OK, you may call me a sucker for punishment. But, Yet Another Bike is on the way. The last 3 have each been owned for less than 1 year, so I’m going to work a bit more on that problem.
Step 1, i’m investing in a 2nd lock, the image above is a disc-brake lock. It has an alarm in it as well. Now. the alarm. you are probably thinking, that will help, right? Well, recall, the last ones were stolen by using an angle-grinder to cut through 36mm of hardened steel, probably taking ~4 minutes. Do you really think this alarm will be louder or longer? An angle grinder is going to be like screaming “I am a thief”, it would have attracted all the attention that exists.
Step 2, I’m investing in some GPS tracking tech. Now, i’m not too optimistic here either. The Waterloo Regional police didn’t even bother calling for the video footage of #3, so you can see the enforcement priority is nil. This is for > $5000, so grand theft. Also, this is an organised crime, I’m sure there’s a quick once-over for trackers done by a thief sophisticated enough.
Step 3, i’m not too sure here. I mean, locked cage, video surveillance, locked bike wasn’t enough. Do I rent a rabid german shepherd with a Cujo sticker?
So, for the above mentioned disc lock. I bought one that is not cast-metal (its 304 stainless). Its not boron-hardened like the U-lock, but will still not come off w/ a hammer or hacksaw. So there’s a chance that the angle grinder has run out of battery and blade by the time the U-bolt is through. Since its attached to the bike (and not the rack), it will help against the last attack (the rack cut).
What’s proving the most demoralising though. This latest bike costs more than the last. And, for that I get less bike. Its not as good, they’ve gone up a lot in price. And, all the work in the replacement seat, post, grips, handlebars, … all has to be done again. First time, fine, 2nd time, grumble, 3rd time, was a PITA. Here we are talking #4 for installing each accessory etc. Time and $ are wasted.
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