Bicycle cannibals: The fightback starts here

quick release bicycle wheel theft

Quick release wheels have become standard issue on bicycles; great news when you need to change an inner tube at the roadside  – not so good if you become a victim of bicycle cannibals.

As locks have become stronger, parts like handlebars, seats, shifters and quick release wheels are the target for a new breed of criminal. And it’s pretty much the perfect crime; bicycle components are easy to steal, usually impossible to trace and a breeze to sell on. Having parts stolen by bicycle cannibals is at best an inconvenience, but it’s also demoralising. Unless they are covered by insurance, it can be enough to put an occasional rider off cycling for good.

British engineer Curtis Dorrington devised Quick Caps to secure quick release wheels and deter opportunistic thieves. The 51-gram aluminium padlocks are sleek and unobtrusive. They cost £40 for a pair.

Win a set of Quick Caps

We have three sets of Quick Caps to give away. Leave us a comment at the bottom of this page and we’ll pick some names next week.

Quick caps to tackle bicycle cannibals

  •  Invest as much as you can afford in your lock and learn to use it properly  – insurers specify that it needs to secure the bike frame for good reason. Don’t worry too much about getting the lock around the wheels or other bike parts as a good insurance policy will cover them against theft whether they are locked or not.
  • Bike thieves might have the equipment to cut through padlocks and silently remove shed door hinges, but they don’t like to feel they have an audience. Motion-activated security lights are cheap to buy, easy to install and thieves don’t like them at all

bike cannibals

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.

 

Comments

  1. John

    Reply

    Great idea! Would love to have a pair of these for my bike! 🙂

    • Quick Caps

      Reply

      Hi John

      Thanks for the comment.
      If you do not win this competition we are offering 20% off and free shipping for ETA customers.

      Just visit http://www.quick-caps.com and use discount code ETA2016.

      Happy cycling 🙂
      Quick Caps

  2. Tom

    Reply

    Looks great!

  3. Doug Milsom

    Reply

    That’s a wheely good idea…… (sorry!). I’d still like a set!

  4. giuseppe

    Reply

    That is precisely it!

  5. Bridget b

    Reply

    Rest stops on long rides are never as much fun when you’re glancing at your bike hoping it’s all in one piece. I’d love a set of quick caps!

  6. Ronald oakley

    Reply

    Sounds ideal– ETA cycle insurance covers against the theft of quick release parts.

  7. Annmarie Pottrell

    Reply

    Great idea for when you need to be in the more run down areas of town 🙂

  8. Bish

    Reply

    Nifty!

  9. christopher f

    Reply

    Oooh, neat idea!

  10. oscar isham

    Reply

    Good idea.

  11. Tom Chambers

    Reply

    good idea

  12. Martyn Winrow

    Reply

    A useful addition to our armoury!

  13. Duncan

    Reply

    Brilliant idea! I always lock wheels-frame to stop nasty surprises, and thankfully in many years have only returned to my pride and joy once to find things not as they should be. On that occasion it was only the presence of other bicycles that stopped them being removed – lucky!

  14. Clare Sheridan

    Reply

    Good idea but it would have been useful to have a photo of where they used them. Do they snap onto the tyre or lock them to the bike?

  15. Stuart Lamb

    Reply

    It would be nice to know if they are compatible with all quick release systems, but if so they could save me a lot of hassle

  16. diana bruce

    Reply

    Bike cannibals existed 30 years ago! Husband and 2 sons have had wheels nicked over the years

  17. Greg

    Reply

    Really great idea and simple execution!

  18. Rob Lewis

    Reply

    They would be useful on the bike I ride into town.

  19. Victoria Riley

    Reply

    THESE ARE A BRILLIANT IDEA!!!!!! For my job, I do mobile house-visits on my bike, so I’m constantly going from one address to the next and locking my bike up outside. I’m always peering out of the window to check there’s no-one helping themselves to bits and bobs from my bike. This would be a huge weight off my mind.

