There’s a bike stolen in the UK every 90 seconds – that’s a staggering 376,000 a year.
We’re talking about security at home – first and foremost, your garage.
It will probably shock you that you can break into a garage door, easily, in less than 5 minutes.
With thieves getting smarter and more determined to liberate you of your pride and joy … it’s more important than ever to make sure that you’re security is like Fort Knox – be it at home, at work, at the races or in transport to the trails.
We’ve teamed up with Abus to give you a few tips on keeping your bikes secure.
These tips have come with the help of Mr Roger Seal, Abus’ man in the UK, based in Avonmouth, Bristol. If you don’t know, Abus are experts in security products and build locks, chains and other security products for us at home and away. They’ve been in the business since 1924.
1. Buy a very good quality chain. Don’t be a cheap skate.
“Use the highest quality wall/ground anchor and chain that you can afford. An investment of around £200 can protect up-to 4 bikes, which might well be worth more than your car” Says Roger at Abus.
Heavy weight doesn’t always equal high security for a chain. Look for chains that have the Thatcham (motorbike) certification as this is tested to a higher security level than bicycle locks. A good recommendation is the Abus WBA100 wall/floor anchor and CityChain X Plus 1060 in 140cm. Just suck up this cost as part of the cost of your new bike and get over it.
You can read our review of the Abus WBA100 ground anchor here.
2. Your garage door is the weak point.
“Up-and-over garage doors are incredibly easy to force open. Use deadbolts on each corner of the garage door like this to stop thieves.”
A central, floor mounted ‘garage defender’ lock still allows the corners of a garage door to be forced open as well as ‘advertising’ that you might have something valuable inside.
Make sure all exterior doors and windows are secure – there’s no point securing your garage door if a thief can just smash a window. If your garage has a second door or a connecting door to your house, make sure it’s big, heavy and solid. Door bars can make a door significantly more secure.
3. UPVC windows are bad news.
“UPVC windows are not secure. Thieves can open them in seconds using simple tools.”
Make sure any garage windows are protected on the inside with additional locks/bars. Also, of course, make sure that you can’t see through windows into your garage. Consider filling in any windows if you think they’re a weak point.
4. Go high-tech.
“Use electronics to discourage thieves and should the worst happen, help track down the culprits.”
“Alarms discourage thieves, Plug and Play CCTV/smartphone systems like the ABUS TVAC16000B are very affordable and can move house with you.”
There are some very smart systems around that can send alerts to your phone, allow live CCTV streams to the web and combine alarms.
Just remember, thieves are smart and those cheap, Plug n’ Play camera systems can be easily unplugged rendering them useless. Cheap alarm systems like this are just about better than nothing but are prone to false alarms and fail if the batteries get low.
5. Keep it on the down low.
“Don’t advertise your hobby to the wrong people. Your best defense is no one knowing you even have bikes in your home.”
- Secure your Strava so no one can see where you start or finish rides. Learn how here.
- Don’t post pictures of your house, garage or even your bikes online.
- Be subtle when loading or unloading bikes.
- Don’t advertising your sport by covering your van or car in bike-brand stickers.
- Don’t leave your garage door open with your bikes on display.
6. Keep those serial numbers safe.
“Register your bikes, note the frame numbers and take photos of each bike regularly. Note any specific components or unique features.”
If your bikes get stolen the police and insurance companies will need these details in order to track them down. Don’t be the guy that can’t prove the recovered bike in the police station is his!
7. … and just in case this doesn’t work, make sure you’re insured well.
“Insure your property against theft, make sure the small print covers garages and out-buildings even if they are not physically attached to your house. Get away-from-home cover included if you can too, so you’re covered if your car or van gets broken into”.
There’s a few options out there, including Pedal Cover who are based in South Wales and offer insurance for cyclists against thefts, damage to your bike and personal injury.
Have you had your garage broken into? What tips can we add to this story to help warn other riders?
Comment below and we’ll update the story.
Thanks to Roger at Abus UK for his expert advice on garage security.
