[aigo]

We have had this level of professionalism in London for some time now. It's not necessarily true that you must ride an older, uglier bike, though this will work.

All that is needed is to be the least stealable bicycle in the rack. In my case this means two locks of different kinds. It's a big deterrent and they will move on to other, easier targets.

If you can avoid being the lowest hanging fruit, you will probably be alright.

[mcv]

Professionalism in bike theft isn't so much about tools, but about organisation. Professional bike thieves will have a van, load it up with exactly the bikes they already know they can sell, and drive their load to the other side of the country (if your country is small like Netherland, that is), and sell them there. Or maybe sell them in a different country.

I've noticed that sometimes more expensive bikes simply don't get stolen while cheap ones do. I assume that's because of an easier market to sell them. There was a period when my son's children's bikes got stolen all the time, while my far more expensive cargo bike wasn't, despite it being only locked with a ring lock, and no chain. But of course a kid's bike is also much easier to pick up, and it had a very light lock.

[aigo]

That's really interesting and completely the opposite to here.

In London, most stolen bikes are expensive (or expensive-looking) and they are primarily resold within London.

[Freak_NL]

In the Netherlands they won't attempt to sell them here. Too much risk with frame numbers etched in and other ways of marking it. The safest bet is to move them out of the country on the day they steal them; way out to Eastern Europe.

[pmontra]

Another tip: lock your bike close to more expensive ones.

[techdragon]

This is the bike theft version of “I don’t have to outrun the bear/tiger, i just have to outrun the slowest other person.”

[usrusr]

> All that is needed is to be the least stealable bicycle in the rack.

So true. Many people seem to imagine bike locks as an arms race between owners and thieves, but it's an arms race between owners and other owners. The role of thieves in that arms race is more like that of a judge than like that of a participant. Well, unless they refuse acting in that role and just pick up the entire rack...

[spicybright]

Off topic, but this reminds me of that bit from Trailer Park Boys where they steal a rack. So good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODIkw4MAeVg

(language warning if you've never seen the show)

[zimpenfish]

Yeah, if I lock mine up anywhere in London (even in workplace bike stores), I always use three (different) locks. Faff and heavy to carry but, touch wood, no-one has stolen a bike of mine yet in 20 years.

[fy20]

I had a bike stolen 10 years ago from an underground garage, they just ignored the locks and cut through the rack

[spicybright]

Had 2 stolen so far, cut the bike lock off. I buy my bikes around $50 each or fix up side of the road ones. Basically disposable, given that I enjoy the process of fixing.