Less good news in bicycle country. In recent months, Joule has been getting more and more reports from customers about bike thefts. Although bike leasing includes bike insurance, it is always better to prevent theft.
How do you make sure your steel steed is still there when you get back from work? Thanks to our tips, bike thieves don't stand a chance and you always lock up your bike according to the rules of bike insurance.
Locking your bike smartly
This tip seems logical, and yet bikes are often not locked properly. Think of it as a challenge, make it as difficult as possible for thieves to take your bike. Even if you're only gone for a minute.
You do it like this:
- Use a quality lock: invest in a strong lock made of hardened steel such as an ART2 lock. You can easily lease or purchase such a lock. Check out our offer here.
- Use multiple locks: that way you make it extremely difficult for thieves to quickly take your bike.
- Always hang your bike to an anchor point such as a bike rack, pole, etc. so that thieves cannot make off with your bike. If a thief can just pick up your bike and carry it away, insurance will not intervene.
- Carefully inspect the anchor point to make sure it is secure and certainly cannot be dislodged. Avoid thin tree trunks, for example. Another bicycle is not a fixed anchor point.
- Put your lock through your wheel and frame. This way you avoid having only your wheel hanging on the anchor point.
- Hang your lock high on the bicycle. Mounting your lock high on the bicycle and not on the ground allows less force to be applied in an attempted theft.
Bring your accessories
Attached to your bike are accessories that bike thieves are only too happy to claim. So make a (mental) list of all your valuable bicycle accessories and take them with you every time. For example:
- the battery of your electric bicycle;
- a gps or display;
- panniers;
- helmet;
- ...
Theft of loose accessories is never insured.
Choose a safe parking space
No fumbling by bike to find a parking space like by car. Yes! Still, you better be picky about where you park your bike:
- At home: put your bike indoors if you can, such as in the hallway or (individual) garage. Can't do that? Then place your bike behind a locked gate or lock your bike to a fixed anchor point. (See tip 1) Please note that your bicycle should always be locked to a fixed anchor point when parked in a publicly accessible area. Even a shared garage is a publicly accessible space!
- On location: thieves like to work in dark, invisible corners. Therefore, always try to park your bike in a busy and visible location.
Register your bike on the national bike registry 'MyBike'
Research by the federal government found that there were as many as 70 bicycle thefts per day in 2020, or 24,592 bikes over the entire year. Only 48 percent of bicycle theft victims report them to the police.
Therefore, at the government's initiative, there will be a national bicycle register, based on the Brussels system that already exists under the name MyBike.Brussels.
Bicycle owners will be able to request a free sticker that will be affixed to the frame. That sticker contains a unique code that allows the bicycle owner to store all the bicycle' s data on the bicycle registry and easily report theft. Police departments will also be able to consult that database in order to tackle bicycle theft more efficiently.
Write down your Joule ID
Do you have a joule bike? On the green sticker on your bike is your unique "Joule ID. With this number combination we can quickly look up your data. So take pictures of your bike and the sticker and keep a good record. This way we can quickly find your data and consult your bicycle insurance.
