British Bike Theft

We’ve seen he reports statistics and figures, so we know the problem that bike theft is on the country and if you’ve been unlucky enough to be a victim of theft yourself, you’ll know all the hassle that it can cause. 

Another case of large bike thefts in one particular area has emerged. Police have reported that in Beverley, £43,000 worth of bikes have been stolen in the last 2 months alone. These thieves have been targeting outbuildings and garden sheds in search of bikes.

One victim, James Harper spoke out about his experience, in which £10,000 worth of bikes were stolen from his shed.

"The criminals seemed to have good knowledge that I had the bikes, where the bikes were and then they made every effort to leave the crime scene as if it was untouched……..Those first moments when you see the space where your bikes should be and the realisation someone has been on your property and taken what is yours is just sickening”.

This highlights that you can never be too careful when it comes to keeping your bikes secure and an ordinary garden shed isn’t going to stop any thief.

What is the best way to keep your bike secure?

When you are cycling home, or driving with your bike attached to your car, it is a good idea to check that you aren’t being followed home. Bike thieves are becoming smarter and are now following bikes so that they can steal them at a later date. Once they know where your bikes are, you’ll have to rely on the security of your bike storage to keep your bike safe.

If you are looking for something more secure to store your bikes in, the Asgard High Security Bike Shed offers fantastic bike security. 

This all metal bike storage unit is made from strong weatherproof steel and is fitted with high security features. Find out more about this high security bike shed on the Asgard website.

Boris Bike Problems

The Barclays Bike Hire Scheme was launched in 2010, they quickly became popular as they were cheap and convienient.

However recent dissatisfaction has emerged among its users. The Evening Standard has revealed the bike schemes poor performance and showed how members of the scheme often found docking stations empty and they were unable to cycle.

This problem was identified back in December 2011, however dissatisfaction from its users continued when customers were asked about their satisfaction of the service in November 2012, as it was found that docking stations were left empty for an average of 2 hours per day.  The poor service has become an increasing problem, especially since there was 100% price rise for the service from the beginning of 2013.

Serco, the company which operates the bike scheme has been threatened by the Transport for London over the empty docking stations, as they found that 83 docking stations were left empty for up to 6 hours a day. Serco is supposed to re distribute the bikes around London to avoid empty and full stations. Transport for London said that “Londoners deserve better”.

A Serco spokesman said the scheme “continues to be a tremendous success” but admitted “at some docking stations at certain times demand for bicycles and docking points can exceed availability”. The company said it was working closely with TfL to address this issue. 

What is the best space saving bike storage?

Trying to find the best bike storage for your bikes, when you are short on space can be difficult. There are plenty of indoor bike storage solutions out there, but if you hate the idea of hanging your bike on a wall or suspending it from the ceiling, there are other options available.

Asgard is the home of the UK’s best-selling bike storage, offering compact and space saving bike storage. These Asgard Single and Twin home bike locker have been designed with space saving in mind and are ideal for down the side of a house or flat.

"Just a quick note to say thank you and the company for such an excellent product, the ordering was simple and easy (even for me) the delivery was on time and the people who delivered it placed it where I wanted the assembly of this product was so straight forward, so please pass my thanks onto the design team / person who designed this product. I feel that my bikes are now safe and out of the elements." R. Fitzpatrick.
  

These home bike lockers offer great bike security, made from strong weatherproof steel, fitted with tough 3 point locking system and pick resistant locking mechanism, to provide your bikes with the best protection and all Asgard bike storage units come with a 10 year anti perforation warranty. 

Getting children cycling to school

In 2011 it was found that only 1% of primary school children and 2% of High School children in the UK cycle to school. This is a poor figure especially as most children’s journeys to and from school, is relatively short. 1 in 3 children however would actually like to cycle to school, but many parents are unsure and afraid.

Take to get your children cycling to school safely:

Find a safe route

One of the most important things is your child having a safe route to and from school. Try a few routes out together, to find the most suitable one. 