  20. LB

    Reply

    Good idea! Will give peace of mind when in town and having to leave the bike for extended periods!

  21. Kitt

    Reply

    Nice – We need something like this for saddles/seat posts too!!

  22. Eric Ludlow

    Reply

    Neat idea

  23. Chris

    Reply

    Look like a great idea. I’m no fan of Q/R hubs, but sometimes with limited stock-lines, it’s impossible to avoid them.

  24. Dominic O’Reilly

    Reply

    Hubble bubble toil and trouble
    let’s catch these cannibals
    and cook them at the double!

    £2500 worth of bikes stolen in 2012.

  25. Mike R

    Reply

    Peace of mind at the coffee stop!

  26. lucy

    Reply

    great idea

  27. Steve

    Reply

    Looks a great addition to the security kit on bikes. Do they fit all styles of quick releases?

  28. Dave W

    Reply

    Would have been nice to have had a pair yesterday

  29. Jane

    Reply

    I’ve seen a lot of wheel-less bikes around town recently, which makes me nervous about leaving mine unattended. This looks like it would offer a bit more piece of mind.

  30. Raf

    Reply

    these are fantastic – i keep thinking of them as CAPS LOCKS : )

  31. Robert Slade

    Reply

    The simplest ideas are … the best!

  32. Standpipe

    Reply

    Great idea. Can’t understand why these weren’t invented when QR was.

  33. Diane Whateley

    Reply

    Very neat-just the thing for my new titanium bike…!

  34. Jonathan Gillett

    Reply

    Great idea. It’s a shame that for city cyclists it’s gotten to the point where we need to clad our silver steeds in armour… buuuuuuuuut it still beats getting the bus.

  35. Andrew

    Reply

    I’d certainly like to win a pair.

  36. Matt Roff

    Reply

    Fantastic product for any cyclist. I’d definitely like a set, pretty please !

  37. Sharon

    Reply

    What a fantastic idea. I’ll keep an eye out for them.

  38. Sally godber

    Reply

    Def want some!

    • Alec Gass – Def not associate of Sally Godber

      Reply

      I couldn’t agree more. Sally needs these, ASAP before I pinch her wheels! Sorry Sally, I took your last set!
      P.s. I’ll have some too whilst you’re at it. Ta muchly

  39. Lisa Taylor

    Reply

    A must for peace of mind when leaving your bike unattended

  40. L Blake

    Reply

    Wheel have to wait and see how well these work. Looks a great idea.

  41. Ian Harvey

    Reply

    Wish I knew about these sooner having lost a set of wheels this week with my new Tannus tyres.

  42. Mary Fisher

    Reply

    I agree with Clare Sheridan, I’ve no idea where they fit or how they work. Going to the maker’s site doesn’t help at all.

  43. Peter Clark

    Reply

    Another great innovation for the cyclist

  44. Dave Mann

    Reply

    A wheelie good idea!

  45. Nigel Andrews

    Reply

    These are a great idea, we’ll designed, and simple in use.

  46. Christina Coker

    Reply

    Great idea – much appreciated. Would be even better if padlocks were combination, rather than key-operated. Hope Curtis/ETA could work on an economical comb-lock cap. Many thanks.

  47. Mark B

    Reply

    Great idea. I’d love them.

  48. Charlotte

    Reply

    Love them! I had a bike stolen last year and my husband had his lights stolen. You can never be too careful!

  49. Yul Emirali

    Reply

    Yes please.

  50. Philip Greenacre

    Reply

    Great new product as I have had several quick release spindles nicked. Looks like they would also work on a quick release seat clasp as someone stole that from my bike last week.

  51. Keith Petersen

    Reply

    Great idea and very neat.

  52. Deborah Hey-Smith

    Reply

    I have had two bikes stolen from a locked garage, so now just ride an old fashioned Raleigh. My daughter had her bike stolen from a backyard as a student, but my husband has a bike with release wheels, so it would be a great gift for him.

