averagebiker
Retro Guru
The people who are stealing several bikes a week from my local station certainly know which ones are worth stealing.
Anti-theft parts bin sh*tter.
- Thread starter Tsundere
- Start date
CassidyAce
Senior Retro Guru
A colleague of mine had her old, abused, cheap and nasty Apollo stolen. I was dumbfounded (which she found mildly insulting) but, apparently, some thieves will take even the least desirable of bikes just for the scrap metal value. 
bikeworkshop
Old School Grand Master
Sometimes they just want an unpunctured wheel, sometimes they just want a free ride home.A colleague of mine had her old, abused, cheap and nasty Apollo stolen. I was dumbfounded (which she found mildly insulting) but, apparently, some thieves will take even the least desirable of bikes just for the scrap metal value.
"My worthless bike was stolen,
why did they bother?"
... Next day, different customer:
"I found this crappy bike in my front garden - why did they dump it?"
Which answers the 1st question
All you can really do is narrow the range of thieving scum that your bike will appeal to. If you can narrow it down to just the scrap metal hunters you're doing OK.A colleague of mine had her old, abused, cheap and nasty Apollo stolen. I was dumbfounded (which she found mildly insulting) but, apparently, some thieves will take even the least desirable of bikes just for the scrap metal value.
Even scrap metal hunters will still go for the easiest to steal scrap metal, so I guess scrap metal with a decent lock is not a bad place to be.
If you can make the metal itself appear to be mostly rusted through plus it's a bitch to steal then you're golden.
bikeworkshop
Old School Grand Master
I used to take the saddle and front wheel with me - almost all Bristol thieves expect to ride away on the bike.
I still locked the frame+wheel to an immovable object with a 10mm+ hardened steel shackle though
The 10-bikes-in-the-back-of-the-van
types are pretty rare.
I still locked the frame+wheel to an immovable object with a 10mm+ hardened steel shackle though
The 10-bikes-in-the-back-of-the-van
types are pretty rare.
Last edited:
Frankenorange
Orange 🍊 Fan
Thief picked it up and thought the frame must surely be made out of solid bar and not tubes. It makes sense.
baron von greenback
Old School Hero
Scrap metal value bikes are worth nothing be lucky if you got a £5 it's £140 a ton or there abouts the scrap man will take one if it's lieing about in a back st but they not taken Pacificaly to weight in
novocaine
Retro Wizard
when a pack of fags is 20 quid, a fiver is useful, 4 bikes and you are into your smokes. (or flogged to the nearest muppet down the boozer for a tenner, which is more likely to be fair).
i do agree with you by the way, bikes are worthless to the scrap dealer, it's classed as mixed at best which is around 16p a kilogram at the moment if you are lucky and more likely 10p a kilo as it's got rubber and non recyclables on it.
As others have said there are those who will steal anything, several years ago I commuted with a scruffy Raleigh hi tensile road bike with steel rims etc. I 'cascaded' old used parts onto this bike to keep it going. One of these parts was a knackered Suntour rear mech which had pivots so worn that bottom gear was unusable as the mech rubbed the spokes, this mech was modded with a Huret style hanger to fit the frame. Also covered with many miles / months of filth. This did not stop someone cutting through the chain and liberating the mech! No worries as I fitted an old Huret mech which turned out to be an upgrade as bottom gear became usable 
Moral of this is to keep with the 'downgrade' mentality with any commuter that is parked up. Should also add that I also changed my parking spot after this.
Moral of this is to keep with the 'downgrade' mentality with any commuter that is parked up. Should also add that I also changed my parking spot after this.
Last edited:
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
