My dream bike got stolen. Lessons, next?

[Bobsiii]

My Velotric Discover 1 was set up just the way I wanted, Jones H-Bar 2.5 Loop, Suntour suspension seat post, Tannus Armor/slime in tires/tubes, front and rear baskets.
And a nice Foldylock.
And it was stolen while I was at Dr ofc. Looking at video it appears I didn't secure it properly. Dude literally rolled it off.
Lesson learned: it ain't the equipment, it's the operator. I knew bike theft is a big problem in Denver, I developed a routine for locking up no matter the situation and used it religiously - until the 1 time I didn't. Yes, I was late, yes the rack was pretty full, yes I had a really good edible an hour earlier. Doesn't matter.

I'm a retiree on a small fixed income, don't drive, depend on the bike. Have not had credit for over 10 years, cash only life. Bought a low end ActBest from Amazon to use while I save for a good one. it's what I expected, nothing I would want to depend upon long term but sorta does the job.

So now I'm looking for a new bike, living small and saving everything I can. Aiming for the $2000 price point, and leaning heavily to the Velotric D2. Will probably use local ABS E Bikes USA https://ebikesusa.com/, bought previous 2 bikes from them but keeping an eye on Upways. Physical limits mean open Frame, cadence sensor. Like the new Euphree Stellar Falcon, the best cable management I've seen. ABS carries Euphree, not that model, anyone with some experience?

 

[speedub.nate]

I'm sure you're kicking yourself! Sorry to hear it. I've come back twice to a lock I accidentally didn't actually close, and another time I remembered the lock but forgot the key so faked it (just for a quick minute, still risky), and thankfully those times the bikes didn't go anywhere. And I've found that open frames can be just a tiny bit trickier to secure than traditional diamond frames.

As for locks I've been relying heavily on Hiplock Gold which I wear around my waist while riding and I don't even notice I'm carrying it, and sometimes I'll double it with a heavier-duty Kryptonite Evolution which is literally heavy, and sometimes a Master cable lock which is good and lightweight and particularly useful when I'm locking up a few bikes. Having a few options to fit the situation is useful. I want to invest in one of these cut-off wheel-resistant U-locks but wow the price on those is astronomical.

Upway has been useful to me but only when I can stack some discount codes on top of one of their rare "sales" (and what's really a sale price on a used bike?). They unfortunately have recently upped their minimum delivery charge so that's taken some of the shine off. One bike came with 0 miles, another nearly 1,000 on the odometer, I'm happy with both and the delivery experience was fine.

 

[stompandgo]

That sucks. We had a $7K eMTB stolen this year. 5 minutes of distraction was all it took.

I'm biased, but once your financial situation calms down, I'd replace what you already had. You put so much into it. Velotric Discovers aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[harryS]

That's too bad, Denver seems like a great place to live for biking, but the scale of bike theft sounds awful. I don't kmow if a better lock makes much difference if it's a organized gang with angle grinders and vans.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Edibles do not contribute to wisdom and attention to details. Not that that excuses the theft, but as you say, you made it easy for an opportunist. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Sorry to hear that Bobsiii. I know it hurts.
I take four precautions when out and about.

1. Motion Sensor Alarm
2. Cable Lock
3. Small padlock on the rear disc brake. It's an unexpected surprise if they try to ride away!
4. I never let my bike out of my sight. I go to restaurants, small stores, coffee shops, but I am always positioned so that my bike is never out of my sight.

 

[Chazmo]

That’s a shame to hear, Bobs… I hope you can replace it soon.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

That sucks. We had a $7K eMTB stolen this year. 5 minutes of distraction was all it took.

I'm biased, but once your financial situation calms down, I'd replace what you already had. You put so much into it. Velotric Discovers aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Does the Discover 2 have SensorSwap? Great feature. The OP wants cadence-sensing, but there are times and places for both kinds of assist. Why stick yourself with just one?

My wife's Breeze 1 has SensorSwap. She generally prefers torque-sensing. But her arthritic sacroiliac joints limit her pedal forces. That caps the assist she can get through torque-sensing. Switch to cadence-sensing just on the steeper climbs, problem solved.

Yes, the Breeze 1 has a thumb throttle, but neither of us likes the goofy implementation (the bike's only flaw.) She much prefers the SensorSwap solution. After all, cadence-sensing — as usually implemented — is nothing more than a pedal-activated all-or-nothing throttle.

