Removing the hinge clamps on Bromptons is a good way to prevent opportunistic thefts. The bike cannot be ridden and it's really difficult to carry one when the whole bike just flops about.

I recently was a victim of an attempted bike theft while touring. I made many mistakes while securing my bike overnight at a campground, but I was able to stop the thief in his tracks. Not a pleasant experience. Many people commented on having alarms on their touring bikes, recommending ones similar to yours. I will certainly be getting a loud alarm to attach to my touring bike while sleeping. Thank you for a great, informative video.

Phew I thought you had lost your bike. Great video as always. The book is very good would recommend !

Extremely practical advice 😀. Thanks!

Thanks for the information. I tour with a Brompton in Europe, and nearly all town/city railway stations have secure luggage lockers, which make an excellent safe store if visiting for a few hours.

Thanks for the tips!

Thank you for the tips. I have to say I never had any problem touring on Spain with my Brompton. People are always polite and nice. During El Camino (I’ve done it three times) you can even leave the bike near the door without any lock. Just make sure you take your wallet and your phone with you. For the lock I rather use a chain lock. A cable one is just too easy to cut with a pair of clippers. This is the one I use everyday in Madrid and on my trips: www.amazon.es/Abus-5805K-Candado-Unisex-Negro/dp/B01J9IGAZ2 You just need to lock the bike right in front of the grocery store where lots of people go in and out of the store. Difficult times to go touring. I hope things will change next year. 😉

Thanks for the video. The alarm is an interesting idea, in principle. I have one that serves also as bike rear light. The problem with it is that it's very sensitive and it gets triggered if anyone locking their bike next to yours on the same rack accidentally touches your bike (which is a very common thing to happen). It's annoying and sometimes even embarrassing for the alarm owner because I don't own the bike rack and other people are entitled to park their bikes without getting scared by the alarm accidentally going on. So I'd say turn the alarm on only if you park your bike free standing and no one can park theirs next to yours. Or you put a flashy warning sticker saying "alarm protected. Gets triggered at the slightest touch".

You should never use a cable lock in the USA. I bicycled thru Japan from December to September. The safest country in Asia w/the most considerate drivers.

Everywhere I go I take my electric bike with me, when I go on holiday abroad I also take my ebike with me. When I book a Hotel room I always book a room with a king bed so my ebike can safely sleep with me. I have never had a bike stolen in my life thanks to this safety measures.

Thank you for the tips! I do all the same things you do to protect my bicycle while touring and I never had anything stolen during more than 30 years of spending almost all of my vacations bicycle touring. Maybe I was just lucky. I used an alarm gadget similar to the one you show in the video for only one year in 2018. It was not very well made and stopped to work after only one year. I'll try again with the one you use.

Some street louts have been known to kick in the spokes of a bike if they are unable to steal it. I remember a bike chained to a 20 foot tree. The thieves cut down the tree to get the bike! Great video with great advice for the bike traveller.

Great tips. Thanks.

The problem would be ameliorated, maybe cured, if there were sufficient numbers of steel street bicycle lockers provided by local authorities, which can have electronic locks, like modern toilets, and you pay for them via your credit card so car nuts and ratepayers can't complain that cyclists are getting expensive privileges. The authority could even promise if the bike is stolen, they'd pay for a replacement through an insurance scheme. . Remove sufficient car parking spaces and there's plenty of room in every city. It's really strange how we allow drivers to park their cars on streets, taking up room even when they're not moving, but allowing bicycles the same privileges is beyond our capacity. You could have lockers for 6 bicycles for each parking space I imagine.

The Cordless angle-grinder has made bike locks redundant. They also make it challenging to confront a bike thief wielding one.

One has only to watch a few episodes of _The Lock Picking Lawyer_ to see any lock is no match to a highly-skilled thief. Best to take your bike inside.

Sometimes if travelling with my partner or with friends we’ll lock two or more bikes together - including locking together front wheels

Thank you for sharing. We are about to visit Utah-Zion National Park. Since we only can ride the shuttle for the Spring season and cannot drive our own car inside the park, so thinking to ride the bike to some of the trail head for the hike. There are bike racks at each shuttle stops, and thinking to use the alarm, but also afraid the distance might be too far to dis-alarm during the hike (or not even hears it). Did you ever have the experience parking your bike at the trail head for the hike?

The alarm is very good, however the cable lock is next to useless. A small pair of electricians side cutter will cut through that in about four snips. A small chain would be much more effective. Regards Stewart

OMG I have this same alarm. But I cut down the housing so I can stuff inside the frame. USE AIRTAGS people! 😛 1)airtag. I can track 2)I have the same alarm. USEFUL! Even if lock some people try to lift up your bike. It happen to my friend. He now uses an alarm. 3) ziplok. It’s like a reusable zip tie. I use the Alarm and ziplok for quick locking for example convenient store. No excuse not to lock. 4)small combo coil lock for long term if necessary. But try to bring your bike INSIDE folded. What’s the point of a folding bike lol.

