Push Bike Security

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Stevef

Joined
May 13, 2020
Posts
62
Likes collected
75
Location
Worcestershire
Funster No
70,633
MH
Swift Kon-tiki 675
Exp
couple of years and loving it
How secure are push bikes on the back of motor homes? Our Kontiki has a rack fitted and I assume you lash your bikes to this with a couple of bike locks but the racks don’t seem that strong. Anything we can do to help ourselves?

cheers
Steve
 
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Several locks, not rope types AND vanbitz or similar alarmed cycle loop.

If electric remove controller from handlebars and battery, whilst on rack.

Most important name items on house insurance so always covered.

Keep safe.
 
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Make sure any locks you use are Sold Secure Gold “D” locks. Don’t use chains or cable locks - not worth the money. Hardened steel chains are ok at home but they weigh a ton so not suitable for touring really.
 
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RandallC said:
Most important name items on house insurance so always covered.
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Many policies don't cover bikes on MHs as they are 'movable objects', daft I know.

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I use a D lock, two long cables with padlocks and a Growler alarm loop from Vanbitz.
The long cables with padlocks probably can be cut, but it’s just more time consuming for them and they may move onto someone else’s less protected bikes.
If they really want them, they’ll get them. You’ve just got to make it harder work or for them to think it’s not worth the hassle.
Are they expensive bikes? If so take the wheels off and put the lot in your garage.
We had some unsavoury characters at Dieppe Aire who were trying bikes on bike racks. We ended up moving at 1am to a different aire.
 
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GAVLAD said:
I use a D lock, two long cables with padlocks and a Growler alarm loop from Vanbitz.
The long cables with padlocks probably can be cut, but it’s just more time consuming for them and they may move onto someone else’s less protected bikes.
If they really want them, they’ll get them. You’ve just got to make it harder work or for them to think it’s not worth the hassle.
Are they expensive bikes? If so take the wheels off and put the lot in your garage.
We had some unsavoury characters at Dieppe Aire who were trying bikes on bike racks. We ended up moving at 1am to a different aire.
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Thanks for that, the bikes are quite expensive especially the wife‘s electric thing. Like you say tho, wheels off battery out and a good lock And perhaps a cover!

cheers
steve
 
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Minxy Girl said:
Many policies don't cover bikes on MHs as they are 'movable objects', daft I know.
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Have always added ours to home insurance as named items especially now as they are Ebikes. They are covered in and away from home.

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Ernesto said:
Make sure any locks you use are Sold Secure Gold “D” locks. Don’t use chains or cable locks - not worth the money. Hardened steel chains are ok at home but they weigh a ton so not suitable for touring really.
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indeed you can watch the vids on untuned of how easy it is to snip cable locks. They at least need to tote a battery disc cutter to get a sold secure D lock off.
 
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RandallC said:
Have always added ours to home insurance as named items especially now as they are Ebikes. They are covered in and away from home.
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Does it say anything about 'securing' them though when they are left unattended?
 
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I’ve found most policies require them to be inside a locked motorhome, or secured to something immovable at home.
 
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I suppose it depends on where the OP will be parking and whether they will be leaving the van with the bikes on the back.
If they don’t leave the van when the bikes are on the rack, they’ll wake up and hear a disc cutter attacking the lock. A thief would leave the lock and attack the bike rack as that’ll be the weakest point. So spending loads on a lock needs to be weighed up for this reason.
 
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GAVLAD said:
I suppose it depends on where the OP will be parking and whether they will be leaving the van with the bikes on the back.
If they don’t leave the van when the bikes are on the rack, they’ll wake up and hear a disc cutter attacking the lock. A thief would leave the lock and attack the bike rack as that’ll be the weakest point. So spending loads on a lock needs to be weighed up for this reason.
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This is what occurred to me! Cut the rack, leave the locks on the bikes and bugger off!

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GAVLAD said:
I suppose it depends on where the OP will be parking and whether they will be leaving the van with the bikes on the back.
If they don’t leave the van when the bikes are on the rack, they’ll wake up and hear a disc cutter attacking the lock. A thief would leave the lock and attack the bike rack as that’ll be the weakest point. So spending loads on a lock needs to be weighed up for this reason.
Click to expand...
This is what occurred to me! Cut the rack, leave the locks on the bikes and bugger off!
 
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Also helps if you have a good sturdy bike cover, not a thin plastic one - out of sight out of mind.
Our ebikes are not covered on an external bike rack which is odd as they say it’s not an immovable object so when parked up for the night we took them off the rack and chained them through the Motorhome wheel. Now we have a garage which is locked and alarmed they also specify they still have to be locked to an immovable object! Covered as a specified item on our house insurance. Enjoy the bikes don’t let the possibility of thieves spoil your fun.
 
