Another bike goes

324 views
Skip to first unread message

Filthy hipster scum

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 5:27:38 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
So I came to the space last night to find my bike had been stolen from the car park the night before, this is just ridiculousness as I thought we had security people at the business center! 

I know there isn't much I can do about it, but gonna call the security firm and lay into them and request the video camera footage for the police.

just thought i'd let you know peeps.

Hipster

Benjamin Blundell

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 5:37:48 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Oh dude that sucks! >< I am prepared to setup a camera on the balcony
of Unit 30. I reckon I can sort that out but what good would that do?
Its no deterrent I suppose.

Bike thieves are fuckers. Harsh language but given we rely on bikes in
this city, its really crippling not to have one. These security guys
are more hassle than they are worth. I've had issues with them before.
Bloody useless.

B

Morris

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 5:42:17 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
To be fair, how are the security team really going to prevent this? Maybe if the hackspace wasn't there they might have a chance of knowing the majority of the visitors - instead they are met with new strangers regularly. I can't imagine that helps the situation much.
--
>
++++++++++[>+>+++>++

+++++>++++++++++<<<<
-]>>>+++++++.>++++++
+++++.+++..---------
.++++++++++.<<+++.<.

930913

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 5:42:52 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Stingbike time?

Get scrap bike, polish it pretty, cut hole in back of frame, pour in molten R candy and let set with model rocket igniter sticking out (discreetly). Connect igniter up to dynamo and tie bike down with a poundshop lock.

Bonus ideas: capture on camera (IR may be best due to smoke), GPS/laser guidance (for precise missile strike) and/or insert Roman candle under seat.

Mark Steward

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 5:44:54 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Please stop suggesting this, it's too old to be funny.

tom

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 5:50:37 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
guy goes into carpark with no bike, comes out with one after some delay. Perhaps a "hey, is that yours?" is in order. 

Jonty Wareing

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 5:54:15 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Public announcement: Do not lock your bikes in our car park, it is NOT
SECURE. We've known this for a long time due to numerous thefts.

Secondary public announcement: Locking your bike up anywhere in public
overnight in London is very risky, and should be avoided at all costs.
Locks are a deterrent, they are not a solution. Given enough time an
angle grinder will cut through damn near anything.

--jonty

Filthy hipster scum

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:02:03 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Yeah i know, annoying tho, they've installed security cameras tho now....grrrr

phil jones

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:09:38 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Cool. Does that mean we should park our bikes in the space?

More seriously I'd suggest that any new hackspace needs to provide
internal bike-parking. It's a high value service. Perhaps, only
available to paying members?

phil

Russ Garrett

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:15:00 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
On 16 October 2012 11:09, phil jones <inte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Cool. Does that mean we should park our bikes in the space?

Good troll.

> More seriously I'd suggest that any new hackspace needs to provide
> internal bike-parking. It's a high value service. Perhaps, only
> available to paying members?

Yes, I think it would be sensible to consider that. Bear in mind that
if we dedicate ~150 sq ft to bike parking, that's going to be costing
us £200-300 per month in rent and rates.

--
Russ Garrett
ru...@garrett.co.uk

David Murphy

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:24:36 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
perhaps verticle space might work better. stick some hooks on your bike and haul it up out of the way flat against the ceiling. though there'd have to be a rule along the lines of the owners of any such bikes having to actually be in the space while their bike is to stop it becoming a warehouse. .

Jonty Wareing

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:27:33 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
This is Noisebridge's solution and it works well. I'm all in favour of
having wall-mounted bike parking in Space 3.0.

--jonty

----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Murphy" <murphy...@gmail.com>
> To: london-h...@googlegroups.com

930913

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:39:10 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
How about a system that clamps an lock around the main frame, (hoist optional) controlled by a system similar to doorbot, that (un)locks the appropriate bike upon the user scanning their RFID card. By requiring an RFID to lock the bike in, it will be easy to track the owner, and even have something like a 48 hour timer to automatically unlock bikes that overstay.  A signup fee may be reasonable to cover costs.

David Murphy

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:44:45 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
probably overcomplicating things a bit and since projects which involve networking and scanners seem to never seem to actually materialise I'd be inclined to just go with a few metal hooks and some rope to start off with.