 

[Dave Rocks]

thumb throttle's are cool.

 

[Bobsiii]

My routine for a STOP was always
1. Lock bike
2. Remove helmet, etc.
3. Recheck lock is securely locked.
4. Leave

In such a hurry I skipped 3, the most important step.

I was really happy with the D1, like the improvements Velotric made so the D2 is most likely - but it will take 5-6 me months to save enough to buy, so who knows what will change in that time.

 

[RunForTheHills]

I have a smart garage door opener. I often forget to close the garage door, but the app for the opener allows me to double check the door is closed after I leave. It's too bad they don't have a smart bike lock with a feature like that, but simple is probably better and I wouldn't want to have to charge my bike lock every day.

 

[Bobsiii]

Does the Discover 2 have SensorSwap? Great feature. The OP wants cadence-sensing, but there are times and places for both kinds of assist. Why stick yourself with just one?

My wife's Breeze 1 has SensorSwap. She generally prefers torque-sensing. But her arthritic sacroiliac joints limit her pedal forces. That caps the assist she can get through torque-sensing. Switch to cadence-sensing just on the steeper climbs, problem solved.

Yes, the Breeze 1 has a thumb throttle, but neither of us likes the goofy implementation (the bike's only flaw.) She much prefers the SensorSwap solution. After all, cadence-sensing — as usually implemented — is nothing more than a pedal-activated all-or-nothing throttle.

Did you try custom tuning the torque settings? Just seems to me that with that many options I should be able to find a combo that will work for me. or for her.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Did you try custom tuning the torque settings?

Don't recall seeing torque-sensing tuning options on the display, but I'll look again and check the app. Switching to cadence-sensing now and then isn't a big deal, and the need's arising less often, so not a high priority.

 

[Bobsiii]

Don't recall seeing torque-sensing tuning options on the display, but I'll look again and check the app. Switching to cadence-sensing now and then isn't a big deal, and the need's arising less often, so not a high priority.

Think the tuning is for amount of torque per power setting.

 

[KnobbyGuy]

I use a $15 "Tile" on all my ebikes, motorcycles, luggage etc. You could also use Apple ID tags. With some luck, Law Enforcement might be able to locate the scumbags.

 

[rob feature]

Bummer. Denver is absolutely lousy with bike thieves. I would also not try and rely on LEO to find and recover your rig. They tend to care less unless you're actively being murdered.

 

[spokewrench]

I rode one used BMW motorcycle 50,000 miles, including a 16,000 mile tour. I rode another used one 100,000 miles, including 8,000 miles in a two-week vacation. For all that riding, I made important modifications.

In cities all over North America, I'd put a dime in the meter and walk away, leaving my helmet on the handlebars. I'd leave the key in the ignition because I figured losing the key was a bigger risk than motorcycle theft. In all those years I'd always find it as I'd left it. I guess oddball bikes repel thieves. A thief may wonder if he can ride it, and he'll stand out like a sore thumb. He'll wonder how much time and money it would take to make it salable, and if it will be disabled by a problem he can't fix.

A friend bought a new Sportster with a built-in motion-sensor alarm. He used a very heavy chain and lock to secure it to a light pole in front of his window in the well-lit residential parking lot. A week later it disappeared while he slept.

I bought a heavy chain and lock with my Radrunner. It was a hassle to park it close to a heavy post. I moved the seat back maybe 8 inches to make it safer, more comfortable, and better to pedal. By the way people looked at it, I realized I no longer needed to lock it. Modifying my Radmission and my Abound also put an end to covetous glances.

A neighbor got a Radrover so she could ride alongside her 6-year-old son. The husband asked if I had an e-bike to sell. I offered to give him the Radrunner. He insisted on paying. It was about 15% of what I'd put into it, but that was fine with me. I explained the changes I'd made to make it safer and more comfortable. He converted it back to the stock make-believe motorcycle. He looked weird riding with his wife and son. They could pedal and he couldn't, and his bike was very uncomfortable with dangerously bad handling.

Thieves admired his taste so much that one night they came out of the woods with quiet power tools to remove the back of his locked garage. They stole the Radrunner. I don't know if his wife was insulted that they ignored her much more valuable Radrover.