Any question answered...

That seatpost is an effective deterrent.

You would think that but the same one got stolen last year, that's why I am running the cable.

People are monsters who will steal literally anything.

so true

basmatiLooter.jpg

I need a new front door. I shopped around a bit and found a well known company to make it and paid a 50% deposit (but no paperwork signed and not clear if refundable or not). I've since found another company, well reviewed by friends, that will do it for significantly cheaper.

Question: am I a douche to ask for a refund on the deposit and what, if any, are my rights?

Edit: there's been no work done to date as I need to book in accurate measurements and finalise quote.

Can't hurt to ask.

if you're sw london could you dm me the significantly cheaper companies details? I need a new front door

E/NE unfortunately - but in case they'll travel: Wood Street Joinery

Sumo, hugo7, Greenbank, Snotty thank you for the help.

@Greenbank, this is very detailed! So I'm leaning to getting another u-lock then, but one of the benefits of my cable lock is that it wraps around a lamp post for a quick 10 minute stop. I don't know what I'd do where there is only a post if I have 2 u-locks that aren't big enough. The answer is probably I should find somewhere else.

Get a hiplock and use a d lock for the front wheel to frame

That sounds incredibly risky. If you must, at least make sure the lock goes through a wheel and frame so it would have to be carried rather than ridden away.

security bolts

What about security bolts for the wheels? So much lighter than a cable.

Should have included security bolts for wheels. (Have edited previous post.)

I have them on my commuter and I still also use a cable as a visual deterrent.

If someone spends 20 seconds trying to steal a wheel only to find I've got security nuts on the wheels they may decide to fuck with the bike in retaliation (bend a wheel, snap spokes, scratch it, etc).

retaliation

So we need the thief to be forewarned about the bolts. Maybe put brightly coloured signs on the wheels?

Any recommendations for decent fold up to pocket size (coin pocket size) bags? Both normal shopping bag style and drawstring backpack style.

Not really. I'm just defending against the thief that is casually walking along looking for possible targets and hoping that d-locks and cables (and a relatively shit bike) are enough to make him dismiss it and look for another target. The fact my £300 commuter has a SON front hub and a PowerTap rear hub might make it stand out a bit more.

The pitlock skewers should stop the casual wheel thief. But any determined thief who wants the whole bike won't be put off by any of it and will just angle grind the lock off and ride away and deal with the security skewers/bolts at their leisure.

just angle grind the lock off

What about the Hiplok?

The D1000?

It's proven to withstand sustained angle-grinder attacks at least 20x longer than standard D locks.

Some thieves will take the risk for the more expensive bikes.

My downstairs neighbour's motorbike was stolen by theives from outside the house. Big FO Almax chain. Nothing he could do as there were ~8 of them outside threatening him with a knife if he came any closer. Took them 5 minutes to get through the chain. Police didn't turn up in time to stop it happening.

Yeah, it's pretty slack, must change my ways.

I hope he had a good tracker. The best trackers have an amazing success rate at getting motorbikes recovered. 90% or better! A guy I know had his bike stolen 3 times when fitted with a Biketrac tracker. Each time it was recovered the next day, undamaged.

Have you looked into bicycle trackers? As far as I know, none of them offer the motorcyclist-level of service, where you get phoned up in the middle of the night if your bike is moved. If you say that it's not you who's moved it, the tracker people call the police, who apparently respond instantly because they have such confidence in the system. The thief doesn't remove the tracker because it's hidden and he'd need to dismantle the motorbike to look for it.

More info on motorcycle trackers in case anyone's curious: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/products/security/trackers/best-motorcycle-tracker#5

No tracker but the bike was found locally a couple of weeks later after some enquiries were made. Fair bit of damage that cost a bit to fix and then he sold it to get rid of the hassle.

The best trackers have an amazing success rate at getting motorbikes recovered.

So we need the thief to be forewarned

Allegedly works for house alarms. All/most/some ADT boxes are dummies.

Cycling holiday in Mallorca... Wondering if anyone who has done it could share their thoughts.

Take my own bike or rent one?
Renting one seems like the least hassle compared to taking my own bike, I'd need to get a case and pay the excess baggage fee. Also slightly concerned about my million quid carbonz bike being damaged in transport etc. Rentals don't look cheap and can't help feel that I'd just enjoy it more being on my own bike.

Where to stay?
Port de Pollenca seems like a good base or at least staying in the north of the island. The friend I'm going with lives in a fairly rural sleepy part of Scotland and would like to be staying in a place thats a bit more lively at night.

Any input much appreciated!