Russ Garrett

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:47:47 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
On 16 October 2012 11:39, 930913 <proxify....@googlemail.com> wrote:
> How about a system that clamps an lock around the main frame, (hoist
> optional) controlled by a system similar to doorbot, that (un)locks the
> appropriate bike upon the user scanning their RFID card. By requiring an
> RFID to lock the bike in, it will be easy to track the owner, and even have
> something like a 48 hour timer to automatically unlock bikes that overstay.
> A signup fee may be reasonable to cover costs.

This is actual, literal bikeshedding: http://bikeshed.com/

There is no point in making suggestions about how to fit the bikeshed
out until we have found somewhere to put it.

--
Russ Garrett
ru...@garrett.co.uk

David Murphy

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 6:49:34 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
if it helps I was genuinely considering the idea of some ceiling racks. there's enough unused ceiling space in the current space you could probably store a fair number without getting in anyones way.

Russ Garrett

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 7:05:50 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
On 16 October 2012 11:49, David Murphy <murphy...@gmail.com> wrote:
> if it helps I was genuinely considering the idea of some ceiling racks.
> there's enough unused ceiling space in the current space you could probably
> store a fair number without getting in anyones way.

Sounds cool, however:

* I'm not sure we have that much space - the ceiling isn't that high.
* Bringing bikes through the space in order to store them will likely
mean they get left in the space if the storage is full.
* The ceiling is a bitch to drill into.

--
Russ Garrett
ru...@garrett.co.uk

David Murphy

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 7:10:14 AM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
all good points, I'll give it some thought.

hamishcampbell

unread,
Oct 16, 2012, 7:47:52 PM10/16/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com

What about a sting, might be self funding...


Posh looking bike, keyring cameras mounted on/in frame (less than a $10 each) cheap phone hidden under seat with GPS and motion sensor to activate the camera and track the bike and video the thief. Motion sensor - text out alert to reclaim crew then use G latitude to track the thief and recover bike and cameras with video.


Have a camera on the space to record the stealing then take a camera crew to film the reclaiming of the bike – all done with out the police DIY then sell the story to TV or viral video on youtube, make the money back from the build – I would be up for doing the video side of it.


Hamish x

David Murphy

unread,
Oct 17, 2012, 4:12:53 AM10/17/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
already exists google "to catch a bike thief"
 
dangerous to do without police involved.

Billy

unread,
Oct 17, 2012, 8:42:29 PM10/17/12
to London Hackspace

interesting reading, http://blog.priceonomics.com/post/33713850223/a-dragnet-for-pee-wee

Also had a look in Liverpool Street Station at the double-decker bike
racks next to the taxi ranks. Nice design.



On 17 Oct, 09:12, David Murphy <murphy.da...@gmail.com> wrote:
> already exists google "to catch a bike thief"
>
> dangerous to do without police involved.
>

Benjamin Blundell

unread,
Oct 18, 2012, 6:58:10 AM10/18/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Yeah, just read that. Anyone fancy making a London Version?

B

Richard Stevenson

unread,
Oct 18, 2012, 6:39:19 PM10/18/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
I know this is all very painful to discuss, but could you let us know with what and how it was locked? That is to say, where the lock was placed, what make and model it is, and any evidence you have of how it was broken. 

Since I had both my wheels pinched outside Hoxton station I've tooled up, Purchasing a Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini U lock, an extremely serious piece of kit, which will be supplemented by an Evolution Mini 7 U lock, which is less hench, but that the thieves didn't bother to challenge last time (they cut through a thin kryptoflex cable, which I feel pretty naive for using now). The New York should supposedly stand a good 3 minutes of angle-grinding, and mank up the disc while it's at it, I wonder if that's enough.

Obviously getting these angle ground just makes the whole endeavour more expensive. If we at least know what equipment has been defeated we can get an idea of how, and if, we can protect ourselves. I've hardly been back to the hackspace since, I'm certainly reticent to lose another bike over it.

930913

unread,
Oct 18, 2012, 7:16:42 PM10/18/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Is that the same lock that was opened in 11 seconds with bolt cutters at 7:25? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdugFzCi24&feature=relmfu

Russ Garrett

unread,
Oct 18, 2012, 9:56:01 PM10/18/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
On 19 October 2012 00:16, 930913 <proxify....@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Is that the same lock that was opened in 11 seconds with bolt cutters at
> 7:25? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdugFzCi24&feature=relmfu

Can you suggest a better model?

