E-bike theft protection: 7 expert tips

For an old wire bike, simple frame or chain locks may be protection enough. As the owner of an e-bike, you will have to go to greater lengths to protect it against theft. Experts recommend taking action in several areas to prevent e-bike theft and ensure that you do not end up empty-handed after a theft.

We present the 7 most important measures.

1. Buy a high-quality bike lock

Bike locks are a must-have. But which one? For the police, the matter is clear: A sturdy U-lock, chain lock, or an armored cable lock offers the best protection. A simple frame lock, such as those integrated into some electric bikes, is much less secure. Firstly, they are easy to pick, and secondly, thieves can steal your bike away because you cannot attach a frame lock to a fixed object.

However, there are also different models of U-locks and cable bike locks from different suppliers. The following tips will help you to lock your bike correctly and hereby increase security:

• When choosing a lock, look for certifications. The German Association of Damage Insurers (VdS), for example, regularly tests locks for bicycles and motorcycles. You can get tips for buying bike locks on its website.

• Bike locks with an alarm emit a loud warning tone as soon as someone tries to tamper with your bike. Depending on the model, you will also be notified via an app. This way, security can be increased. However, high-quality bike locks remain crucial with this combination.

• Several locks are better than one. For example, combine a simple frame lock with an expensive U-lock or a chain lock. The hurdles for thieves are already higher.

But: Even the best bike lock is no guarantee that your e-bike’s security is guaranteed. Professional bike thieves are not deterred by any lock.

2. Connecting e-bikes correctly

Many bicycle or e-bike owners make the same mistake: They park their bike in a corner and do not connect it to a fixed object. This may be enough for a short time in a well-frequented area and a quick trip to a store. For longer or even overnight, it is not a good idea and is a risk to your bike’s security.

Why?

Simple: If you do not lock your e-bike to a fixed object, you risk thieves not bothering to pick folding locks, chain locks, or U-lock on the spot. Instead, they will carry your bike away and load it into a van. Later, they break the lock at their leisure.

That is why the police recommend: If at all possible, lock your e-bike to a lamppost, a fence, a permanently mounted bicycle stand, or another fixed object. That way, thieves have to pick the lock to steal your bike. With a little bit of luck and a good lock, this will keep them from trying. Of course, this recommendation does not just apply to e-bikes, but any bike.

3. Additionally secure components

Not only complete e-bikes are coveted by thieves. Pedelec components are also in high demand. This starts with the battery and includes seat posts, light systems and pedals. If you don’t take measures to prevent this, component theft is not difficult. But replacements are expensive, especially if they are brand-name products.

So secure not only your entire e-bike with a bike lock, but also valuable components.

When it comes to securing components, you now have almost as much choice as when you’re looking for a bike lock for the whole thing. A simple way to thwart thieves is to use several conventional locks.

You can also find gravity lock systems on the market. The trick is that the screws, nuts or quick-releases can only be opened when your bike is upside down. Therefore, component thieves have to break into your bike lock – at least if you have connected your bike to a fixed object.

Bolts, nuts, nuts or quick-releases with gravity locking technology can only be opened when the wheel is upside down or turned 90 degrees.

We recommend a third option: the HexLox special security system. This innovative theft protection works as follows:

1. You insert Hexlox into Allen screws with the help of an individual key.

2. This blocks the access of an Allen key.

3. HexLox can only be removed with the coded HexLox key.

If you want to use the system for your e-bike, the manufacturer will provide you with the installation parts for the Allen screw as well as a coded key, the so-called Hexlox key. You can order more HexLox keys for this key, but only if you include the code in the packaging.

One advantage of the system is its versatility. You can use HexLox not only for your e-bike, but also for other objects, such as exhibition stands or furniture in public places. It can also be used to successfully secure a GPS transmitter. A real all-rounder and also uncomplicated to install. This versatility and efficiency are the reasons why we consider HexLox to be the best component protection on the market. This makes the system worth every euro.

Hexlox is inserted into Allen screws and blocks access to the screw using a standard Allen key. The lock can only be removed with a coded key.

However, it also depends on the component which anti-theft protection is available to you.

Pay particular attention to the following parts:

E-bike battery

E-bike batteries are expensive. This is why the number of battery thefts is increasing, especially in metropolitan areas. To prevent theft, some batteries have their own lock. However, this is usually easy to break into. It is safer to take the battery with you when you park somewhere for a longer period of time or perhaps even overnight. For more protection tips for e-bike batteries go here.

Bicycle saddle

An easy way to protect your expensive bicycle saddle from theft is to replace the quick-release with a security screw. Gravity locking systems or special security systems such as Hexlox offer even more security.

Wheels

The same applies to wheels: quick-releases are practical, but a security risk. It is better to use several locks, screws or the aforementioned locking systems, which are also available especially for wheels.

Bicycle bags

It is usually the contents of bicycle bags that attract thieves. Therefore, do not store valuables in them when you leave your bike somewhere. To secure the bike bag itself, there are combinations of a bracket and a lock.

 

Bicycle pedals

Finally, it is worth considering the pedals, especially if they are expensive models. For pedals that cannot be opened with an open-end spanner, we recommend HexLox as the best component lock. Read more in this article.

4. Park your e-bike in the right place

A simple contribution to the theft protection of e-bikes is often ignored: The choice of the right location.

But it actually makes sense: there are places where the risk of someone stealing your valuable e-bike is higher and vice versa. That is why it is important to choose “parking spots” for expensive pedelecs carefully.

What makes a secure place?

Use the following criteria as a guide where you can leave your bike:

• Busy places are generally better for parking a valuable bike or pedelec. Even experienced thieves are reluctant to tamper with a bike lock in public or to carry an e-bike into a delivery van in full view of passers-by. Locks with an alarm system are also more likely to serve their purpose in busy places than in a deserted area. At least if passers-by are not so jaded that they no longer react to an alarm siren. Unfortunately, this danger is high in metropolitan areas.

