It is a truth universally acknowledged that a stolen e-bike would not get you far. More than 2 million bike thefts occur in the US alone; France has reported over 400,000 bike thefts a few years back, and Amsterdam has seen a steep rise in e-bike thefts over the last couple of years. As the interest in e-bikes grows in the US, the probability of increased theft is also likely; however, you can adopt a few simple ways to prevent this from happening.
To keep your e-bike from being stolen, consider using a battery lock or a controller lock, or install bike lock alarms. You could also take the bike inside a building with you or use a mobile bike storage locker for storing your e-bike.
There are also some modern and fail-safe ways to keep your e-bikes safe and secure. Keep on reading if you would like a more thorough guide that will help you keep your e-bike from being stolen.
Types of Bike Locks
E-bikes can be much more massive than regular bikes, more expensive too. However, when it comes to the locks, you can treat an e-bike almost the same way as a regular bike. Using U locks, chains, and a combination of locks are some of the best ways to secure your bike. Let’s look at each of these options:
U-Lock
These are the most secure for e-bikes, though you need to ensure that the U-lock size is as small as you can manage. Having a large U-lock can encourage a thief to use a crowbar in the remaining space and pry off the lock. When purchasing a U-lock, get one that has both sides locked in place. This way, the thief will need to make two cuts to free the bike.
You could use the U-lock more effectively by looping it through the rear tire and a fixed object, say a thin pole or a fence. It can be quite difficult to cut through rear tires.
Chains
Chains are another way to ensure safety and security for your e-bike. Chains are complicated to cut through, and like some U-locks, chains also require to be cut in two places to free a locked bike. These chains are easy to operate and increase protection against thieves, making your bike a more difficult target and encourage would-be thieves to move on. However, a battery-powered grinder will go through every kind of lock if the thief has enough time and motivation to steal a bike.
Multiple Locks
The more locks you use, the more time it will take for the bike thief to cut through all the locks, and the less likely are the chances of your e-bike getting stolen.
There are certain localities where a lot of these bike theft happens, and there are warning signs put up in these places to let the public know that they need to be cautious with their bikes around this region. Using multiple bike locks in such localities will ensure that your bike is more secure and a harder target.
Best Ways to Secure Bikes
The most popular way to secure e-bikes is by taking the traditional route of using a U-Lock. Many facts and statistics point to the fact that the number of bikes stolen is rising. To add to this problem, fewer people register their bikes, making it impossible to trace the lost bikes. Of the stolen bikes reported, the police could recover only 2.4 percent of these stolen bikes.
In this video, you can learn how you can keep your bike safe and secure from thieves:
Commuting and Locking Bikes
There are several benefits to commuting on e-bikes. It can help reduce your carbon footprint, encourages more exercise, and makes your ride to work more fun.
Bikes, especially e-bikes, are on the rise. E-bikes encourage more and more people to ride because of how easy it is to get started. Over the past few years, more and more people have opted for e-bikes over car rides.
Over the years, the rise of e-bike thefts has increased drastically. There are joyriders and petty thieves who use these cycles to convert to cash on the prowl for negligently parked e-bikes. They either steal bikes to enjoy or sell the components or the whole e-bike for money or other goods.
Due to these reasons, locking your e-bikes has become paramount. It is not just the bike, but even the bike’s components – your battery and other parts and accessories that you must secure against any possible theft.
Securing Your Ebike Battery
While some thieves steal the entire e-bike, others go for the components. The battery of an e-bike is one of the most commonly stolen pieces, but there are ways to protect the battery and your e-bike. The best way to secure the battery is to remove it from the bike, if you can.
Ebike Battery GPS Tracker
By adding a GPS tracker to your battery unit, you will easily be able to locate your battery. In case the complete e-bike is stolen, and the battery is still attached to the e-bike, you will not just be able to locate your battery but also your bike with the help of the GPS tracker.
Some even go to the extent of having a microphone and a motion detector attached to the battery, but you are relatively safe as long as you have a GPS tracker installed.
Ebike Battery Lock
You could also opt for the e-bike battery lock. The ABUS BLO BOS IT2.1 Plus – Battery lock For Electronic Bike is an excellent option for this purpose. The lock will ensure that the battery is safe and secure at all times.
Ebike Controller: Lock or Remove
A controller is a device that helps connect all the electrical components of an e-bike in a single place. The battery, motor, display, and sensors are all connected with the same controller. Some controllers are not removable and should be secured in place with a lock if possible. If the controller or display on your ebiks is removable then it’s a good idea to take it with you if parking your bike in a public place.
Securing the EBike
Securing your e-bike using a GPS tracker is helpful, but not keeping it locked to a place is an open invitation to thieves and unnecessary headaches that you can avoid. So, securing it to a place by locking it either with a U-lock or a chain will provide added security for your e-bike and help deter thieves from stealing it.
If you can use a secure storage facility, it makes sense to use that to stow away your bike in a safe place.
Other Types of Ebike Theft Deterrents
Apart from the ones already discussed in this article, there are a couple of other remedies you may want to look into.
EBike Lock Alarms
The market offers a lot of options when it comes to bike lock alarms. These alarms are easy to install. You simply need to bolt it to a seat post. Most of them are also waterproof. When activated, these alarms let out a loud sound that may last anywhere between 30 seconds to a good minute.
Register and Insure Your Ebike
Ensure that you register and insure your bike. Registration makes it easy to track down your bike in case of theft. All bikes have serial numbers on their frame. This serial number makes it easy for identifying the bike in the future, should any untoward incident happen.
There are online platforms that will allow you to store your bike information online on a national database, and this information is connected directly to the security services platform.
List of Online Bike Registries
- https://www.bikeregister.com
- https://bikeindex.org/
- https://project529.com/garage
Hopefully, these tips will help keep your ebike secure and the thieves away. A stolen bike is never fun and a little planning, an extra lock (or two) can go a long way to keep your bike in your hands and on the road.
