Basel has a terrible bike theft problem. I had locked bikes stolen within the 5 mins it took me to pop in and out of a shop. I resigned myself to having bikes so crappy nobody would want to steal them, which kinda worked until they disintegrated.
I finally ordered a new bike together with a new lock. Holy crap are these locks expensive for boring lumps of metal. The lock cost more than my last 2 bikes combined!
Come again when you took your first ride 
I suspect, due to the large number of bikes getting stolen, and the proximity of Basel to France and Germany, the bikes are going abroad and getting sold there.
At least itās not like the UK where they try and take your bike - whilst you are riding it!
Many people there have stopped the old tradition of stopping for coffee and cake en-route on long weekend rides unless the are sure their bikes are safe at the cafe.
People spend an extra thousand on a bike to shave off a a kilo or so in weight so carrying a 1.5Kg U-lock is not an attractive option.
I suspect long term - tracking technology is going to get better and people will no longer take locks with them but retail premises etc will provide secure bike storage instead.
People in central Switzerland still appear to lock their CHF3000 e-bikes with a CHF1 lock and only by the (quick-release) front wheel.
That should teach one not to live in Basel
Ha, the lock for my bike is not 1.5 kilo, but easily 1 kilo. Anyway, Iāve seen similar locks being chopped with bolt cutters in some train stations around Switzerland.
I ride my old mountain bike with 26in wheels into town. Not crappy at all, but not even thieves are after them.
You canāt cut a decent U-lock with bolt croppers.
Cheap ones yes but for the best ones youāll need an angle grinder.
U-shaped steel bars with a lock are strong indeed. The ones Iāve seen cut are thin cables + lock.
People have been observed using angle grindersā¦
Does anyone try and stop them? In the UK they just stand and watch (or stand and video).
Most people just donāt do anything anymore when a crime is committed (apart from the man who chased after and caught the knife attacker in Amsterdam yesterday)
Better than a lock. Install a tracker like an air tag. Then, when stolen, head to the local bike shop to claim it back.
These bikes are going to France and then on from there. So maybe not too local.
A problem with air tags is there is a feature designed to prevent stalking/tracking so the thief will be notified if the bike had an air tag when they move with the bike.
The best way to solve the problem would be for the city authorities to do more about it and provide decent and secure bike parking like in cities in the Netherlands (and like cars have here).
In London they took up using liquid Nitrogen to make the lock brittle then a simple hammer. Apparently faster than an angle grinder.
Rule of thumb used to be to spend at least 10% of the value of your bike on a lock.
That wonāt work with the better U locks - itās been tested many times.
Lots of them are angle-grinder resistant too and some require three new discs to cut through the U.
As these have a square section, both sides need to be cut through so thatās six discs in total (and more than one battery probably).
There are many examples of where thieves have tried and failed to grind these locks.
Sometimes instead itās the bike stand which is attacked instead but if a bike is locked correctly with the U lock going through the frame and the rear wheel, the thief is still unable to ride off on the bike.
i just bought myself a LASSO10 (2nd hand). LINKA Smart Bike Locks & Chain Locks | GPS Tracking Bike Lock | LINKA
It weights 2.2 Kilo - and I donāt have an e-bike-, so clearly a lock for the (flat) city!
Iām using previous best model (Mini) but the new one is even better.
The best ones take over a minute to cut through and require cutting off both ālegsā. If youāre parked in a busy area, thatās probably enough of a deterrent. Although, I could also imagine people watching someone grinding through a lock and stealing a bike without calling the policeā¦
My neighbour (in previous place) was genius, his ~10k bike was paint with rust like odd mat paint, nobody would ever think of stealing it. Iām sorry, I have no picture of this bike. I should take one if I ever go back there for some reason
It wasnāt just the paint, also some āartisticā use of duck tape made it very convincing this bike is worthless
Not what he meant when he ordered a VW Camper.