• Places with video surveillance, for example in front of entrances, are very well suited for parking. So take a look around to see if you can see a camera and park your bike nearby.

• Lighting also plays a role. After all, it is not a cliché that criminals feel safer in the dark. If an e-bike is parked in the evening in a well-lit cone of a street lamp, with a bit of luck this will act as a deterrent.

• Park your bike in different places. Because a bicycle thief also plans his deeds and you make it easier for them to plan if your e-bike is always parked in the same place. Of course, this does not apply to the locked bicycle cellar. This brings us to the next point.

• Your e-bike is safer in a locked bike cellar than outside in a dark corner. Especially at night, do not leave your pedelec unattended outside. If you visit friends who have a bike cellar, ask them if you can store your bike there.

Unfortunately, there is hardly any place where your e-bike is completely protected from theft, not even locked bike cellars. The most likely place for this is your own apartment. But in very few cases does a parked e-bike add to the interior design, not to mention the space it takes up. Besides, sooner or later you will be embarrassed to park your bike on the road.

5. Take out insurance

Bike lock, component security, right location … Even if you take all this into account, it can hit you: You return to the place where you left your e-bike and it has disappeared.

Then the main question is how to get it back or replace it. You can take care of the second case by taking out insurance.

To insure your e-bike, you have two options:

1. Household insurance

If you do nothing else, the household insurance will only cover you if your e-bike is stolen from your home or from a locked bicycle cellar. However, you have the option to extend the insurance coverage to an e-bike theft outdoors with an additional clause. One advantage of this is that you can take out insurance for all your bikes. A disadvantage is that the amount you get in case of an emergency is limited to a certain percentage of the total sum insured. For an expensive e-bike, this is usually not enough. In addition, there are often other restrictions in the fine print.

2. Bicycle insurance

The alternative to homeowner’s insurance is a special bicycle insurance, or more precisely, an insurance for e-bikes. This costs more money. In return, it offers a higher scope of benefits specifically designed for e-bikes. For example, you can insure components against theft in addition to the entire bike. In addition, many insurers offer you the option of insuring your e-bike against wear and tear and accidents, as well as a breakdown service for when you are on the road.

Welche Variante die bessere ist, hängt vom Einzelfall ab. Experten raten meist dazu, sich am Wert deines Fahrrads zu orientieren. Für ein billiges und/oder altes E-Bike reicht unter Umständen eine Hausratversicherung, für teure Pedelecs ist eine spezielle Versicherung die bessere Wahl.

Which option is better depends on the individual case. Experts usually advise you to base your decision on the value of your bike. For a cheap and/or old e-bike, household insurance may be sufficient; for expensive pedelecs, special insurance is the better choice.

Either way, with insurance, you may get the money to replace your e-bike or components after a theft, but you will not get your own e-bike back, no matter how much you have grown to love it. The thieves also usually get away without punishment. This is a key difference to a GPS tracker.

6. Mount a GPS tracker

Along with locks and component security, GPS trackers have established themselves as the standard in modern e-bike theft protection. They combine GPS and the Internet of Things to alert you early in the event of theft and help you get your e-bike back.

The underlying principle of the trackers is usually the same. However, there are major differences between individual devices in key details.

PowUnity’s BikeTrax GPS tracker works in the following way:

1. You integrate the GPS tracker inside your e-bike. The attachment can be done easily and quickly by yourself, even if you are not a hobby DIYer. The tracker itself is thus invisible to thieves – unlike devices that are attached to the frame and can be removed in a few easy steps.

2. As soon as someone unauthorized moves your e-bike, you will be notified via an associated app using a motion alarm. You or the police, depending on where your e-bike is located, then have the opportunity to thwart the theft.

3. Are you too late to put a spoke in the thieves’ wheel? Then the GPS tracker gives you the opportunity to track the location of your e-bike in real-time and pass it on to the police. This works thanks to seamless network coverage throughout Europe.

A big advantage of the BikeTrax GPS tracker for e-bike theft protection: Under normal circumstances, only about 10% of all bicycle thefts are solved. Tracking with GPS increases the chances enormously that you will get your e-bike back after a theft.

7. Save bike passport

If your e-bike was stolen, it is important that the police can identify it – a bike passport can help you.

Sometimes you get one when you buy a bike or e-bike. You can also create it yourself or save it directly in the BikeTrax app and send it to the police via the app after a theft. This saves valuable time.

Important details in a bike passport are:

• Brand and model
• Frame size and frame number
• Color
• (If available) coding
• Value
• Insurance
• Bike lock used

Some experts suggest marking your own bike or e-bike to make it easier to identify after the theft. This can be achieved, for example, by using paint. Of course, this method only works if the features in question are difficult or impossible to remove. Also, it is not necessary to deface your e-bike to achieve more security. With a GPS tracker and a digital bike passport, you are already on the safe side.

It pays to invest in theft protection

Maybe you are wondering how much good anti-theft protection for an e-bike costs? As a rule of thumb, for more security, experts like to refer to the 10% rule. It says that you should invest about 10% of the value of your pedelec in anti-theft protection.

However, this is only a guideline. It is much more important that the investment in a high-quality anti-theft device pays off. Above all, a high-quality lock, good component protection, and a modern GPS tracker like the PowUnity BikeTrax are essential components in e-bike theft protection. With this trio, you take the right measures for prevention and for getting your e-bike back following a theft. Additional measures such as choosing the right parking location are even free of charge.

It is up to you to decide whether you want to cover your e-bike with household insurance or a special bicycle insurance policy.