E-Bike Theft (no way to prevent it?)

[JL0256]

Let me describe the sad story of a person who I know very well, and who lives in a good neighbourhood of a North European country's capital city.
The man owned as many as two Bosch E-Bikes, Smart System, Flow App. One night, he forgot locking his garage. His two e-bikes got stolen overnight.
He filed a police report. He marked his e-bikes as stolen in the Flow App. He reported the case to his insurer.
The police didn't find the e-bikes. The insurance was excellent, so our man soon got the full compensation. The most interesting part comes now.

Someone tried to use the Bosch Flow App as if the person bought the e-bike second hand. Our man immediately denied the operation. Bear in mind, the e-bike in question had been marked as stolen yet the stupid Bosch system still allowed for transferring the ownership. Our man wanted to get some credentials of the new "owner", so he tried using Bosch E-Bike support page to no avail. Bosch evidently does not want to be contacted, and the website turned out to be a rubbish as it comes to seeking for more help.

The man is furious with himself. He could have locked the garage in the first place. He could have removed the e-bike batteries and displays from the e-bikes and bring them home. The only good thing was the thieves did not get the chargers or the battery keys.

Is there any way we can protect our e-bikes against the theft?

That’s a really frustrating story, and honestly it highlights how limited the current “smart” anti-theft systems still are. Even marked as stolen, the fact someone could try to transfer ownership is pretty wild. At that point the only real protection ends up being the old-school stuff: lock the garage every time, add a heavy secondary lock inside so it’s not a quick grab, and take the batteries or display indoors if you can. A hidden GPS tracker or Airtag isn’t perfect but at least gives a chance of recovery. Nothing stops a determined thief completely, but layering a few simple steps does make it a lot harder. Glad insurance covered it, but the whole situation really shows the system needs improvement.

 

[6zfshdb]

Aside from locks, the best way to prevent theft is to make the other guys bike look more attractive and easier to steal.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Aside from locks, the best way to prevent theft is to make the other guys bike look more attractive and easier to steal.

That's why I bought my riding partner all the bike bling available

 

[sc00ter]

I don't fully trust technology. Look at how easy it is to steal a Hyundai with a Flipper device. Make thieves really work for it if they want it. I lock my 2 ebikes together at night thru the back wheels with a LiteLok X3. I use a X1 in public. Anyways, if a thief (or bum) breaks into the garage they're gonna be "bummed" to see the X3 thru the back wheels. The odds of me forgetting to lock the ebikes at night is possible, but not very high. Also, thieves LOVE garages because they get privacy. A heavy-duty chain would work as well. Chains are a PITA to angle grind thru.

Sorry to hear about your friend slipping up and loosing his ebikes. Nice to hear the insurance pulled thru.

 

[Chargeride]

Aside from locks, the best way to prevent theft is to make the other guys bike look more attractive and easier to steal.

Thats a war of attrition that will end up in both of you on a tandem recumberant.

 

[6zfshdb]

Thats a war of attrition that will end up in both of you on a tandem recumberant.

May well be true as long as the tandem doesn't get stolen too.

 

[sc00ter]

May well be true as long as the tandem doesn't get stolen too.

Funny you say that! My local ebike shop said someone walked off with their Pedego tandem! The thief couldn't power it on for some reason and while the thief was trying a passerby recognized the tandem and notified the ebike shop. The shop got their tandem back pretty much unharmed. Needless to say thieves will steal ANYTHING!

I was coming home one evening awhile ago and saw a few small kids trying to ride a full sized road bike along the railroad tracks. The road bike looked a bit to nice for these kids to be trying to ride it, so I waved down a cop passing by and pointed it out. The kids dropped the bike and took off as the cop approached. The cop caught one kid AND it turns out the bike was stolen.

 

[PedalUma]

About 6 years ago, pre-pandemic, I was on a break from work in a bike shop and sat on a landscaping wall for a while reading a book. I had a Chapstick in my back pocket making a lump, so I set it on the wall next to me. A woman came up from behind, nabbed the Chapstick and cakeled like an insane witch. Kleptos do it not because the need to, it is that they are addicted to the thrill. This one is from my hometown. Now she does some stranger things.