meth and heroin problem in the recent decade is responsible for these camps, so one just has to be on our toes with eyes wide open in where we are pedaling or stopping. Remember too in our particular local area, going through those towns featuring a high crime rate, poverty and or increased illegal drug use, that eyes are always watching you as you are pedaling on through. On my own riding through some iffy neighborhoods in order to reach the D&L Canal from my own homebase canal, I make it a point to never ride through in the hours of darkness; I ride through smartly and efficiently to get through as fast as possible, not dawdling, not sightseeing along the way. Even my low-key color ensemble of cycling clothing (some shades of camo and gray & black) helped to keep my profile stealth. To wear bright flourescent orange and safety yellow is to really make you stick out like a sore thumb.
So there you go. Lightweight savings should not be a consideration if our bike travels take us in sketchy towns. And our particular riding areas meet that criteria. It's not about being paranoid or nervous, to be constantly on-edge. It's about employing Situational Awareness while out riding or on a ride break. To size up the area before us to determine what level of alertness we employ.
In reality, it is no more different then having a spare tire tube or patch kit on hand to fix a flat. It's just one more tool to carry with us in our daily riding. Hope this has helped or made anyone consider these possibilities when out riding with our high dollar ebikes.
When going inside a store or place of business; your bike locked around a secure pole or what have you; if your bike's Display can be removed, take it with you. At the minimum, you've created a heavy weight bike that cannot have it's drive system turned on; slowing down the potential get-away for the thief.