--
Russ Garrett
ru...@garrett.co.uk

Simon

unread,
Oct 18, 2012, 9:59:20 PM10/18/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
When I got to the space this evening there was a rather nice bike locked to the iron fence that had a wheel missing.  I don't know whose bike it is/was but I was hoping that owner had removed the wheel.
The lock was a D Lock around the frame only so maybe if the wheel was thieved then they would have taken them both ... so maybe it was owner removed.  But I did find it a bit surprising that the bike was only secured by the frame to the fence and both wheels could probably have been removed in only a few seconds.


FWIW, I lock my bike with two locks, one through the each wheel and the frame and try to lock both locks to something immobile.  I also have two different types of locks as a further deterrent in the hope that the pro bike thieves will be tooled up for only one particular lock technology when they go out to work...  I also made the bike look distinctly unattractive by dusting it down with some black paint so that it looks quite ratty, or at least to a pro thief then not worth the effort of stealing because of the effort required to clean it up

Simon

unread,
Oct 18, 2012, 10:00:22 PM10/18/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com


On Friday, 19 October 2012 00:16:42 UTC+1, 930913 wrote:

Tim Storey

unread,
Oct 19, 2012, 3:35:04 AM10/19/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Perhaps it is now worth the effort of setting up a honey trap bike that we setup to be stolen so that we can actually catch the thieves, on video if not physically and place a tracker in the stolen bike.
We might be able to get the police to do something that way ?

\t

jt

unread,
Oct 19, 2012, 4:06:37 AM10/19/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
The other side of this problem - I want to buy a cheap second hand bike (I don't want to bring my nice bike up to London). Where do you go to buy cheapish non-nicked bikes? The website approach mentioned earlier seems a fine idea.

(As for d-locks - why not have a pressurised foul smelling gluey goo in the middle - bad enough to make you gag, and sticky enough to be an absolute bugger to get off tools / the frame?)

David Schneider

unread,
Oct 19, 2012, 4:33:20 PM10/19/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
The bait-bike suggestion has already come up at least once in this thread. Legal issues aside, taking one bike thief out of commission won't do a thing to make the bikes safer.

Richard Stevenson

unread,
Oct 19, 2012, 7:08:35 PM10/19/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
No! This is not the chain lock featured in the video, but the Mini-D lock. The difference between these two products is profound. The Mini-D lock has an 18mm hardened steel shackle, the chain has a 14mm shackle with 11mm links. Chain and cable locks of any sort are not to be recommended in Hoxton, as they can indeed go in seconds. The normal size D-lock is also at a substantial disadvantage, as its length can be used against it in leverage attacks.

That's not to say that it's a panacea, but it will take a decent 2 or 3 minutes of angle grinding, and take out most of the disc with it. This, along with other comparisons is discussed at length in the LFGSS thread on locks that work: http://www.lfgss.com/thread17938.html

RS

On Friday, 19 October 2012 00:16:42 UTC+1, 930913 wrote:

Richard Stevenson

unread,
Oct 19, 2012, 7:28:03 PM10/19/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
I'd also point out that this is why I asked what sort of lock was used. I had a mid range (£25ish) d-lock, and it wasn't touched. The thief went for the crappy little cable I'd put round it to secure the wheels, which I had wrongly presumed weren't worth the bother of snipping. The evidence from that is that a moderately decent (Sold Secure Silver rated) U-lock was judged by the thief that had my wheels not to be worth the effort of even attempting to challenge. That's a big point, having some sort of idea of the locks being successfully challenged might give us a reasonable idea of the sorts of locks that are sufficient to protect bikes parked near the hackspace, at least in the immediate present.

RS 

On Friday, 19 October 2012 00:16:42 UTC+1, 930913 wrote:

Tim Storey

unread,
Oct 20, 2012, 4:14:52 AM10/20/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Having a bike that is watched and traced presents no legal issue, and taking one or more thieves out of commission is a good idea.
People do talk, and it is likely an organised crew who are doing the stealing round here rather than kids. If it becomes known that the area has bikes that lead to arrest they may well go elsewhere.

\t

Morris

unread,
Oct 20, 2012, 12:18:08 PM10/20/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
I've been considering getting a bike, if I do.. I'm totally up for getting as much help as possible to kit it out for such adventures. Just in case.
--
>
++++++++++[>+>+++>++

+++++>++++++++++<<<<
-]>>>+++++++.>++++++
+++++.+++..---------
.++++++++++.<<+++.<.

John Naughton

unread,
Oct 21, 2012, 8:12:08 AM10/21/12
to london-h...@googlegroups.com
Have a look in the locksport boxes, we have a collection of bike locks and they are all cut open, mostly anglegrinders but some xamples of the cables that have been cut. 
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages