How to secure your two-wheeler

Bicycle patrol
How to secure your two-wheeler
Every year, thousands of bicycles "disappear" and only a few are recovered. Investigators have particular difficulties in solving these crimes due to missing individual numbers or inadequate descriptions of the bicycles when reports are filed.

This means that bicycles carried by suspects cannot be assigned during checks. This also applies to the many bicycles seized and stored in police evidence rooms. In addition to the investigations and checks, Bonn police will be stepping up their prevention work.

Equip yourself!

Whether it's a bicycle, pedelec or e-bike - secure your two-wheeler adequately against theft! Thieves often have an easy time of it and take advantage of the opportunity to commit the crime quickly. But there are also criminals who specialize in stealing bikes. We inform you how to secure your bike effectively.

 

Use suitable locks

Even if it is already equipped with a frame lock, always secure it additionally with a U-lock, chain lock or armored cable lock.

A frame lock only blocks the wheels, but does not protect against the bike being carried away, rolling away on the front wheel or being loaded.

When choosing chains, shackles and locks, always opt for "tested quality" and high-quality materials such as special steel and solid locking systems.

A suitable lock should account for around ten percent of the bike price.

Lock your bike - and not just unlock it

Not only lock each bike, but also lock it to a fixed object, e.g. a traffic sign. Please make sure that your bike does not create any bottlenecks or barriers for pedestrians or other cyclists.

A waist-high post is out of the question, however, as the bike and lock could simply be lifted over the post and carried away.

If you are traveling with several people and bikes, lock the bikes together on the frame. This makes it almost impossible to carry them away.

Make it difficult for lock pickers

Mount the lock as high as possible on the bike. This makes it really difficult for thieves who want to pick your additional lock with really big bolt cutters. This is because the thieves can no longer place one arm of the bolt cutter on the ground and support themselves with their body weight.

Do not park your bike on remote, less frequented streets or squares. There is a low risk of detection for thieves here.

 

Take batteries, speedometers, computers and accessories with you

If you park an e-bike/pedelec for a longer period of time, make sure you take the battery with you. This will make your e-bike/pedelec unattractive to thieves. If this is not possible, you should also secure the battery.

Take the bike computer, speedometer, tools and tools from the tool bag or saddle bag with you.

Have your bike coded

Having your bike coded makes it less attractive to thieves. A combination of letters and numbers engraved on the frame to make it weatherproof shows who owns the stolen bike. This makes it more difficult to resell at flea markets or online.

In Bonn, the Allgemeine Deutsche Fahrrad-Club (ADFC), among others, offers this service. After prior registration, your bike will be engraved on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5 to 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 1 pm at the RadHaus in Breite Straße 71, 53111 Bonn.

Registration and information is available on 0228 6296364.

The bike pass - now also available as an app

A police bike passport helps to identify stolen bikes beyond doubt, convict the perpetrator and locate the rightful owner.

In addition to the frame number and coding, the name and address of the bike owner are also noted in the passport. It also includes a photo of the bike. The completed passport should be kept in a safe place.

The bicycle passport is available as a print version, but also as a free app for iPhones and Android smartphones at polizei-beratung.de

Translated with DeepL.com (API Version)
In urgent cases: Police emergency number 110