BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Bicycle theft is a serious disincentive to cycling.
Later this month ITV is to screen a documentary on the rise of bicycle thefts in London, how the thieves operate and what the police are doing about the problem. [UPDATE: There are three trailers for the show here.]
‘Gone in 60 Seconds – The Bike Crime Wave’ will be on ITV1 at 7.30pm on 24th July and will also be available on Sky, channel 993.
Magazine articles on bike lock breaching have generally shied away from showing the actual tools used, or the methods, in order not to encourage bike theft.
ITV London will show some of the brute-force methods used. It has filmed a Newcastle upon Tyne chain supplier breaking into competitor products. The company was found via a video on YouTube. This video has had 52,892 views and shows how to breach chunky motorbike chains.
Using large, easily available hand tools (not power tools) the pretend thieves on the YouTube video heave into a number of competitor products, but on the company website there are videos showing they can’t breach their own chains, which are thicker.
The ITV programme won’t be quite so graphic but it will show the 42-inch tools often used by bike thieves.
Sadly, bike thieves can break into almost anything, especially given the general lack of interest from members of the public when bicycle locks are attacked in broad daylight.
The lock companies which have their products breached are being allowed a right of reply on the programme.
The ITV programme will also feature sting operations – with a bike being stolen and then tracked – and secret video filming of stolen bikes being sold on London’s Brick Lane.
