How likely is a bike like Gocycle will get stolen in London

[Nabs]

I am itching to get a ebike very soon. I don't know what my future housing situation will be like, so I thought a foldable bike would be best as it will fit in with any future living space, and i can bring it in for safety.

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I would love to use it for the occasional commute but also to get around London. IE going to friends, or cinemas, restaurants, and the like. When I got to somewhere like a cinema or restaurant I will have to lock it up outside.

I guess I will have to get insurance, which is kinda expensive actually. I think all around this is the ebike I want most, its very expensive, but the cycle schemes will really help with the hit.

I guess with insurance it shouldn't matter if it might get stolen? Ideally I would like to insure it for a little below its value, perhaps the value at which I get it through the bike scheme.

The other options I am looking at are the Van Moof S3

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which seems like a great price for what it is, but it has no removable battery, and I am looking at a single speed E bike, not sure if that is a good idea?

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Would appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

 

[PedalUma]

Hi,
The Gocycle is nice but do not leave it unattended outside. Stay away from single speed bikes and if you can, look for mid-drive bikes.

 

[RunForTheHills]

I am not sure about the Gocycle, but I have a Brompton and I always bring it into restaurants. It fits next to or under the table and no one has ever given me a problem about it. Locking a bike up outside a movie theater is problematic because thieves will know you are going to be gone for a couple of hours. I have never taken a folding bike to the movie theater, but when I took my non-folding bike I locked it up a few blocks away near a restaurant with outdoor seating and it was fine.

 

[ActionJackson]

When I got to somewhere like a cinema or restaurant I will have to lock it up outside.

My colleague in London would always ride to business meetings and lunches on a Brompton and fold it / bag it, and take it inside the building or restaurant, sometimes checking it at the front desk. Actually it was annoying to the rest of us but primarily because he arrived on location late or early but never synchronized with the rest of the team. Most restaurants I’ve been to in London are also on the ground floor in a relatively safe area where you could watch your bike. I think the cinema would be a different story because they have a lot of security protocols. Looks like a nice bike, very portable and fitting with urban living. Maybe the upsides of its form factor exceed the downsides of the limitations. For example keeping it inside your house is a lot easier with that style of bike.

 

[Nabs]

Hi,
The Gocycle is nice but do not leave it unattended outside. Stay away from single speed bikes and if you can, look for mid-drive bikes.

Okay, I can strike off the single speed then. Drat I was afraid one of you guys would say this. So locking up a Gocycle outside in London isn't a good idea then? Thought if I have insurance it would be okay, if it did happen to get stolen. It would be just such a nice bike to store at my place.

I mean if I folded the Gocycle up, you can get it with two locks, and if I added another lock for three locks in total, wouldn't that be good enough? Maybe I'll get a dutch style bike with a mid drive.

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Just really want the gocycle, and I can bring that into restaurants, but I would want to be able to also go to cinemas, or concerts, or art gallery. So maybe the Gocyle isnt the one size fits all bike that would work. Would it really be that fool hardy to lock it up outside?

My colleague in London would always ride to business meetings and lunches on a Brompton and fold it / bag it, and take it inside the building or restaurant, sometimes checking it at the front desk. Actually it was annoying to the rest of us but primarily because he arrived on location late or early but never synchronized with the rest of the team. Most restaurants I’ve been to in London are also on the ground floor in a relatively safe area where you could watch your bike. I think the cinema would be a different story because they have a lot of security protocols. Looks like a nice bike, very portable and fitting with urban living. Maybe the upsides of its form factor exceed the downsides of the limitations. For example keeping it inside your house is a lot easier with that style of bike.

I am not sure about the Gocycle, but I have a Brompton and I always bring it into restaurants. It fits next to or under the table and no one has ever given me a problem about it. Locking a bike up outside a movie theater is problematic because thieves will know you are going to be gone for a couple of hours. I have never taken a folding bike to the movie theater, but when I took my non-folding bike I locked it up a few blocks away near a restaurant with outdoor seating and it was fine.

Thats a good point, i would be able to take it into restaurants, and I think i would like that. But might not be great in pubs unfortunately. I think the cinemas I would go to, its so packed in London, it would not be obvious I would be going into a cinema.

But bringing it into a cinema would be a hassle. I dont think that is a good option. But that is kinda important to me, to be able to bike to the cinema or something similar.

I think the difference with a Brompton is it doesnt look as flashy. And an electric Brompton you can't tell that easily apart from a regular Brompton. So maybe that would be a better option. The thing is they are similarly priced, and Gocyle is a much better ride. Wish they had some kinda more secure way of locking up a bike.

I dunno, maybe I could get two bikes, Gocyle for longer rides to friends and restaurants, and a normal cheaper cycle when I am going to lock it. for cinemas.

 

[RunForTheHills]

You can lock up a folding bike outside, and I have done that many times. It is going to attract more attention than that old beater next to it. I have a folding Abus lock on my Brompton for that purpose and have locked it up when running into an ice cream shop or store where I couldn't bring it inside. This wasn't in high crime areas though. While I have been to the UK on a business trip, I wasn't able to see London. I am not sure what it is like, but if I were in San Francisco I wouldn't leave it locked up and out of my sight for more than a few minutes. They will steal the parts off of, like the saddle, if they can't take the bike. Bromptons are very popular in London, so there must be a way to make it work. Maybe the theater allows you to check the folding bike at the entrance like VoltMan99 suggested.

