Inventive ways of preventing theft?

On 1/16/2015 11:20 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:


One nice thing about folders is that some of them are so strange
looking that no sane thief would ride one, much less steal one. Ride
one of these and you don't have to worry about theft:
http://www.tuvie.com/mori-folding-bike-concept-by-janus-yuan/
http://www.yankodesign.com/2007/03/05/one-folding-bicycle-by-thomas-owen/
http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/09/06/a-better-folding-cycle/
http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/09/24/15-amazing-bicycles-for-the-future-of-seoul/
etc.

One advantage of those bikes is that no thief would really want to ride
them. I think anyone trying it would abandon it after 50 yards or so.

The disadvantage is, that also applies to the owner.

IOW, there are thousands of these concept bikes produced each year.
It's what happens when you give a "product design" student a solid
modeling program and tell them to be original. The result may work in
some virtual universe, but not in this one.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Oh, dear. No, John Doe, you're another that assumes everyone lives on your block, and suffers your thieving neighbors, who all drive pickup trucks. I don't. I live in Ireland. The few who drive pickup trucks have hardshell covers on them, so I cannot imagine where they would put the bike.

And you have assumed it is some bike as light as yours. It isn't. It is heavy, and with the front wheel flopping about it cannot be pushed, so it has to be carried, which is hellishly diffifult with the flopping wheel getting in your legs. I know, I've tried.

In any event, you haven't followed the supplied link. The setup is not only the steering lock, it iincludes cables, one of them in the handlebars, that plug into the stem, for tying the bike to rails, trees, etc. In case your reading comprehension is as short as your deductive powers, the cables are shown in the photographs.

Turning now to the poor manners of being rude to people who answer a question you posed in a public forum -- oh, ****, why bother with a mindless moron like this "John Doe"? Darwin will get him sooner than later, hopefully before he breeds.

Andre Jute
Bring back global warming!


On Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 9:10:12 AM UTC, John Doe wrote:
Another that just assumes a bicycle cannot be chucked into the back of a
truck. For some strange reason, one imagines that it must be ridden by
the thief.


Andre Jute wrote:
Nobody wants to steal a broken bike. No cyclist wants to be inconvenienced by having to disassemble piece of his bike every time he ducks into the library or his attorney.

The ideal solution is the n'lock, which uses a key on the stem to unlock the handlebar from the steer tube, so that the front wheel flops uselessly. This is the opposite of the way a car steering wheel lock works, but more effective.

There are refinements, like cables that plug in and unlock with the same key, used to secure wheels or the saddle or luggage, or tie the broken bike to lamppost or a rail. Pic at http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/...26347#msg26347 and you can find the start of the thread from there -- lots more pics on previous page -- if you want to read about how convenient it is and the tricks of installation (no instructions as it is OEM equipment, not meant to be fitted by amateurs).

Andre Jute

On Friday, January 16, 2015 at 8:04:40 PM UTC, John Doe wrote:
I just did some reading, but found nothing interesting. To prevent
saddle theft, some apply a ball bearing and superglue to the hex socket

of a bolt. That would take too much time when removing the seat for
maintenance/modification purposes. Might be okay if and after the bike
is unlikely to be worked on.

My seat has a momentary clamp. I will drill a small diameter hole
through the stem and insert an unusual headed bolt. The bolt will be
removed during maintenance periods.

For my Kryptonite U-Lock, I added a difficult to remove cover that
allows the insertion of a shortened key but prevents easily using a lock
picker.

Any other inventive ways of dealing with bicycle theft?

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 09:32:45 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 18:48:10 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

Probably put bladders in the tubes and attach an air-bag inflator
system. Bang the bundle of tubes on the ground and BAM! Instant
bicycle :-)

That's roughly what I was thinking. Initially, just replacing the
frame with some kind of inflatable structure. I'm not sure it can be
built or even ridden, but it's an interesting exercise[1].

However, an explosive air bag inflator may not be a good idea for a
sealed system. Air bags are not sealed and deflate immediately after
deployment. I once read a story in an outdoor magazine where someone
tried explosives to inflate air mattresses used in mountain climbing
expeditions. The plan was to use a controlled amount of explosive,
which produced a known volume of gases. It worked when tested at sea
level, but blew out the air mattress when tested at altitude. Oops.
I'll probably use a blower to obtain high volume followed a floor pump
for higher pressures.

A CO2 cartridge? Maybe two or three? Multiple cartridges could be
calibrated for altitudes.

Perhaps the world is ready for my inflatable disk wheels. Think tire
tube, with a strip of hard rubber on the road surface, wrapped in
basket weave wire frame, and supported by two inflatable disks, which
provide the necessary cushioned suspension. There are multiple holes
in the disks to allow installation of a lateral support structure
needed to keep the wheel from turning into a spherical balloon when
inflated. These can be removed, causing the wheel to collapse and
allow folding. It probably won't work as described, but again, it
would be interesting to see what can be done with the idea.