  53. Anna Shakoor-Green

    Reply

    Celebrating my 61st year by spending 6 weeks cycling touring Spain and Portugal in April-May. These are just what I need to complete my kit 🙂

  54. Francis Voon

    Reply

    Lock me away!

  55. John (TheCyclist)

    Reply

    Yes please. I would love a pair of those end cap locks for my bike(s). 🙂

  56. Eamon Green

    Reply

    Fantastic, I want some, when are they released?

  57. Dom

    Reply

    Would love a set of these and be able to lock my bike up with just one chain again. Often see the broken remains of canabilised bikes in my way to work…

  58. Andy

    Reply

    What a great idea 🙂

  59. Tom Bee

    Reply

    …and along comes Quick Caps. And not before time.
    Where were you all these years I’ve been cycling?

  60. Tom Bee

    Reply

    And not before time. Quick Caps where were you all these years I’ve been cycling?

  61. John Mills

    Reply

    Ingenious!

  62. Sirtaj

    Reply

    Fantastic idea for the wheels unfortunately if only it had a piercing alarm too having have two locked bicycles nicked not counting nicked wheels.

  63. Fergus Duncanson

    Reply

    A simpler, cheaper idea for most people would be for the quick release lever to have a removable handle (which you could attach to your key ring or tool set). Then opportunist theft would not be possible unless the thieves were carrying a similar lever. Over to you, manufacturers!

  64. Dick Willis

    Reply

    Fabulous idea. I once found a couple of guys dismantling two of my bikes at the front of my house at midnight. They had stripped off the wheels, forks and brakes when I disturbed them. I save the components but they took all the small nuts and bolts with them when they ran. Anything to stop similar events would be welcome.

  65. Lynne

    Reply

    Anything to give peace of mind when leaving your prize possession locked up gets my vote!

  66. Peter Chisnall

    Reply

    Great product

  67. slurp

    Reply

    Look like a great idea. The bike might be secure, but without wheel’s it’s pretty useless.

  68. Greg

    Reply

    Help me keep my wheels

  69. David Hunt

    Reply

    Very nifty!

  70. Nick

    Reply

    These look like a great idea!

  71. Hollie

    Reply

    Fantastic idea!!

  72. Peter Shirley

    Reply

    I have 3 bikes with QR and I commute; these would be very handy

  73. Frank Lee

    Reply

    Anything to help deter bad behaviour…

  74. Richard

    Reply

    Great idea to keep it practical whilst safe !

  75. Darren C

    Reply

    Yes please, always worried that my wheels will be missing even while using a cable lock to secure them in town.

  76. David

    Reply

    Great idea! Pity we can’t also have an electric shock device!

  77. Nadine Smykatz-Kloss

    Reply

    Great idea!

  78. Wai

    Reply

    Wow, what a great idea

  79. christina

    Reply

    Neat and smart – would be reassuring to have these.

  80. Tim Earl

    Reply

    Excellent idea, and not much weight added.

  81. Janet Robertson

    Reply

    Would love to win these!

  82. David Gray

    Reply

    How come I only found out about this the day after my bike wheel was lost?

  83. John James

    Reply

    Low cost piece of mind good rims aren’t cheap £40 for the lock couple of hundred for new rims on brainer.

  84. Rick Gregory

    Reply

    Great idea. Y

    es please.

  85. Helen Reading

    Reply

    Brilliant idea. have just purchased a new bike and for the first time have quick release wheels which I thought was great until I realized I needed a new two part lock to be able to secure the front wheel. These look like a great invention now that quick release wheels are so common.

  86. Peter Chisnall

    Reply

    Yes please

  87. Owain

    Reply

    Brilliantly simple idea

  88. Paul

    Reply

    Get a Brompton. Problem solved.

  89. dig250

    Reply

    Would save having to cycle home on one wheel after a theft of my front wheel – again!

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