Making a bike rack harder to cut.

Nov 26, 2010
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We have just bought two electric bikes and of necessity one will have to be carried on our rear-door mounted rack. It will be well chained and locked with SoldSecure products. However, I’m aware that thieves use bolt cutters to sever the actual rack from the vehicle and off course any bikes with it.
Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can make the rack much harder to cut with bolt cutters? I have a couple of ideas in mind but would be interested in other people’s thoughts.
I do not want to drill through the back door.
As we are carrying just one bike on the rack I have several kgs of spare capacity to add ‘bits and pieces’.
Stay safe :)
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Given they can cut D shackles with bolt cutters it’s going to be hard to protect the bike rack which by its nature will not be hardened steel. As well as bolt cutters cutting discs whipp through such mental work. Seeing what their kit can do to Alko wheel locks and others I don’t hold out much hope of real deterrence. There is a new type of woven “ wire” that is claimed to defeat the kit used by thieves and its used for cycle security. If it’s as good as claimed it could be used as additional security on the bike and, a supplementary security tether from the bike rack either to a towbar, or inside to a restraint within the caravan/ Motorhome. Will see if I can find more details.

https://www.litelok.com/

There’s also Ottolock a similar product.
 
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Nov 16, 2015
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As OC states an angle grinder would make short work of that type of mount. I have an armoured chain, that goes around my underlung spare wheel then around the tow bar, as there were a lot of thefts of spare wheels. I an even stronger one, for locking my motorcycle up.
Halfords, Amazon etc. Through the bike frame to the towbar. They are not cheap though. Also think about removing the battery pack when its on the carrier, if your leaving it unattended.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Sadly if they want it they'll probably have the means to defeat almost anything you do to protect it.

I knew a member of the Staffs Traffic Police who told me of a gang of thieves who prowled the motorway service up and down the M6. They were caught red handed trying to steal a caravan from a car park. They had a couple of transit vans which had all sorts of cutting tools ready to be used at a moments notice. Apart from jemmy's, bolt cutters they had angle grinders and a hydraulic cutter like the ones the fire service have. They would pull up either side of an outfit to shield what they were doing from general view.

A few bolts would not have been much of a deterrent, It's believed that had cut the actual tow ball bracket off one car to get the caravan.

There are basically a few things you can do.

Do not leave the bikes on the car unattended.
Some extra fixings will slow them down.
Make the bike less attractive such as removing as many items as you can such as wheels, battery saddle. etc
 
Jul 15, 2008
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IMO there is nothing you can do ........the electric bikes will always be a theft target both on a carrier or when you are out and about using them.
Adequate insurance is the only protection.

We sometimes like to take cycles whilst on a caravan trip but have, decided to stick to human pedal power, especially as we often cycle to a destination and then leave the cycles locked up while we take a walk.
We don't want the worry of looking after a couple of electric bikes worth £3000 .......ours are worth £50 each!
 
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Nov 26, 2010
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Given they can cut D shackles with bolt cutters it’s going to be hard to protect the bike rack which by its nature will not be hardened steel. As well as bolt cutters cutting discs whipp through such mental work. Seeing what their kit can do to Alko wheel locks and others I don’t hold out much hope of real deterrence. There is a new type of woven “ wire” that is claimed to defeat the kit used by thieves and its used for cycle security. If it’s as good as claimed it could be used as additional security on the bike and, a supplementary security tether from the bike rack either to a towbar, or inside to a restraint within the caravan/ Motorhome. Will see if I can find more details.

https://www.litelok.com/

There’s also Ottolock a similar product.
“Thank you” to everyone who has replied to my query.
I accept that if ‘they’ want it then ‘they’ will get it but I’m trying to make it as awkward as possible. We've used conventional bikes up to last year, but age is catching up – hence the e bikes.
The bikes are full size folding bikes. One will be in the ‘boot’ of our Adria Twin and the other will be on the rack folded, minus its battery and saddle and completely covered. It will not look like a bike, hopefully.
Otherclive, yes, I was thinking along your lines of an internal anchor. I’d not heard of woven rope, sounds interesting.
Might sound a bit far-fetched but I was wondering if the frame could be filled with a liquid (plastic or similar?) that would solidify?
Another thought was to twist wire rope around the main sections of the rack.
Again, none of these ideas make the bikes thief proof but they make it more difficult.
The bikes are insured but losing one whilst on holiday would really spoil it for us.
 
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Nov 16, 2015
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Jodil, here is an example of the cables and chains I use.

 
Nov 26, 2010
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Thank you hutch . Yes I've got 10mm hardened chain and two SoldSecure gold U locks to secure the bike to the rack. My fear is somebody stealing the whole damn lot, rack, bike and all.
Stay safe. Jodil :)
 
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Mel

Mar 17, 2007
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I have no technical ability so this may be an unworkable idea: but one sort of deterrent is noise. Can you wire an audible alarm wire though the bike rack so that if the rack is cut it screams it’s head off?
Good luck
mel
 
Nov 26, 2010
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Can you wire an audible alarm wire though the bike rack so that if the rack is cut it screams it’s head off?
Hi Mel,
Thank you for your reply.
Yes, the bikes will be alarmed but feeding the cable through the actual tubing of the rack is worth investigating. Doesn’t make the frame harder to cut but if the alarm cable is not obvious the noise might just startle and frighten off the ne'er-do-well.
 

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