Garmin Connect / MapMyRide etc. User? Check your privacy settings

If you’re a user of a GPS logging site like Garmin Connect, MapMyRide, Endomondo etc. then you may want to check and consider changing your privacy settings.

Garmin for example have default privacy set to ‘share’ so that means any ride you upload is publicly searchable and visible to anyone. A quick look in my local area searching under ‘cycling’ and the word ‘home’ showed up loads of tracks called things like “ride home from work”, “training loop from home” which basically amount to a location where a bike is kept.

Whats more, it would generally be an indicator that the bike may be valuable if the owner is a ‘serious’ enough cyclist to track their routes by GPS

A friend of mine recently had a break in at his home where 3 bikes were stolen despite some high security locks and floor bolts. It was clearly pre-planned and the thieves were equipped with cutting gear and a van.

A quick look at the local police site shows another stolen bike in the vicinity, listed as being equipped with a Garmin GPS. Possibly coincidence but sometihng you may wish to think about.