Advice 2

Myth- "You can't stop a professional! If he wants it, he's going to get it."

Fact- "You have just as much chance of stopping a thief, as a thief has of
stealing your bike, it all comes down to who wants the bike more, you or the thief."
Gary Taaffe- Inventor

You can be just as tricky, the tools are available to us all, the question is, do you really want to stop a thief or are you just kidding yourself.

It's not really that hard to prepare yourself against a thief, and you don't have to spend a fortune doing it. There are lots of things that you can do, some are expensive and some are cheap. It helps to
understand a few basic principles though-

The first, and the most important principle, is you need a good backstop, and I do mean good, this is your last stand, the thing that you have to rely on when everything else fails, if they get through it, your history, or at least your property is. Your backstop needs to be something that anchors your bike or whatever it is to the ground to stop them from simply picking it up and walking away with it. Maximum Security Lockdown^TM was designed specifically for this purpose and I am happy to say that I have found nothing stronger than it anywhere in the world.

The next principle, is you need to put up as many obstacles as you can to slow a thief down. Some of the more commonly known obstacles are dogs, padlocks, garages and alarms etc. See below for more details.

Insurance is a good back-up too, but it won't stop your bike from being stolen! You will get some of your money back, but don't forget your excess, and you won't get the money back that you may have spent on accessories. It's probably cheaper to spend the money on good security. The main problem with insurance is it's an expensive habit, you have to buy more again next year, and the year after that; and the year after that. Good security will last you a lifetime, and you only have to buy it once.

Cheap but effective obstacles, and some more hints and tips -

1. I like things that you set-up yourself that a thief can't predict, like trip wires. They are very easy to set-up and are very cheap. It's what you connect them to that can be expensive. My favorite is connecting the trip wire to about a dozen long neck beer bottles high on a shelf. When it's tripped, they all come crashing down, not on the thieves head, you could get into trouble for that, but on the concrete floor. It makes a hell of a racket and your neighbors will come running to see if you are alright. They would normally just roll over and go back to sleep after hearing an alarm. You can connect the last bottle of the dozen to another single bottle still on the shelf, so it's pulled down just before the previous bottle hits the ground, and so on and so on. Imagine a thief trying to stop all those bottles falling while all the other bottles are exploding around him, and in comes the neighbor, the thieves are off, or in dire straights, and it's time to invite the neighbor and the boys around to empty some more beer bottles.

You can have fun not only emptying the bottles but coming up with ways of stopping a thief.

2. Movement sensing lights are cheap and effective. Thieves don't like going into the light at night or being surprised by a light. It just might be enough to make them go elsewhere.

3.    It's not a bad idea to have an electrical cut-off switch inside your house that cuts off the electricity to your garage. You don't want them using your own tools to steel your bike. Don't laugh, it has
happened before.

4.    Let's not forget the good old faithful guard dog. They scare off a lot of people however I wouldn't rely on them alone as thieves do seem to get past them.

5.    Etching identification marks into your property is also a good deterrent.

6.    If your on the street, use your padlock and chain or cable lock to anchor your property to a tree, a streetlight or anything solid. Parking meters are solid, but a bike can be lifted up and over one, so I wouldn't recommend using them. Don't forget, the idea is to outsmart a thief. You might think thieves aren't that smart, but there's still a lot of stuff stolen, so they can't be that dumb. Never underestimate your opponent.

7.    The more obstacles you have, the more chance you have that a thief will look for an easier target.

8.    If your on the street, chain a couple of bikes together, it will make it a lot harder to pick up and carry away.

9.    On the street at night, park in a well lit area.

10. Whatever you do, don't just wrap your chain or cable through the frame or wheel. The frame is very easy to hacksaw through and the wheel is easily unbolted leaving the thief to take the rest of your bike. It might seem obvious but there are a lot of very secure wheels out there.

11.    Use extra security on your garage door. Most garage door locks are really quite flimsy.

12.    I know you want to show off your new toy, but resist the temptation, it won't be stolen if nobody knows it's there. It's often your friend, or a friend of a friend that steals your property. At the same time, do your real friends a favor and tell them about Maximum Security Lockdown^TM, you might help them save their own pride and joy.

13.    Be careful about being followed home, go out of your way if you suspect someone is following you, if nothing else, it's a good excuse to go for a ride.

The choice is yours, you can stop a thief if you try

Above content courtesy of Gary Taaffe
Maximum Security Lockdown
Australia