Is it safe to leave a bike outside?

How many times have we all heard this question when discussing new bikes, especially those in the higher price range? A few months ago, my own bike was stolen from my garden. Someone literally jumped over the wall, took it back the same way, and ran off with my locked bike. I had a camera, but I was too stingy to pay extra for cloud storage, so there was no way to review the footage. The bike was gone. What made it even worse was that it happened at my home. Predictably, the police didn’t make much effort to recover it. They offered a few half-hearted suggestions on how I could look for it and basically laughed it off. I thought, "Amazing work, guys." I mean, they’re focused on mobile phone thieves who steal items worth a fraction of my bike’s value, but hey, this is London. It seems safety and order are still a work in progress here Mayor of London Sadiq Khan .

But this isn’t just about my bike or my personal frustration—it’s about bike safety in general.

The growing popularity of e-bikes has pushed manufacturers to adopt advanced anti-theft features like built-in GPS tracking, smart alarms, integrated locks, and even remote immobilization via mobile apps. Despite these innovations, bike theft remains a widespread concern. How effective are these measures, and are manufacturers doing enough to address safety?

At Lemmo, we’ve done everything we could to make our bikes as secure as possible. We use a hub lock, a feature inspired by shared mobility systems (but not like Lime bikes, which you can hear from a mile away when stolen, thanks to their odd noises). It’s one of the safest integrated locking mechanisms available.

We’ve also designed a separate lock for the battery, our Smartpac. This means you can secure the bike via the app or lock the battery independently if you prefer not to take it indoors. But we wanted to go further, so we added smart unlocking functionality. Like modern cars such as Tesla, your bike can recognize you via Bluetooth. Just approach it, and with one click, it’s unlocked.

Even that wasn’t enough. Our integrated GPS and IoT system in the Smartpac provides precise tracking, but some customers pointed out a potential issue: what if they take the battery inside and leave the bike outside? Without the battery, tracking wouldn’t work. They were right, and we listened. That’s why we added 苹果 -authorized Find My technology directly inside the frame. This ensures that even if the battery is removed, your Lemmo can still be tracked.

And let’s not forget the alarm system, which activates if someone tampers with the bike. It’s an extra layer of deterrence. In fact, I recently came across an article about a stolen Lemmo One being successfully retrieved thanks to its GPS—it worked perfectly!

I only wish my stolen bike had all these features. I probably would have found it quickly, as stolen bikes often remain within the local area. Unfortunately, I learned that lesson the hard way.

Ultimately, no matter how advanced our security measures become, determined thieves will always find ways to bypass them. It’s an ongoing battle, and unfortunately, the customer often bears the brunt of this challenge. Without stronger support from local authorities and government initiatives, achieving 100% bike security remains out of reach. If we want cleaner cities and more people choosing bikes over cars for commuting, it’s not just about building bike paths. True bike infrastructure encompasses much more, including robust protections against theft.