[1] "Once the impossible has been achieved, whatever remains, however
bizarre, is the ridiculous."
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 07:32:59 -0600, AMuzi wrote:

On 1/16/2015 7:05 PM, John Doe wrote:
Jeff Liebermann wrote:

John Doe wrote:

Any other inventive ways of dealing with bicycle theft?

GPS activated

If you want to get fancy, you can connect an alarm to the Internet and
have it instantly message you. Also possible is using a wireless
transmitter with a range limited by obstructions.


Or one might address recidivism more directly:

http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/20...thers-wounded/

And whoever shot them will, at best, be paying a large legal fee to
his lawyers, the parents, girlfriends and friends of the dead and
wounded will the quoted in the news lamenting that they were really
great guys and working hard to get ahead and earn some money. If a cop
shot them he would likely lose his job as he shot too many times and
if he used hollow points or magnum cartridges it might be taken that
he was overly blood thirsty.

One wonders how it can be that the U.S. with all its political
correctness and needs to forgive its transgressors has the second
largest population of criminals in the world.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 11:51:40 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

However, an explosive air bag inflator may not be a good idea for a
sealed system. Air bags are not sealed and deflate immediately after
deployment. I once read a story in an outdoor magazine where someone
tried explosives to inflate air mattresses used in mountain climbing
expeditions. The plan was to use a controlled amount of explosive,
which produced a known volume of gases. It worked when tested at sea
level, but blew out the air mattress when tested at altitude. Oops.
I'll probably use a blower to obtain high volume followed a floor pump
for higher pressures.

A CO2 cartridge? Maybe two or three? Multiple cartridges could be
calibrated for altitudes.

Nope. CO2 carts are heavy and not really suitable for mountain
climbing, where every gram is important.

Someone wasn't thinking or calculating very clearly. The easiest fix
is to add several ball or poppet over-pressure relief valve to the air
mattress. When the differential pressure reaches a pre-determined
level, the excess gasses are vented. The reason you'll need several
valves is that a single valve might not be able to handle the flow
rate and could easily turn the air mattress into an impromptu gas
powered rocket. A balanced pair of valves would suffice to keep the
air mattress on the ground.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/371230969091

Incidentally, 100 grams of black powder produces about 35 liters of
gases. My guess(tm) for the volume of an air mattress is about 8
liters. To inflate a flattened air mattress with an inflated volume
of 8 liters, to atmospheric pressure, would require 23 grams (354
grains) of black powder.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 22:03:06 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 11:51:40 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

However, an explosive air bag inflator may not be a good idea for a
sealed system. Air bags are not sealed and deflate immediately after
deployment. I once read a story in an outdoor magazine where someone
tried explosives to inflate air mattresses used in mountain climbing
expeditions. The plan was to use a controlled amount of explosive,
which produced a known volume of gases. It worked when tested at sea
level, but blew out the air mattress when tested at altitude. Oops.
I'll probably use a blower to obtain high volume followed a floor pump
for higher pressures.

A CO2 cartridge? Maybe two or three? Multiple cartridges could be
calibrated for altitudes.

Nope. CO2 carts are heavy and not really suitable for mountain
climbing, where every gram is important.

Well then the logical thing would be to equip each mattress with a
tube so the owner can blow it up. Or tell the bloke "you sleep on what
you carry".

Someone wasn't thinking or calculating very clearly. The easiest fix
is to add several ball or poppet over-pressure relief valve to the air
mattress. When the differential pressure reaches a pre-determined
level, the excess gasses are vented. The reason you'll need several
valves is that a single valve might not be able to handle the flow
rate and could easily turn the air mattress into an impromptu gas
powered rocket. A balanced pair of valves would suffice to keep the
air mattress on the ground.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/371230969091

Incidentally, 100 grams of black powder produces about 35 liters of
gases. My guess(tm) for the volume of an air mattress is about 8
liters. To inflate a flattened air mattress with an inflated volume
of 8 liters, to atmospheric pressure, would require 23 grams (354
grains) of black powder.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 18:36:07 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

Well then the logical thing would be to equip each mattress with a
tube so the owner can blow it up. Or tell the bloke "you sleep on what
you carry".

Ever try to inflate anything with lung power at over 10,000 ft? When
I was much younger and tried climbing, I found that I could barely
breath, much less blow up a balloon at a somewhat lower altitude. The
idea behind the explosive inflatable air mattress was to eliminate the
need for heavy and bulky compressed air bottle and electric inflators.

Hint: Whenever you see something gone awry or not obviously logical,
ask yourself "What were they trying to accomplish"? Things will be
much clearer if the goal is known. That also applies to bicycle
design. When you see something really strange looking, ask yourself
what the designer or manufacturer was trying to accomplish. Warning,
you may not like or agree with the answer.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 16:07:57 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

One advantage of those bikes is that no thief would really want to ride
them. I think anyone trying it would abandon it after 50 yards or so.

Think of it as personalized bicycle design. Only the owner can ride
it.

The disadvantage is, that also applies to the owner.

