Secure your bikes please
I've just returned from a lovely weekend at a great Club Site. Unfortunately I heard some bad news that there were a number of adult and children's bikes stolen one evening.
My bike worth quite a lot of money was on full show, with a decent chain and padlock locking it to the chassis of the caravan and didn't get touched.
It takes a few minutes to fish the chain around the chassis when you first arrive, but then only a few moments when you return from a ride to lock everything up. It will save so much distress in the future. Just remember to remove the chain before you leave, else it will be a noisy departure from the site.
It's a shame, but if it's not locked up, assume it will go.
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Yes good post, as you say lock it or lose it and it is just common sense, I have expensive camera equipment but I wouldn't dream of leaving it out, or even in the awning as some do on the table overnight.
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I remember talking to the warden at White Water Park where they have individual bike stores as I was wondering if I needed to put our e-bikes in one of the stores. He said I should be fine with them locked on the back of the motorhome. From his experience most of the bikes that get stolen are those left around on site unlocked. Obviously a determined thief will come armed with cutters but even they will look for the low hanging fruit so to speak. I have often wondered whether in addition to lock it would be a good idea to remove the saddle as no one will want to ride a bike without one for very long!!!
David
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Unfortunately it's also known amongst angling associations that fishing gear is vulnerable at FM so anything special really does need extra protection. I'm sorry to hear about items going missing I suppose the best people can do is to keep them out of sight and secure as possible. It's quite possible for items to be sussed out in daylight and then removed later.
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Some Club Sites are known hotspots for bike theft, Clumber, FM, WWP to name but three. If we take our bikes they are locked onto MH with some serious anti theft gear, and we rig up booby traps to an alarm. The whole lot are then covered. OHs ebike is worth as much as a small car, it’s a huge part of his life. If we go out, ebike is put into MH.
Quite often see bikes strewn around sites, leaning against fencing. Very vulnerable to opportunists. Thieves are not always stupid, and the determined ones arrive with bolt cutters.
We have been grateful to the many CL owners who have been happy to lock our bikes away for us if they have the space.
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I have heard of Bike thefts from Ferry Meadows before, a simple screech alarm should wake enough campers to chase them off. That and loosen the wheel nuts so they do a nose dive off the bike and hopefully break something serious.
Then leave them for the Badgers.
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Evening
Interesting thread as it always amazes me when I do an evening site walk the amount of stuff that is left laying around pitches be it bikes, cadacs, anything really that an opportunist will take advantage of. Then, when I walk around early the following morning the same gear is left out. Rich pickings if you're that way inclined! It's not just our sites as I use commercials and cl's on my rest days and it's the same there. My budget doesn't account for things being stolen (I know wardens wages
) and I never leave anything out which I don't want to lose, common sense really. When and if something goes missing on site there's usually the big pointing finger and mention of our lack of security! My usual response is "do you leave your garage and front door open at home when you go out or overnight?" Help and advice usually falls on deaf ears for some reason
Lock it or lose it eh
JK
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as others, our ebikes are our primary non-van transport and, in the uk, I always put them inside the van....weather, perceived risk...
over there, like many others we are happy to leave them outside but we do have some pretty meaty (expensive) locks/chains....a pre requisite of insurer when OH changed bikes a couple of months ago...
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I can give you a true incident that happened at Clumber Park in 1997/98?
There had been another spate of cycle thefts from the site and park,so a trap was set to endever to catch the culprits, the NT have several caravans they use when they have any events,so it was decided to put them on several pitches on the club site at the weekend, all occupied by members of the local police, and an inspector who had his own caravan and awning.
The first night they arrested two of the local low life's ,the second night they did not catch any but the Inspector had his cycle stolen from his awning and a motor caravan had two cycles stolen off the rear mounted carrier,all those stolen were chained and padlocked
Embarrassment all round but it proved nothing is safe from those determined enough
I think it was soon after that the secure storage she'd was installed
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Mrs T ebike insurer insists on the bikes being tethered to a fixed object so just chaining it up would likely result in no pay out. Wherever we are we always put bikes into the garage at night just in case, mostly of rain but for theft as well.
One of the reasons we got the new van this year was having a garage to transport/store bikes as the only issues (apart from gassing
) we have heard of on aires or sites is theft or attempted theft of bike off a rear rack.0 -
the insured item at unnecessary risk and therefore void the cover. If there has been previous incidents of theft they would also expect the campsite operator to have informed you (duty of care)
I suspect that in this case there are warnings posted. I have seen them elsewhere
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They have them at the Edinburgh site, good old club
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Michael, sorry I meant chained up 'to something fixed' as we also have this restriction along with a 'category one' (top) anti theft shackle locks and chains.
as it happens, since OH got her bike, we've only been away in the uk and have always put them in the garage.
hope to be 'away' mid/late Sept....I may not be so consciencious as many pitches there have substantial hedges or small trees etc to make use of...
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