Us put-upon British cyclists like to think of Denmark as a kind of bike nirvana, where the roads are quiet and civilised and bikes and owners are respected the length and breadth of the country.
Wrong! For the country – particularly Copenhagen – is a bicycle thieves' paradise. In the past year, around 80,000 bikes have been stolen nationwide, with just one out of every three hundred recovered by authorities.
The Copenhagen Post reports that the 2009 total was an increase of 7,500 on the previous year, around a 10 percent rise according to the Danish Insurance Association.
In Copenhagen, an admission by police that they lack sufficient resources to address the problem has been seen by many thieves as an open invitation. The capital saw nearly half of all national bike thefts; a 14 percent rise in the city from the last survey. Aarhus, the country’s second largest city, recorded a 16 percent increase from the previous year.
The average Danish bike thief does not fit any consistent police profile, with officials stating that the theft occurrences by people on their way home from a night on the town were just as commonplace as by professional criminals.
However, the association also suggested that false reports of bicycle theft for the purpose of insurance fraud could also be pushing the figures higher, as could cases where people simply forgot where they parked.
The Be Calm section - 100% ...
Now, if we're talking gravel bikes, that's a whole different story. Gimme, gimme, gimme! Apologies for the Facebook link....
He'd be bang on if there was a mix of disc and rim brakes in the pro peloton.
The police are operationally independent, in fact the regional Police and Crime Commissioners have to swear in their oath of office that they will...
"'Right", said Fred, "we'll 'ave to get a move on…"
IIRC Dutch researchers found that generally banning bikes or removing bans on bikes from pedestrianised streets usually either made no difference...
I think you'll find that you'll only go to jail if rich people are losing money from it.
Thanks for the review. I like that Orbea have included aero extras and wish more manufacturers would stick two fingers up at the UCI - at least in...
Excellent - I think I'll replace my emergency tube that is a real squeeze to get into the little Topeak bottle cage bag thingy....
I enjoyed this guy I captured with his hound on New Oxford Street a few years ago.