As usual good advice. Can I recommend another lock option which works fantastically. If you invert your rear triangle lever so its facing up towards the seat instead of pointing down, you can actually fit an abus bordo folding lock in the area around the seatpost sleeve. You may have to slightly pad the lock to stop it rattling around or protect the area with rubber to stop the serial badge from being destroyed but works excellently without any obstructions. I may have a photo from my little tour down the gulf of Thailand somewhere?

Really interesting, would you ever use the lock to secure your Brompton in a train luggage rack if it was out of your line of site? Thanks

Thanks for the Tips as always:) by the way where can we get that Alarm:) Thanks

I just came back from a folding bike /wild camping tour from Brandenburg (east Germany). I was visiting a lot of castles. They did not offer proper locking fachilities to store the backpack or the panniers. Like nearly everywhere in the world, it is made for cars. I tried to hide my heavy stuff under a camouflage tarp hidden in small forests near the castles I wanted to visit. It is a bit of work, but it kept me relaxed during the long period I was not there. but one time a theft happened also to me. I was for a short time in a supermarket and did not want to take all my heavy stuff from the bike. I think one unemployed Alcoholic hanging araound at the supermarket trolleys and starring at the bikes stole a shirt and a longarm shirt strapped on the back rack of my parked folding bike. Gianni, your camping setup is more or less for summer time. Do you also travel by Brommi in colder situations and what kind of equipment do you use for that conditions?

funny thing is i always fold my bike to take inside the supermarket trolley when buying food. i find lidel and Aldi supermarkets in Europe are almost in every location and are reasonable priced. i place the folded bike in side a bag with long shoulder carry straps to take the bike inside a cafe. i never leave my bike alone unsafe outside where bike theft are looking. in Britain you can steal a bike and never be concerned about prosecution. the police no longer are concerned about low lever crime such as shop lifting or bicycle theft and house burglary. you would have to have stolen 4000 bicycles before the police begin to show an interest in prosecution for your crimes. it a terrible situation no thing is safe left unattended in UK.

Can I ask how do you usually attend the restroom if need be, or if you are urgent? Do you lock your bike then, or take it with you?

Hi new subscriber. Found you from *chris by bike* KZfaqr

Generally safe in Japan.... not so in many Asia cities, esp Brompton looks as valuable asset and it's tantalizing to have one. haha.... take care bro.

Useful tips thanks, especially about staying in a hotel on a day of heavy sightseeing. I have left my Brompton unattended for a minute or two in small rural towns or villages. But elsewhere I either don’t leave it outside at all, or lock it as briefly as possible with a LiteLok Silver. It’s a bit flexible, and I have a second one if necessary which together can encompass a tree or a thick gate post if I want to go on a mountain hike. But I prefer not to carry the weight of a lock so usually I just leave it/them at home and resolve not to leave the bike. My other tip if leaving the bike is to take the saddle with you (if you have telescopic), partly fold the bike and lock the back end, and fold the left pedal - all to make it more perplexing to use! www.litelok.com/products/litelok-silver-flexi-o?variant=31864923291722

unscrew and take with you the frame clamps !!

Brompton should make a registry of stolen bike registration numbers and make it public. That way they can always be checked by 2nd hand buyers...

Ich weiß es nicht ob du in London lebst aber ich habe gehört dass die Londoner Diebe sollen sehr aggressiv sein. Viel Glück und bleib gesund. Grüße aus Düsseldorf.

Never too poor to tour

I am disappointed I thought this video was going to give some tips on how to steal bikes when touring :@(. Seriously, the only bike that has been stolen from me was my first Brompton. They are highly desirable. The only time I was refused entry to a building with it was London University HQ in Malet street when attending my masters graduation so had to leave it locked up to an Oxford stand. When I came out it was gone. I cannot explain the grief, the anger I felt. I had used a Kryptonite New Yorker D lock which as good as cheese. I also left it under a CCTV camera by the main entrance. When I tried to get footage from the cameras from when I left it, I was told the cameras weren't working by security and the police weren't interested in the slightest. Security told me to take a look at Brick Lane market as that is where all the stolen bikes go in London. So now I don't let my Brompton out of my sight. I now never ever leave it unattended anywhere. If it cannot come with me, I do not leave it, I go elsewhere. The only place I would leave it would perhaps be a robust lockable locker. It is different for other non folding touring bikes as you can carry heavier locks and tbh they are not quite so desirable as a Brompton. Of course the other risk is if you get bike jacked because you rode into the wrong area. Two cycle tourists a German and a Hungarian were beheaded and dismembered and dumped in a deep ravine in I believe Mexico a couple of years ago. The police are so corrupt they closed the case claiming they had fallen off their bikes. I think their luggage was missing. The trouble with the Brompton is that it is too easy to carry and thieves want to strip them for parts.