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When we travelled with our ebikes on the back of the van we locked them to the rack and made sure they were completely covered.

Had a bike loop with the alarm, only used it to test it and for the kayak when parked up. Found it a right faff.

The cover was invaluable, good quality, used on the rack and when off the rack overnight, also kept the bikes clean when travelling.
 
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Minxy Girl said:
Do a search of the forum as these were discussed at length previously ... I seem to remember there was an 'issue' with them and how well in reality they stood up to attack.
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Thieves can defeat any lock given the right tools and time - so long as they are Sold Secure Gold (which Liteloks are) rated then that's enough for most insurance companies.
If you're really nervous about leaving them, then the best thing is use two different types of lock - on the principle that different types of lock require different equipment to break open and its unlikely thieves will carry both types.

pandas said:
Our ebikes are not covered on an external bike rack which is odd as they say it’s not an immovable object so when parked up for the night we took them off the rack and chained them through the Motorhome wheel.
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Interesting, who were you insured with (so I know to avoid them)? We're with Lloyds/Halifax (same policy, just different sales channels) and they confirmed to me that so long as they're locked to the vehicle bike rack then they're covered. Doesn't make a great deal of sense to us because we all know the thieves could just remove the entire rack (though they'd have to be pretty strong to carry 50kg of bikes plus the rack), but so long as insurance is satisfied.....
Has anyone ever seen (or even heard) of thieves removing the entire rack though?

As others have said: cover them with a non-see-through cover, lock them to the rack when unattended, and make sure they're properly insured.

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We use ebikes and at the wrong end of fifty, it has changed to way we use our camper. We would have taken our bikes on holiday but not bothered at lot of the time for weekends

Now we actually look for sites that are good for cycling, so we be particularly pee’d off if our bikes were nicked, especially en route

We bought one of these

Atera STRADA EVO 3 to 4 bike carrier no. AR2701

Another excellent tow bar rack from Atera. Superbly well manufactured and easy-to-use. The big difference - it can take a max bike weight of 30kg (up to a maximum load of up to 66kg), great if you have heavier or electric bikes.
www.roofbox.co.uk www.roofbox.co.uk

It hook onto the tow ball, the frame clamps lock, as do the wheel straps, both straps being Spring steel, coated with plastic to protect the bikes.

The motorhome alarm bike security loop is plugged in and through the wheels and framed, so the alarm will sound it that is unplugged or cut, and I use a bike chain.

i must say that the Atera is the best rack I have ever had, easy to use, bikes are on and off in a couple of minutes, undamaged

100% recommended it, from a man that had as bought many bike racks as BBQ’s lol
 
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I’ve got a litlok. Very stiff and quite short, only just goes round my frame and round maybe railings.
It was on sale as a discount to my bike insurance’Yellow Jersey’ which do cover bikes world wide and if on the back of your vehicle.
Personally I wouldn’t trust it on a bike left for too long, a good set of bolt croppers or battery disk cutter would see it waisted I short time but it is sold secure gold which I need for my bike insurance.
I also carry a short really thick hardened chain and sold secure Gold padlock.
when we park up on site the bikes get put in the awning and chained with an even heavier chain around the rear leaf spring of the van
 
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We have Kryptonite silver sold secure frame lock on each of our electric bikes, they have a cable that goes round each front wheel, the bikes sit in a Thule Xt which is locked to the Towbar, the bike clamps have their own locks, the bikes are then locked to the towbar with a Lock lite Gold standard lock each, and the bikes each have their own alarm which we activate if we leave the van, batteries are removed and left in van which has a Cat 1 alarm, will not stop the profesional, but should deter the casual or opertunistic thief.
 
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This week grandson No. 2 (10yr old)was riding a Bromton home when young oik stepped out between two cars, pushed him off and nicked the bike!, all at 4pm on a sunny afternoon, luckily he was not hurt. Moral to story:if low life scum want something they’ll take it.
 
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Can’t help thinking that when the bikes are on the bike carrier on the back of the van, a gold standard metal lock or 2 put as high up as possible, is more difficult to break than when attached to a bike post in a town or village.

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Good idea about putting the locks high up.
You’ve got me thinking about maybe running a lock from the roof somehow, would need to be able to open the back doors though!.
I have a thin cable lock locking the bike rack to the back door, maybe I need to update this.
 
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I have followed this thread and would warn against relying on any lock device to secure the cycles, gold standard or otherwise. Why?, down to the bitter experience of having my cycles removed by sawing through the bike rack itself, locks and all stolen. An alarm loop is essential.
 
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Used to use this around our motorcycles or whatever we had to leave. Still got one
BB3F2D8A-897E-46A5-ABF5-475774C97CB3.jpeg
 
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