Bolt down bike hoops are useless

When you go to lock up your bike, one thing to keep an eye out for is bolt down bike hoops.

Mismatched bike hoops at Sunshine station after someone unbolted them to steal the bikes locked onto them

As all a bike thief needs is a shifter to unbolt it from the ground.

Bike hoop dumped at Sunshine station after someone unbolted it to steal the bike locked onto it

And ride away with the bike that was locked to it.

Exposed bolts mark where someone unbolted a bike hoop at Sunshine station to steal the bike locked onto it

It’s the reason why they say put your bike lock through the rear wheel *and* the frame.

A U-lock can go around the rear rim and tire, somewhere inside the rear triangle of the frame without looping it around the seat tube: the wheel cannot be pulled through the rear triangle. A lock which passes around a rim makes the bicycle unrideable even if the object it is locked to can be broken or disassembled.

Because cutting up a bike defeats the point of trying to steal it.

Some people will object that felons might cut the rear rim and tire to remove a lock. This just doesn’t happen in the real world. It is possible to cut the rim with a hacksaw, working from the outside to the inside, but first, the tire must be removed or cut through. It would be a lot of work to steal a frame without a usable rear wheel, the most expensive part of a bike after the frame.

What makes these particular bike hoops egregious was that they installed as part of the Regional Rail Link project a decade ago along with the concrete path, so it isn’t even “boring holes was too hard” – they could’ve embedded the bike hoops into the concrete when pouring it.

Room for the future RRL tracks to pass beneath the new overhead concourse

And retrofitting concreted in bike hoops isn’t that hard – you just need a core drill.

Drilling holes in bluestone pavers to install new bike racks

There is your hole.

Drilling holes in bluestone pavers to install new bike racks

Pop out the paving.

Drilling holes in bluestone pavers to install new bike racks

And you’re all done.

A year after the City of Melbourne said they would move them, the bike hoops at William and Bourke Street are now parallel to the kerb, instead of blocking the footpath

And it’s not the first time

Did you notice anything odd about the row of bike hoops in my lead photo?

Mismatched replacement bike hoop at Sunshine station

Yes, they’re all brushed metal except for one with a galvanised finish – presumably a replacement after another bike thief unbolted the previous hoop.

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3 Responses to “Bolt down bike hoops are useless”

  1. Paul Westcott says:

    I’ve noted bolted bike hoops at the new South Geelong station

  2. Pat says:

    My favorite useless bolt-in bike hoop are the ones outside the Maribyrnong Bunnings.

    You can steal the bikes from the tools sold inside.

  3. Jenny says:

    Well described! Do they not consult bicycle groups for input into this stuff?

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