Bike Theft Experiment - Youtube Video

Hey guys,

I made this video as part of my research for a university "bike lock" design project.

Thought it might be interesting to people on here, so let me know your thoughts if any.

Thanks, Felix

Pretending to Steal Bikes - Research Experiment - YouTube

Interesting. How do get jeans that are so tight around your legs but saggy at the arse?

I did this for realzies on Buckingham Palace Road, by Victoria Station. It was my bike and lock, and I'd told the police I was going to do it by e-mail a week before.

Took about 5 mins, at rush hour, and noone said anything. Someone even walked past and smiled as me.

It was the day of the tuition fee increase vote/protest though.

Interesting. How do get jeans that are so tight around your legs but saggy at the arse?

Haha it's difficult to find jeans that fit such a lanky guy as me.

I did this for realzies on Buckingham Palace Road, by Victoria Station. It was my bike and lock, and I'd told the police I was going to do it by e-mail a week before.

Took about 5 mins, at rush hour, and noone said anything. Someone even walked past and smiled as me.

It was the day of the tuition fee increase vote/protest though.

Awesome! Yeah it seems that people will just look but not say anything. It's quite worrying, as with proper tools I could easily have cut through all those locks in the time given.

Surprised the average time was so quick tbh.
Was it inspired by this vid?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGttmR2DTY8#t=1m58s

It doesn't seem so quick when you're actually doing it!
I do remember seeing that video. It wasn't inspired by it in particular, I just knew there were a few similar ones out there but wanted to do my own, mostly to get a better mark for the project, but the exact timing of it is also useful quantitative data to have.

What about the people's locks that you scratched up?

No i was sawing that rod of steel I showed at the start of the video. I wasn't actually touching anyone else's lock.

But they were all other people's bikes? Not sure I would have done it like that.

I'd like to hear more about the jeans that Will mentioned earlier.

Haha enough about the jeans!

Yes they were other people's bikes but in a public place and I wasn't touching them. What's the problem there?

Where did you buy the jeans?

Is the elastane content above or below 2%?

98% cotton, 2% elastane.
30" waist, 34" leg.
They were from ASOS I think.

ive mucked about with a broken lock (my own bike and lock, the key had snapped) was messing about with numerous tools to get the thing apart, in centre of brighton with hundreds of people around, for a good 10mins, under cctv, no one batted an eye lid. not good.

Gives me the idea that you could construct a massive social media campaign that every week, somewhere in London, someone will be pretending to steal a bicycle. First person to stop them wins £50. Be interesting to see if interrupting would be bike thieves would have an impact on the number of bikes stolen.

Yes they were other people's bikes but in a public place and I wasn't touching them. What's the problem there?

It just seems like a knobby thing to do, let alone a little dangerous. If it were my bike and I saw someone who looked like they were nicking my bike they might well get a d-lock not-so-pleasantly-presented in their direction.

Even if I found that you weren't actually nicking it I'd still be mad that you were using my bike as a prop for an experiment without my permission. Not physically touching it doesn't mean you're not still taking liberties with other people's property.

Why not just do it with your bike?

Unless your really stealing a bike, its not a valid experiment of real life conditions.
The findings won't be valid.
Peer review can be harsh.

It just seems like a knobby thing to do, let alone a little dangerous. If it were my bike and I saw someone who looked like they were nicking my bike they might well get a d-lock not-so-pleasantly-presented in their direction.

Preventing crime by committing crime. Excellent. As the law stands, you can't legally physically attack a thief (particularly not with what might be considered a deadly weapon) in order to prevent a crime. Scumbags know this, and are a shitload better at dealing with Police, courts, lawyers etc than your average law-abider.
Revenge fantasies work brilliantly in your own head. Not so well in real life - especially when the D-lock you're planning to use as a weapon is already busy holding your bike to a static object.

Well, lucky I didn't do it to your bike then I guess..
It's only dangerous for me, and I was prepared to take the risk, no harm done.

(that was in reply to Chung)

tommy - I know it's not perfect, but it's a good demonstration of the fact that people don't get involved in this sort of thing.

Mr B - you're right, i was counting on that in case people got aggressive, but luckily I didnt have to worry :)

Unless your really stealing a bike, its not a valid experiment of real life conditions.
The findings won't be valid.
Peer review can be harsh.

You think? Watching the first two incidents was enough to show me how valid the experiment was - The point being that when an apparent theft is taking place in a public place in broad daylight, it takes a surprising amount of time for a member of the public to gather their nerve, step forward and intervene.
Of course, the time taken for the public to approach might be even longer if our protagonist had chosen a more menacing/brutal instrument such as a crowbar or portable angle grinder.
Paired with data on how long it takes for practicing thieves to break locks using various tools, it could form the beginning of a decent study.

tommy - I know it's not perfect, but it's a good demonstration of the fact that people don't get involved in this sort of thing.

Isn't this behaviour the expected pattern from humans when placed in a heavily populated urban area?

The Human Zoo: A Zoologist's Study of the Urban Animal (Kodansha Globe): Desmond Morris: 9781568361048: Amazon.com: Books

Where you expecting a different out come due to some kind of fraternity within the cycling community?

I'd just probably call it anything else other than an 'experiment' if your data isn't empirical.

Isn't this behaviour the expected pattern from humans when placed in a heavily populated urban area?

Where you expecting a different out come due to some kind of fraternity within the cycling community?

I'd just probably call it anything else other than an 'experiment' if your data isn't empirical.

Yes it is expected, and this video has proven that. Or at least that there's room for more investigation.

Not sure what you mean by your second sentence? What outcome might I expect?

It's definitely an experiment: I'm doing something, observing the outcome, and analysing the results.

empirical
ɛmˈpɪrɪk(ə)l,ɪm-/Submit
adjective
1.
based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.

-How much more empirical could I get?

I can't verify it anyway.

If I did the same experiment.. there would be very different results.
Even if I replicated everything you did time & location - i'm less approachable whereas you look adorable.

Its a 'real' world test of 'pretending' to steal a bicycle and I welcome it but it is not an experiment.