I'm curious...for those of you who leave your bike locked for an hour or more, do you remove the battery and take it with you?

[DouglasB]

Thieves are very clever people. I wouldn't count on a high traffic areas offering much security. For one, people don't want to get involved and another, all the thief has to do is act casual, as if it's his bike. "Yeah, lost my key dude, bummer".

 

[Over50]

If you are leaving your bike locked up for an extended period while out and about, do you remove the battery?

I started out taking the battery with me. As much for adding a bit of juice as for theft prevention. Now when commuting I only take it when the weather is cold. When I leave the battery (or batteries in the case of my dual-battery bike) on the bike I check in about 10 times during the work day. Our bike racks are also right where the building's smokers congregate and quite a few of them know which bike is mine. I've put the word out with my smoking co-workers to give it a look every time they go outside to smoke. And, hopefully as a last resort, I have insurance that covers bike parts in the event a thief is able to drill the lock and abscond with my battery. When I ride one of my Terns, I use a bike-cover in addition to the bike locks. At least keeps the goodies out of plain-view.

 

[erider_61]

Checking on it multiple times during the day does nothing to increase the security unless you happen upon the thief in the act.

 

[Over50]

Checking on it multiple times during the day does nothing to increase the security unless you happen upon the thief in the act.

checking on it multiple times per day and having co-workers look out for it increases the probability that we would happen on a thief in the act and decreases the opportunity for thieves ... or said another way, diminishes their window of opportunity.

 

[vincent]

I remove my batteries pretty much every time

Agree the bike is hopefully less attractive without that $500 battery on it...

 

[Asher]

So it seems the majority of you leave the battery in when locked. My original thoughts on this weren't so much as someone stealing the battery per se, as it was more to someone stealing the entire bike being more attractive when the expensive battery is installed. I think it is going to be much harder to sell an ebike without the battery and obviously worth less money.

Yeah I have the same question - it's odd that almost everyone misunderstands you and thinks thieves are after the battery.

I remove my batteries pretty much every time

Agree the bike is hopefully less attractive without that $500 battery on it...

+1, these bikes are big paperweights without a battery, and buying a $500+ battery would nuke the financial appeal of stealing a battery-less e-bike, provided the thief can't get a compatible battery on the cheap (which seems unlikely unless it's a Bosch, and only then maybe).

Thieves are very clever people. I wouldn't count on a high traffic areas offering much security. For one, people don't want to get involved and another, all the thief has to do is act casual, as if it's his bike. "Yeah, lost my key dude, bummer".

Yeah, pedestrian traffic is overrated IMO. It can even be a culprit - a thief has to travel a way smaller distance in a place like SF or NYC to see locked bikes, than a suburb. The thief first has to see your bike to steal it, so high exposure is a double-edged sword at best. Who's gonna scare off a guy brandishing an angle grinder?

 

[mschwett]

Yeah, pedestrian traffic is overrated IMO. It can even be a culprit - a thief has to travel a way smaller distance in a place like SF or NYC to see locked bikes, than a suburb. The thief first has to see your bike to steal it, so high exposure is a double-edged sword at best. Who's gonna scare off a guy brandishing an angle grinder?

my experience with high density urban environments and theft is that thieves are not taking the bikes that require an angle grinder if there’s very heavy pedestrian traffic. bolt cutters yes, angle grinder no. grinders are for lower traffic areas where only a few people might walk by, and as you say, most people are not going to intervene.

on the original topic, i prefer fully integrated batteries but if i had a removable one i would not remove it.

 

[sarahlaughed]

I leave my battery on the bike — but I bought insurance specifically for my e-bike, which covers theft of accessories and components, as well as of the whole bike. Also gives me some liability insurance, in case somebody doors me and then tries to say it’s my fault and I have to pay, and roadside service/bike transport if something goes wrong on the road. It’s not expensive, and we’ll worth the peace of mind for me.

 

[Funpilot]

Which insurance did you go with?

 

[Asher]

Which insurance did you go with?

Most of the insurera are just Markel or rebranded Markel. Not sure there's much difference among them.

I'm deciding between buying insurance and buying a very high security bike lock (prob Litelok X3). Leaning towards the latter, and use it only for trips where I need high security (like locked away from me for multiple hours). ~$150 annually vs ~$300 once, and using lighter locks vs keeping my current bike but carrying a 4-5 lb lock when needed.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Most of the insurera are just Markel or rebranded Markel. Not sure there's much difference among them.

I'm deciding between buying insurance and buying a very high security bike lock (prob Litelok X3). Leaning towards the latter, and use it only for trips where I need high security (like locked away from me for multiple hours). ~$150 annually vs ~$300 once, and using lighter locks vs keeping my current bike but carrying a 4-5 lb lock when needed.

