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General Category >> rbent Lobby >> PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT!?!?!?!
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Message started by gfreeman on Aug 19^th, 2014, 3:28pm

Title: PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT!?!?!?!
Post by gfreeman on Aug 19^th, 2014, 3:28pm

PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT?!?!?!
My wife and I have just purchased two Bent trikes and the guys at RBM recommended heavy-duty locks. They said bike theft had become a real problem. I noticed on FB a new product may offer some protection, i.e., the Tile. Tile is a 1 inch square plastic device. It is not a GPS. It operates on Bluetooth, and, at present, requires an IOS device, i.e., an Iphone or Ipad. It is primarily made for finding your keys or purse or wallet, inside your house. Its max range is only 150 feet. BUT, here is the kicker. If your tile is out of range, but if any other Tile user does come within its range, you will be notified and a pin will be dropped at the location of your Tile. So, the success of finding a stolen bike depends on a large network of users. But, think of the number of riders in Dallas County alone. And, I am thinking that many of them have IOS devices. The battery on this device is not rechargeable but lasts a year. That means you have to replace it once a year. Individually, they are right at $20, but, if you order in quantity, the price goes down. They are small and so easily concealed on your bike/trike. Google "Tile" with an upper case "T' and you'll find it.

Title: Re: PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT!?!?!?!
Post by bob wand on Aug 19^th, 2014, 8:58pm

I don't think you can depend on other users, only if their device is an OS. Recent sales data indicates Android sales were 53.2% vs 37.8% for OS phones. For IPADS it's an even larger gap 62% for Android, 36% for OS.
We spent big bucks to get the lightest trike. Adding a 5 pound lock just doesn't add up.

The best thief protection is to stay on the trike.

Title: Re: PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT!?!?!?!
Post by gfreeman on Aug 21^st, 2014, 9:01am

I get your point, but, for $20 a year, I am going to try it. There are enough Iphones around to justify it and the Crowdsource stats show these Tiles are selling like crazy. Im predicting this will soon be a pretty wide network.

Title: Re: PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT!?!?!?!
Post by reever on Aug 21^st, 2014, 2:40pm

Sounds like it might fly in a population dense area like Dallas. Sure wish they would just let us replace the battery instead of buying a while new unit each year. I just hope somebody down in Mexico has iPhones or iPads so I can see where my bike ends up. Ha!

Title: Re: PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT!?!?!?!
Post by gfreeman on Aug 22^nd, 2014, 3:54pm

Reever, when my first batch of Tiles arrives, I am going to disassemble one, see what kind of battery it has and figure out how to re-charge it. I am certain the manufacturer did not include a charging port in order to keep it light, inexpensive and sealed from the elements. And, I'm sure they'd rather sell you a new one every year than have you re-charge it, but I've never seen a device i could not figure out how to re-charge. We'll see. But, even if it costs $20 a year, (down to around $15 if you buy 6. (6 for $120 gets you 2 extra for free) it's pretty cheap insurance. I am not sure where, but I intend to stamp our TDL numbers on our trike frames and put something on the trike that says it is theft-protected. My experience is that discouraging a thief is the best first step. then, marking an item in a way that it cannot easily be marketed to a non-owner is next. Finally, tracking devices etc. to relocate a stolen item are good tertiary measures. The Tile will be the last measure.

Title: Re: PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT!?!?!?!
Post by Monkeywrangler22 on Aug 22^nd, 2014, 5:19pm

You can also research the Project 529 Garage bike registration and recovery site.
https://project529.com/

Might be worth doing also.

Title: Re: PROTECTION FROM BIKE THEFT!?!?!?!
Post by gfreeman on Aug 25^th, 2014, 12:31pm

The 529 registration looks good. I did not have time to look through the site in detail, but I will. i wondered about registration and serial numbers. I have an old die set with a full alphabet and all numerals. I was thinking about simply stamping my DL number on the boom of my Rover, in an obvious place, so that anyone to whom it was being offered for sale could see it. And, if I ever sell it to anyone, I would give them a bill of sale, detailing the DL number and description of the bike. It would operate like a title. If they sell it, they could do the same thing.