How safe is your bike in Thailand

[parafareno]

I think in CM it must be safer to keep the bike outside the restaurant than in pattaya I presume

I am thinking of buying Giant Trance but I am afraid somebody will steal it. Did that happen to you before?

[bobfish]

I've unfortunately had bikes stolen - just turned my back for a minute.

If you're going to hang out sipping lattes in restaurants, get a beater bike or a decent lock, or better still, both. Save your real bike for the trails.

Edited August 4, 2015 by bobfish

[parafareno]

I thought the same, if I leave my Giant trance infront of the mall, I wonder how long it would be there...

[bobfish]

There's only one sure way to find out!!

[chiangmaiexpat]

A Giant Trance is way too high-end to leave it unattended in the city. Better get a cheap second bike.

[impulse]

Get one of these.

But calling a bike "unstealable" is like calling a ship "unsinkable" Bad karma...

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/05/tech/yerka-unstealable-bike/index.html

Edited August 6, 2015 by impulse

[HooHaa]

i ask a nearby yam to keep an eye on mine.

been lucky so far.

[Deserted]

Bike theft is on the up here because more people are cycling and proper bikes aren't cheap as we know. I had my first one stolen, it had a lock on it and was busted in 5 seconds. Happened in Bangkok. When I joined a cycling club, there wasn't a member who hadn't had theirs stolen at some point either.

Definitely worth investing in a good lock, if only for peace of mind.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Lock it or loose it. I use a D-lock if i will be out of site of my bike. Roadside shop if i can see it whilst i am in there 90% time it will be unlocked and this is when i am out on a ride passing through a village. If you can't see it and you nip into a 7-11 at some point after 50, 100, 500 ? visits it will be gone guaranteed. Just a matter of time and luck or bad luck. I do have an around town shopping bike. It has one of those chinese built in wheel locks. Thats perfect for the market or nipping into shops. If i go to Tesco and will be in there for a while the U Lock is used.

[oldmajor]

When I was renting a serviced apartment a few years ago, I had my MTB stolen from the parking lot. (Locked) CCTV footage showed a van had been turning up for a few nights before the bike was actually stolen. The MTB was a 23" frame, so not for the average Thai. I was lucky that the apartment paid for a replacement bike and fired the guard on duty. After that, I kept the good bikes upstairs and had a beater locked up downstairs for the shop runs. Can't be too careful.

[parafareno]

appartment bought you a new bike, lol, that is not a usual thing in Thailand....lol, I would never leave a good bike outside appartment, ....

[Assurancetourix]

Never had a problem in Thailand....but also I have never play with matches.

When in a GH everywhere in Thailand, I put my bike in the room where I sleep ; never outside !!

[Skyboogie]

Bike theft is on the up here because more people are cycling and proper bikes aren't cheap as we know. I had my first one stolen, it had a lock on it and was busted in 5 seconds. Happened in Bangkok. When I joined a cycling club, there wasn't a member who hadn't had theirs stolen at some point either.

Definitely worth investing in a good lock, if only for peace of mind.

May I ask which type of lock you were using?

[Deserted]

It was the plastic coated wire ones where the lock clicks into place and has a key, cost about 300 baht. The police suggested that I don't buy that type again as a professional thief can bust them easily. I've gone in the other direction now and double lock, one of them is a D-lock but the thing is nearly 3 kilos, so I don't always carry it around. I think a metal chain (can be bought in any hardware store) and a 300 baht padlock would be enough

[stoneyboy]

Mines safe as I haven't got one.

[SoiBiker]

I lock my bike up here with a lock that cost me about 200 baht in a supermarket - and it's still more secure than most of the other bikes nearby.

Back in London my locks cost more than my bike - and weighed about half as much.

[parafareno]

yeah right, 200 bht lock is secure, come on dude, you did not come across some sticky fingaz pro I guees, you are exhagarrating

I would buy dlock, but I dont know where to mount it when not used, around my waist or where lol

[Deserted]

yeah right, 200 bht lock is secure, come on dude, you did not come across some sticky fingaz pro I guees, you are exhagarrating

I would buy dlock, but I dont know where to mount it when not used, around my waist or where lol

That is an issue, I carry it in the rucksack. That thing can cause serious damage if it comes off the bike whilst riding. Cheap locks give you a certain amount of protection and safety. The pro thieves can destroy them in seconds, its just a matter of luck or time as to whether one of them comes across your bike.

Go into your nearest bike shop and talk to them about it. They know better than anyone how many bikes are being stolen.

[parafareno]

I think the best is chain wrapped in pastic or something so it does not damage your bike and then you just chain it under the sear somehow

[impulse]

I think the best is chain wrapped in pastic or something so it does not damage your bike and then you just chain it under the sear somehow

A bolt cutter and less than 3 seconds and your bike is gone.... Chains only keep the honest folk away.

[CNXBKKMAN]

yeah right, 200 bht lock is secure, come on dude, you did not come across some sticky fingaz pro I guees, you are exhagarrating

I would buy dlock, but I dont know where to mount it when not used, around my waist or where lol

That is an issue, I carry it in the rucksack. That thing can cause serious damage if it comes off the bike whilst riding. Cheap locks give you a certain amount of protection and safety. The pro thieves can destroy them in seconds, its just a matter of luck or time as to whether one of them comes across your bike.