Get the right bike

Make sure your child has the right sized bike, which is suitable for cycling on the road. 

Take bike training

Making sure your child is road ready is important. Make sure they take part in bikeability, the national cycle training, which will give your child the right training they need to be safe on the road.

Practise makes perfect

The more time your child spends on their bike, the better and more confident they will become. Take your child out on their bike as much as you can, to make sure you are confident in their cycling abilities.

Get some friends

Encourage your child to find a buddy to cycle to and from school with. 

Involve the school

If more children are to cycle to school it is important for the school, pupils and parents to work together for a better cycling culture. Suggest that the school have an area for children to store their bikes. The more of this available, the more children can cycle to school and use the facilities provided.  Bike shelters can hold a large number of bikes and keep children’s bikes safe until the end of the day.

Take a look at a full range of school bike shelters from Asgard. 

The UK cycling Legacy has become

Many have been in doubt as to whether our cycling success at the Olympics would have an impact on cycling in the UK. More and more people have taken to riding their bikes on a regular basis and there has been a call to increase the budget for cycling infrastructure, to make cycling more accessible for all.

This cycling festival will see more than 70,000 people of varying ages and abilities to take part in four separate Ride London events on the 3^rd and 4^th of August, with around 500,000 Spectators expected to turn up and watch the event throughout the streets of London.

The main highlight of this cycling festival will be a 100 mile race from London to Surrey, which will depart from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, passing major London landmarks, heading through Richmond Park and onto Surrey.

Double gold medallist Laura Trott said "Ride London has something for everyone and I hope it encourages more people to get on their bikes and start cycling." Find out more information about this event at Prudential Ride London. 

The Tour De France is coming

The 2014 Tour De France will be departing from West Yorkshire! 

Tour Director Christian Prudomme said "After the unforgettable 2007 Tour in London the question for us was how long before we come back? With the amazing summer of cycling in Britain, we were convinced to come back sooner. As soon as possible”. 

2012 Tour De France winner Bradley Wiggins said "Yorkshire is a region of outstanding beauty, with breath-taking landscapes whose terrains offer both sprinters and attackers the opportunity to express themselves."

Yorkshire is thought of as the Cycling heartland of Britain and the UK will hold the first 3 stages of the race, with two stages taking place in Yorkshire. .

Stage 1: Leeds- Harewood- Otley- Ilkley- Skipton – Kettlewell – Aysgarth –Hawes – Reeth – Leyburn – Ripon – Harrogate.

Stage 2: York- Knaresborough- Silsden – Keighley – Haworth – Hebden Bridge – Elland -  Huddersfield – Holmfirth – Sheffield.

Stage 3: Cambridge – Epping Forest – the Olympic Park – the Mall.

Bike theft hotspots in the UK

 A new list has been complied of the top 10 worst places for bike thefts in England.

1. Central London
2. Kingston- upon- Thames
3. Cambridge   
4. Bristol 
5. York
6. Oxford
7. Richmond and Twickenham
8. Brighton
9. Portsmouth
10. Nottingham

Bike security is always important and with 440,000 bikes stolen last year, which is an increase of 10% from the previous year, there’s nothing to say that your bike won’t be next. Keeping your bike secure at home and away should be second nature, if you don’t want to lose your bike to theft.

Bike security on the streets:

·         Use a bike rack whenever possible and use two different kinds of locks to secure your bike.

·         Leave your bike in a busy and well lit area.

·         Mark your bike with your postcode on the frame. 

Bike security at home:

·         Keep your bike locked in a secure shed or garage.

·         Make sure your bike is always locked away when not in use.

·         Never leave your shed or garage door open for passers-by to see the contents.

If you don’t have storage for your bike at home, investing in a secure bike shed is one of the best ways to guarantee your bikes security when at home. Asgard is the home of the UK’s best-selling bike storage and has a range of secure bike sheds in a variety of sizes and budgets to suit all.  Made from strong weatherproof steel and fitted with features to provide the best security for your bike.