Not really. Just because it's ugly or weird looking, doesn't mean its
not rideable. The first time I looked at a small wheel folding
bicycle, I prematurely decided that I could not ride it and if I
could, it would ride like a childs bicycle. A little practive proved
otherwise.

IOW, there are thousands of these concept bikes produced each year.
It's what happens when you give a "product design" student a solid
modeling program and tell them to be original. The result may work in
some virtual universe, but not in this one.

Yep. Last years concept design is this years product innovation. For
example, here are some 1963 concepts for the Moulton bicycle. Few
went anywhere, but it does show that Moulton was concerned about
aesthetics and consumer acceptance.
http://www.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/bicycles/slides/Moulton-concepts.html

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 1/18/2015 1:22 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 16:07:57 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote:


IOW, there are thousands of these concept bikes produced each year.
It's what happens when you give a "product design" student a solid
modeling program and tell them to be original. The result may work in
some virtual universe, but not in this one.

Yep. Last years concept design is this years product innovation. For
example, here are some 1963 concepts for the Moulton bicycle. Few
went anywhere, but it does show that Moulton was concerned about
aesthetics and consumer acceptance.
http://www.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/bicycles/slides/Moulton-concepts.html

Dr. Moulton's skill is demonstrated by the fact that his design actually
works. And I think a major reason was that the important geometry
points - the tire contact patches, the seat and pedals and handlebars -
were all in about the same locations as a more normal bike.

The product design students frequently lose sight of that when doing
their designs. Thus we get virtual bikes with 450mm wheelbases, pedals
directly beneath the saddle or centered on the front hub, handlebars a
few inches from one's belt buckle, etc.

I think nobody who rides a significant amount would make those mistakes.
Competent cyclists know that the ergonomics are pretty critical, and
that they can't be sacrificed for "innovation."

But again, the reason for such designs isn't to improve the bicycle.
The reason is to demonstrate originality and skill with solid modeling.
With luck, the designer hopes to actually land a job. And with luck,
that job will be designing something like toaster handles. Something
that can be

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 20:37:16 +0000, Phil W Lee
wrote:

Jeff Liebermann considered Sun, 18 Jan 2015
10:04:55 -0800 the perfect time to write:

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 18:36:07 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

Well then the logical thing would be to equip each mattress with a
tube so the owner can blow it up. Or tell the bloke "you sleep on what
you carry".

Ever try to inflate anything with lung power at over 10,000 ft? When
I was much younger and tried climbing, I found that I could barely
breath, much less blow up a balloon at a somewhat lower altitude.

Even at lower altitudes, the problem tends to be one of getting
light-headed from hyperventilation.

Oh yes. In 2001, I had a triple heart bypass operation (which
explains why I'm heartless, tactless, etc). Part of the recovery
included using a badly misnamed "incentive spirometer" several times a
day to avoid fluid buildup, lung collapse, pneumonia, and such.
https://www.google.com/search?q=incentive+spirometer&tbm=isch
Using it was painful, tiring, but very necessary. In effect, I was
hyperventilating. To operate, I would inhale and hold for as long as
possible, and scribble down the indicated lung volume. For some
masochistic reason, I still have it, so I just tried it. I get about
2.5 liters, which sucks (literally).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lung_volumes
I would expect to be able to exhale about the same volume for a single
breath. So an 8 liter air mattress could theoretically be inflated to
1 atm in about 4 breaths, which seems too low. I may have made a bad
guess(tm) somewhere.

I usually start to get dizzy when hyperventilating after about 10
breaths. When I was talked into doing some meditation while chanting
a mantra (ohmmmmmmm...), I managed to nearly pass out after about 5 or
10 minutes.

The solution, both at low and high altitudes, is to breathe normally,
but in through the nose and out through the mouth, until correct
inflation is achieved. The pressure required in an air mattress is
easily within the ability of anyone who is healthy enough to be
attempting to climb at altitude, and the altitude is irrelevant, as
it's pressure differential between ambient atmospheric pressure and
liar mattress internal pressure that matters.
If anything, it's probably easier at altitude because respiration
rates will be higher anyway.

Sounds reasonable. However, when inflating a flattened air mattress,
the volume of air required to fill the mattress to 1 atmosphere is
just the volume of the air mattress. However, once this is reached,
you're using your lungs to compress the air inside the mattress, which
requires far more effort. At higher altitudes, with lower
atmospherice pressure, the same air volume is required, but at a lower
pressure. However, that will produce a rather "soft" mattress, so
more than 1 atm is required. Using a bed with an inflatable air
mattress as a reference, the recommended pressure is between 0.25 and
2 psi.

Seems like the vast amount of money spent on producing zero G pens and
shavers for the US space program. The Russians simply used grease
pencils and wet shaving.

How does one do wet shaving when an open bowl of water will rapidly
turn into spherical blobs in zero G? I would hate to see the
handwriting using a grease pencil.

How Do Astronauts Shave In Space?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPBPntd4d8g


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558