New Bicycle Products for Safety & Security

Which is another example of a law which is behind technology .My hearing aids have bluetooth which enables me to"listen " to music ,recieve telephone calls etc.

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That’s interesting…
Do your hearing aids have an “off” switch for bluetooth or is that controlled by your phone???

Presumably, the idea is that cyclists should (at all times) be able to hear whatever is going on around them… and not be distracted by their phones/music players etc… (makes good sense, I reckon)

they are paired to the teelephone,
Are you saying that deaf people can’t ride bicycles because they can’t hear anything?

The government is saying that cyclists should not deliberately wear/use something which stops them being able to hear their surroundings…

I reckon this is a good idea… and perhaps/hopefully others sessions further afield will be organized…

Legislation done without thinking!
It will be interesting to see what happens when everyone has an electric car that can’t be heard by anyone.

I believe this is already being discussed/thought about… let’s hope common-sense wins the day… :wink: :wink:

ICE cars cant be heard when they approach from behind in most cases. Its down to the driver not to run into people, cyclists etc. At slow speeds its been regulation to have noise makers fitted. Modern ICE cars do not make very much noise at slow speeds either.

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Yes I had the most expensive U-lock available attached to a very expensive titanium bike parked outside Olympia while I attended, ironically,. a conference and exhibition about how to move to France and buy a house there…!

The thief used an angle-grinder while wearing a gilet jaune . The days of thieves wearing all black to blend into the shadows are long gone: as I contemplated the empty space (and fragments of U-lock) that occupied the space where my bike once was a little old lady told me she had seen the thief do it but had not challenged him as he looked like he must be doing the roads or something…!

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There are also cordless hydraulic cutters that go trough any shackle D lock like it was spaghetti. We had a bike store raided one night and they took more than 10 bikes cutting through any device used. Movement alarm and GPS location looks to be one of the ways you may get the nike back.

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I just have movement alarms on my bikes but been thinking of getting a couple of air tags as they’re also pretty effective if you’re trying to locate a stolen bike. Currently use 2 of the abus granite locks with very thick stranded cables. I always see it as a matter of making your bike look like a less attractive proposition versus others.

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I’m afraid cables are the worst protection you can have. Thieves can cut through them in seconds with a simple pair of wire cutters. (My friend who owned a bike shop used to show his customers this all the time!)

A hardened steel U-lock or chain is much better. At least then they need to use a machine…

We also have AirTags but what can you do if you find it? Steal it back? I doubt the police would help you even if you did locate it…

I like this idea but I’m pretty sure it would backfire on me :wink: : Bicycle bomb booby trap for less than £20 - YouTube

Agree, cables alone are not great, but combined with great d locks and the bike really doesn’t look as attractive to a thief. When I secure my bike with the 2 d locks and thick cables, not the flimsy ones, it isn’t inviting.

And as far as the air tag’s concerned, I would track the bike down and inform the police. If they did not retrieve the bike, I would.

The other deterrent that I also think is useful is the movement sensor alarm. I had someone touch my bike the other day outside a shop. It triggered the alarm and he immediately backed off. I was in a store across the road so could hear the alarm and see the guy.

Not too sure about the bike bomb, but it did make me think about the paint bombs they have/had in containers holding cash/valuables transferred in security vans :thinking::thinking:

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This is my re-occurring nightmare… I’m so sorry this actually happened to you.

I was told a story about a guy in the 80’s who bought a Schwinn Paramount racing bike. Then he took cans of spray paint to it and made it look awful! Rode it to UC Berkeley every day and it never got stolen.

This guy even took it a step further: DIY Uglification: A Simple Anti-theft Technique - YouTube

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Must say, a little too extreme for me.

I also think one of the big issues is ‘quick release’ as it also means quick release to thieves. So not only important to secure the actual bike but also components. A bit like cars with lockable wheel nuts. In fact, a few years ago someone actually stole the cover disk on my car used to conceal the front tow point. Incredible what audacity some folks have. Parts to order is common in the world of thieves.

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What I’ve found to be more efficient and secure than AirTags are a GPS tracker that sends alerts to my phone when the bike gets moved even the tiniest amount.

We have this one: https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B075V8FTWH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A sound alarm might scare off the thief, but if I can get there before they steal it, that might be the best way to prevent it getting taken…

How about one of these bike locks – a bit pricey…!

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Fortunately I was insured. Now that I live in Loches I feel rather more relaxed/complacent. Before I arrived in France I had acquired an Abus lock that has no key and works via Bluetooth and an app. More importantly perhaps It has an alarm. But the stakes are somewhat lower here than in central London. Also my bike is not worth so much!

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Another Litelok X3 angle grinder test – took 25 minutes to cut through, using what seems to be a battery-powered angle grinder, used by street thieves.

In the earlier video, it took only 5 minutes or so to cut through, using a mains-powered electric angle grinder.

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Ahh but when you are selling locks you would use the worst power tool to illustrate how good your lock is. That said many of the locks themselves are rubbish oh dont get me started on combination locks.

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