Cycle Security-Todays London Paper

I locked my bike to a busy bike stand on a quiet street in North London the other day and sat across the road outside a cafe having a cup of tea. There were lots of new ridgebacks etc locked there too, some with extremely shit locks, and a few old geared Raleighs. Plus one Langster. As I was reading my book, I saw a couple of kids on mountain bikes turn up to the stand. They examined all the bikes, took phone pictures of my bike (a rusty old track frame) and the shiny Langster, and then sent some text messages. they then sat there, waiting patiently. I guess the 'scout' system means that the people they're texting can then turn up with the right toolage for that particular lock. If they want your bike, they want it.

I finished my tea and went and got my bike. They called me a 'mug' and pulled an imaginary trigger at me :(

I think the best way to defeat this kind of stealing to order is to ride a really obscure kind of bike , like my SS recumbent and lock it up with heavy duty locks. Not sure there's that many people in the market for something so unusual