Preventing Bicycle Theft

In Singapore, over 1 bicycle gets stolen a day. In 2005, this figure increased to around two each day and bicycle theft was raised in Parliament. Minister for Home Affairs revealed the following:

• There are no particular geographical locations or 'hot spots' that are more prone to bicycle theft. Bicycle theft cases take place island- wide at areas ranging from common areas of public housing estates to streets, commercial premises, landed residential premises, outside MRT stations and at private apartments or condominiums.


• In 2004, 9 out of 10 bicycles stolen in public places were not secured at designated bicycle bays. Instead, the vast majority of those stolen were secured to lamp posts, railings and pipes.

If you stay in landed property, don't assume your bike is safe if you part it inside your front porch. Thieves have been known to climb in and out of the gate and make off with the bike, especially in the Kembangan area.

Some ways to prevent bike theft:

• Get a thick cable lock. If you want to be extra safe, use a U lock. Thick cable locks take some time to be cut whereas U locks have to be sawed.


• Replace any quick release handles. This will prevent thieves from making away with your front wheel or saddle and seat post easily.


• Engrave your bike.


• Install a bike tracking system and hide it inside your frame.


• Buy a "powerlink" chain that you can remove if you are parking your bike for a long period.

This is a rather ingenious method:

If your bike gets stolen...

1. Go to your neighbourhood police post (NPP) and file a report. However, if your bike doesn't have any engraving or any distinguishing mark on it, it's extremely unlikely that they're going to find your bike.
2. Go to the flea market at Sungei Road and let them know your bike has been stolen. Give them details and a photo of your bike if you have one. Who knows, your bike may already be there!
3. Notify your local bike shop. Let other bike shops around the vicinity know, especially those who buy used bikes.
4. Post on online forums such as http://www.togoparts.com/ or http://www.sgcycling.org/.
5. Check the buying and selling section of online forums.

If you have to leave your bicycle unattended without a lock...

Taken from a thread in VR-Zone.

1) With your chain on the largest chainring (the front gear part thingy), shift so that the front derailluer (the front shifting thingy) would move to the smallest chainring. But do this WITHOUT pedalling. Anyone who tries to cycle off would have to kick the pedals into position first, and this would render the chain jumping off the gears and getting stuck between the bike frame and smallest chainring. This effectively makes your bike unridable.

2) If you are using V brakes, disengage the front and rear brakes. This can be done by pressing both sides of the brake arms together and unhooking the brake cable from its holder. Anyone trying to cycle off with your bike will be in for a nasty shock when he finds out that he can't brake!

3) Unscrew the knob on your brake levers just enough so that it backs out without being disengaged from the rest of the brake lever body. This tightens your brakes. Meaning, it'll only require very little finger movement to give a heckuva powerful stopping power! This should give the person a rude shock as well!

4) If you are using quick release skewers on your wheels, unscrew the front skewers out and rest the front fork ends on the skewer rod. This should give the illusion that the front wheel is still attached to the fork, but the moment the would-be thief tries to cycle off, the fork would slip off the skewers and give da fella another shock.