This might be helpful, but it is slightly dated.
https://www.myorangebrompton.com/2012/11/where-you-brompton-is-welcome-in-london.html

 

[PedalUma]

I agree with each of the contributors above. I am also wild for Dutch Bikes. These are very rare in the US. Here bikes were thought of as recreational toys from after WWI to the present and not transportation like in the Netherlands. Those attitudes are changing in cities like Portland, Boston, and the San Francisco area. The riding position is very comfortable on a Dutch Bike and they are built to last with far less maintenance. Look at how straight the rider's back is on a Dutch Bike. Good visibility is another feature on Dutch Bikes.

 

[Nabs]

You can lock up a folding bike outside, and I have done that many times. It is going to attract more attention than that old beater next to it. I have a folding Abus lock on my Brompton for that purpose and have locked it up when running into an ice cream shop or store where I couldn't bring it inside. This wasn't in high crime areas though. While I have been to the UK on a business trip, I wasn't able to see London. I am not sure what it is like, but if I were in San Francisco I wouldn't leave it locked up and out of my sight for more than a few minutes. They will steal the parts off of, like the saddle, if they can't take the bike. Bromptons are very popular in London, so there must be a way to make it work. Maybe the theater allows you to check the folding bike at the entrance like VoltMan99 suggested.

This might be helpful, but it is slightly dated.
https://www.myorangebrompton.com/2012/11/where-you-brompton-is-welcome-in-london.html

There may be some cinemas that allow it. But I doubt there would be many. Yeah I remember when I would go to San Fran to visit my cousins they would say how bad it was for bike theft. I don't think its quite that bad here. I was trying to convince myself that a Gocycle would be fine to lock up from time to time. I think i would always try to bring it inside with me, but would just like to lock it up outside from time to time, but I guess if I get it, it will be purely to bring in. Which is disappointing.

I agree with each of the contributors above. I am also wild for Dutch Bikes. These are very rare in the US. Here bikes were thought of as recreational toys from after WWI to the present and not transportation like in the Netherlands. Those attitudes are changing in cities like Portland, Boston, and the San Francisco area. The riding position is very comfortable on a Dutch Bike and they are built to last with far less maintenance. Look at how straight the rider's back is on a Dutch Bike. Good visibility is another feature on Dutch Bikes.

I'm, totally into these as well. Its one of three bikes I am considering. Not sure if I would get an electric version or just a vanilla version. When I get a bit fitter, maybe just a regular one will do. But for some of my clients I would have to bike an hour, and sometimes when biking back late from a friends or the cinemas, you're a bit tired and not up for properly biking.

There are just so many considerations, but I guess there is no perfect solution. An electric dutch bike could do though. Not sure if its better to get one with a battery that is integrated in the frame, or not.

 

[PedalUma]

I think it is nice to have one that is removable like the Dutch one in the second photo above. Why? It is easy to swap with a back up battery or take two. You can easily remove it for transporting, such as on a car rack. Removing the battery makes less of a theft temptation. Some removable batteries do not look like a battery. Some are lockable yet compact with high range, weighing 1.7Kg. Many have universal connectors so you are not stuck having to pay for a proprietary setup for an alternate. In-frame are almost exclusively proprietary and a pain to remove.

 

[Katzenjammer]

I think you should reconsider your expectations about insurance. Unless they are very different in the UK from the US, you're going to be going without your transportation for the duration while they process your claim. Then there's the delay while you wait for your replacement to arrive. Unless you don't plan on relying on your ebike for the bulk of your transportation needs, insurance may not measure up to all you hope for.

 

[Nabs]

I think you should reconsider your expectations about insurance. Unless they are very different in the UK from the US, you're going to be going without your transportation for the duration while they process your claim. Then there's the delay while you wait for your replacement to arrive. Unless you don't plan on relying on your ebike for the bulk of your transportation needs, insurance may not measure up to all you hope for.

Ah that didn't even cross my mind. Yeah, that might be a bit of a problem then. I mean, could live without it certainly.

Perhaps I could use an uglier foldable bike. I think i should just get over the gocycle. Or perhaps any foldable cycle including even just a regular Brompton?

 

[PedalUma]

Ah that didn't even cross my mind. Yeah, that might be a bit of a problem then. I mean, could live without it certainly.

Perhaps I could use an uglier foldable bike. I think i should just get over the gocycle. Or perhaps any foldable cycle including even just a regular Brompton?

I convert bikes into Electric and can make a battery look like a water bottle and the motor vanish between the pedals. An old green Raleigh folder from 1973 with a coaster brake, three-speed would a be cool stealth ride. Things internal like the gears and bearings could be updated so it only looks like an old bike but rides like a new bike. These bikes can be found around here for about $270 US. I do not know about prices in London for an old folder. The savings would more than pay for the updates. You could even apply chunky acrylic paint to look like rust!