4 Ways You Can Protect Your Ebike from Theft

One of the biggest things you need to consider when owning an e-bike is security. Thanks to the popularity of these speedsters and high sticker costs, you need to know how to properly lock and protect your bike to minimize the chances for it to be stolen.

That being said, here are a few ways you can protect your ebike from theft:

1. Don't Leave Your Bike Outside

This is something that you should avoid at all times. Even if you're just leaving it for a couple of minutes, leaving your bike outside is one of the best ways to get it stolen. What's worse is that it won't take much time for it to get stolen. So, you need to take the extra time and make sure that you don't leave your e-bike outside.

If you live in an apartment or smaller house, a good idea would be to get a fold-able ebike like the Espin Nesta - that way it can be stored inside and not take up too much space.

2. Always Use a Lock

This is something that you should never leave behind. In fact, you shouldn't even leave your ebike outside without a lock, otherwise, you're going to be leaving the door wide open for thieves.

While you may think a cable lock is a good option, cables can be cut quickly so it's best to go for a medium or high security lock, especially if you live or work in a higher theft area like a city.

In fact, depending on where you are locking up your bike, it may be advantageous to use more than one lock. While it may take extra time to secure and free the bike, it's a lot better than having to deal with the hassle and heartache of a stole e-bike. U-locks, cable locks, and chain locks make great second locks.

3. Secure the Ebike to a Strong Anchor Point

This is another way to reduce the chances of your e-bike getting stolen. What you'll want to do is to mount it correctly to a secure anchor point. This is a good way to keep it from getting stolen by thieves because they might not be able to carry it away. Also, if they should try to take the bike, the anchor point should force them to break something, which will hurt their chances of getting away with a bike in its original condition.

We recommend that you use heavy-duty wall or floor anchor points. These will allow you to secure your ebike to the spot. If locking your bike to a standalone object on the street, ensure that the object is not easily broken or moveable by giving it a strong tug or a push.

4. Due Diligence - Series Number, Photos, Registration

Every e-bike includes a serial number, this is your bike's ID. In the unfortunate case that your bike does end up getting stolen, the police will need the serial number to be able to identify that the bike belongs to you in case of recovery. Often when stolen bikes are found, it is not one at a time, there is usually a bust of multiple bikes being recovered at once so knowing the serial number will help you get your bike back faster.

Photos help you show how and where your bike was locked up when stolen and also allow you to create a stolen bike listing.

Lastly, there are apps like Project 529 that let you create a profile and include information and photos of your e-bike. If your bike gets stolen, you can use the app to notify the police and people in the area who also have the app. The photos and description and contact information can all help if someone sees your bike.

Conclusion

Of course, no solution out there is going to protect your ebike from theft completely, but if there is anything you can do to reduce such a risk, you should be doing them. In addition, insurance is a definitely must of you live in a high theft area so be sure to look into that as well.

Look into any current homeowners or renters insurance policies you currently have active as they may cover your electric bicycle. Different providers have different policies regarding electric bikes so you may want to call their customer support to confirm. You can always purchase a standalone policy in case your insurance does not cover ebikes, check out some options here.