Go into your nearest bike shop and talk to them about it. They know better than anyone how many bikes are being stolen.

When you shop around for a d-lock some of them will come with a plastic mounting bracket. Or if you have a rack just bungee cord it to the top.you can also see the cheap Chinese wheel locking lock on this photo. Handy for nipping into a 7-11.

[Deserted]

yeah right, 200 bht lock is secure, come on dude, you did not come across some sticky fingaz pro I guees, you are exhagarrating

I would buy dlock, but I dont know where to mount it when not used, around my waist or where lol

That is an issue, I carry it in the rucksack. That thing can cause serious damage if it comes off the bike whilst riding. Cheap locks give you a certain amount of protection and safety. The pro thieves can destroy them in seconds, its just a matter of luck or time as to whether one of them comes across your bike.

Go into your nearest bike shop and talk to them about it. They know better than anyone how many bikes are being stolen.

When you shop around for a d-lock some of them will come with a plastic mounting bracket. Or if you have a rack just bungee cord it to the top.you can also see the cheap Chinese wheel locking lock on this photo. Handy for nipping into a 7-11.

The plastic mountings do not usually last that long, they are best avoided in my experience.

[CNXBKKMAN]

The plastic mounting which came with my giant lock purchased in 2001 lasted longer than the lock. The locking mechanism failed around 2008 and i bought a second u-lock which you can see in the photo. The plastic bracket is the original from 2001 and has been fitted on a few bikes since i bought it.

[Spacer]

No lock will stop a theft. Keep your bike in sight at all times. At night keep it inside locked doors. Even then I have neighbors who had their bikes stolen from inside their homes at night.

[el jefe]

No lock will stop a theft. Keep your bike in sight at all times. At night keep it inside locked doors. Even then I have neighbors who had their bikes stolen from inside their homes at night.

I'm glad everyone is taking bike theft seriously.

I was lucky. My house was burgled a few years ago when I was out of the country for several months. At the time, I lived in a townhouse and I put all the bikes on the third floor with a good cable lock around them, but certainly not good enough to stop a determined thief. They took about 30,000 baht worth of mostly easily replaceable stuff but left 500,000 baht worth of bikes.

[h90]

No lock will stop a theft. Keep your bike in sight at all times. At night keep it inside locked doors. Even then I have neighbors who had their bikes stolen from inside their homes at night.

No but a lock with have the local drunk/narcotic guy who need 500 Baht now to look for some easier target.

Doesn't help against a professional but reduces the risk a bit.

[h90]

No lock will stop a theft. Keep your bike in sight at all times. At night keep it inside locked doors. Even then I have neighbors who had their bikes stolen from inside their homes at night.

I'm glad everyone is taking bike theft seriously.

I was lucky. My house was burgled a few years ago when I was out of the country for several months. At the time, I lived in a townhouse and I put all the bikes on the third floor with a good cable lock around them, but certainly not good enough to stop a determined thief. They took about 30,000 baht worth of mostly easily replaceable stuff but left 500,000 baht worth of bikes.

I have seen in some not so good area that the potential bad guys don't value a bicycle. They don't recognize the value. So the 2 year old flat TV that was 20.000 new comes before the 500K bikes.

I am soon moving my scuba equipment, hope the same for the scuba.....

[StreetCowboy]

No lock will stop a theft. Keep your bike in sight at all times. At night keep it inside locked doors. Even then I have neighbors who had their bikes stolen from inside their homes at night.

No but a lock with have the local drunk/narcotic guy who need 500 Baht now to look for some easier target.

Doesn't help against a professional but reduces the risk a bit.

Out of interest, who amongst us buys stolen bikes?

Or are they stolen by enthusiasts who can pass them off as their own?

What would you do if you were offered a 500K bike for 10K?

I reckon I have to protect against two types of thieves - casual thieves who will ride away an unlocked bike or unclip your lights (one lost light so far) and professional 'scrap metal / rusty bike' thieves hoovering up everything with a van and a set of bolt cutters. The former will be deterred with a lock they can't pull apart - but they might run off with any unlocked quick-release wheels just out of badness, while the latter will only be deterred by an expensive and heavy lock or by parking in a well-trafficked area where there's some sort of presence - directly outside the pub or coffee shop, or in a secure car park.

[el jefe]

I certainly didn't mean to imply that I had a 500k bike. I had 6 bikes in my house at the time. the most expensive was probably worth about 150k.

But I didn't have a 20k flat screen TV either. they took a 3.000 baht TV, a 4 year old computer and bunch of misc junk including a 1200 baht DVD player, my 100 baht clock radio, a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, 2 sets of underwear, etc. They left an 100k MTB and a 150k road bike plus 4 other bikes.

[CNXBKKMAN]

I think serious bike thieves when they get hold of some top end racing machine tend to strip the bike down and sell the parts bit by bit online. If your Dura Ace chain set appeared on ebay would you know it was yours? Thats in the UK anyway. I have heard stories where thieves have targeted a shed full of nice bikes locked up. The carbon fibre bikes were just sawn in half to remove them from the locks just to get the components.