Before you go the no-insurance route, research bike theft on YouTube. Lots of helpful videos from credible sources. The 3 main lessons:

1. Can't count on people passing by to intervene in ANY way. One guy repeatedly stole his own bike on a busy London sidewalk in broad daylight, and no one said a word or even pulled out a cell phone. The thefts weren't quick, so he had plenty of exposure.

2. Given 20-30 minutes, a pro thief with an angle grinder can get through ANY lock or chain. Most are much quicker. They also have effective screw-type prying and breaking tools that fit in your pocket and make no noise.

3. See no. 1. The thieves know this and can be quite brazen. So a lock taking a long time to defeat isn't as much a deterrent as you might hope.

For these reasons -- and the considerable value and utility in being able to leave my bike with reasonable peace of mind -- I opted for insurance.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I agree with the insurance point of view. Get a good lock, by all means, but theft is only one of the things insurance can cover. In today's litigious environment, if you brush up against someone or their dog, or put a tiny scratch on someone's car you can end up liable for much more than your bike is probably worth. Forget about any real injuries to yourself or others. The best lock in the world doesn't cover any of that.

Markel lets you choose the coverage you want.

TT

 

[Tom@WashDC]

I leave the battery, but my bike is never out of my sight. I have a cable lock, a padlock on the front disc brake, padlock on the rear disc brake, and a motion sensor alarm. When I am at a restaurant or brewery, I sit where I can see it. It is always within view.

 

[Asher]

Before you go the no-insurance route, research bike theft on YouTube. Lots of helpful videos from credible sources. The 3 main lessons:

1. Can't count on people passing by to intervene in ANY way. One guy repeatedly stole his own bike on a busy London sidewalk in broad daylight, and no one said a word or even pulled out a cell phone. The thefts weren't quick, so he had plenty of exposure.

2. Given 20-30 minutes, a pro thief with an angle grinder can get through ANY lock or chain. Most are much quicker. They also have effective screw-type prying and breaking tools that fit in your pocket and make no noise.

3. See no. 1. The thieves know this and can be quite brazen. So a lock taking a long time to defeat isn't as much a deterrent as you might hope.

For these reasons -- and the considerable value and utility in being able to leave my bike with reasonable peace of mind -- I opted for insurance.

Look up the X3.

 

[Asher]

I agree with the insurance point of view. Get a good lock, by all means, but theft is only one of the things insurance can cover. In today's litigious environment, if you brush up against someone or their dog, or put a tiny scratch on someone's car you can end up liable for much more than your bike is probably worth. Forget about any real injuries to yourself or others. The best lock in the world doesn't cover any of that.

Markel lets you choose the coverage you want.

TT

And then the insurance premium will blow up. I've biked for a decade most every day, commuting and all. Never caused damage to other people's property.

I leave the battery, but my bike is never out of my sight. I have a cable lock, a padlock on the front disc brake, padlock on the rear disc brake, and a motion sensor alarm. When I am at a restaurant or brewery, I sit where I can see it. It is always within view.

Some may sacrifice having a life to protect a bike. Not for me.

 

[Nomad]

No, but I take the controller off (Shimano STEPS). The battery has a lock on it.

That a good point about the lock some batteries require a key to remove

 

[mschwett]

Some may sacrifice having a life to protect a bike. Not for me.

amen. money and things can be replaced, time cannot. i take reasonable precautions, have insurance, and from there, what happens happens.

 

[Asher]

amen. money and things can be replaced, time cannot. i take reasonable precautions, have insurance, and from there, what happens happens.

Yeah I see it like breaking traffic laws on my bike when there aren't cars in the way. Will I get fined? Maybe, maybe not. But it's possible I'll almost never get fined, and then all that obedience is for naught. So I'll take the chance and reconsider if I get caught.

If my bike gets stolen, then I'll know to take more precautions with the next one. plus I poll people I know about their experiences. Paranoid guy on the internet or a story from someone locking overnight all the time with a shitty lock in the street is completely irrelevant to someone locking an hour here and there.

 

[McApple]

Our batteries require keys to remove them. Our stops are usually at small, local restaurants; we use cable locks and remove the controllers.

 

[Dorkyman]

All you need to do to greatly reduce chance of theft is to spraypaint a portion of your bike+battery dayglow orange. What idiot thief will take it then, knowing it is instantly identifiable?

Yeah, I know, pride of ownership and all that. I'd rather have the Peace of Mind knowing the bike will be there when I come back.