Do people steal bar mitts?

[wheelswings]

My ice-cold fingers as I set off for Hains Point just after 7 this morning were a healthy if uncomfortable reminder of what awaits us in the coming weeks. My mittens have major rips and they were never very warm anyhow.

When I got home, I went ahead and ordered a pair of bar mitts, something I’ve been contemplating for years. They were $49 including shipping, which is roughly what I would have had to pay for new mittens anyway. Now I feel like a little child waiting for Santa. Merry Christmas to me!

But I am wondering, how high is the risk of theft? When I lock up my bike in downtown DC, or in Bailey’s Crossroads or Seven Corners or other locations, should I remove the bar mitts? I always take off my lights and my mace…. are bar mitts equally likely to get lifted?

Thanks for any advice or suggestions. w&w

[kwarkentien]

I’ve never had an problems with theft of my bar mitts. I think you’d be fine to leave them on.

[accordioneur]

I got a pair of those things for my thirteenth birthday.

Y’know, for my bar mitts vah.

[cvcalhoun]

I’ve always left mine on, and they’ve never been stolen. The zippers are a bit finicky, and I suspect it would take an accomplished thief about the same amount of time to steal the Bar Mitts as it would take to steal the entire bicycle. (The statistics on how short a time it takes a thief to steal a bike, even secured by a U-lock, are appalling!) I figure if a thief has the choice between a whole bike and a pair of used Bar Mitts, s/he’ll go for the bike, so I really don’t worry about the Mitts.

@wheels&wings 130075 wrote:

My ice-cold fingers as I set off for Hains Point just after 7 this morning were a healthy if uncomfortable reminder of what awaits us in the coming weeks. My mittens have major rips and they were never very warm anyhow.

When I got home, I went ahead and ordered a pair of bar mitts, something I’ve been contemplating for years. They were $49 including shipping, which is roughly what I would have had to pay for new mittens anyway. Now I feel like a little child waiting for Santa. Merry Christmas to me!

But I am wondering, how high is the risk of theft? When I lock up my bike in downtown DC, or in Bailey’s Crossroads or Seven Corners or other locations, should I remove the bar mitts? I always take off my lights and my mace…. are bar mitts equally likely to get lifted?

Thanks for any advice or suggestions. w&w

[cvcalhoun]

The “dislike” was my equivalent of a groan.

I have to say, though, my son was quite distressed to learn that the things are made in NV. He thought that it would be much more appropriate if they were made in VA, so they would be Bar Mitts VA. @accordioneur 130078 wrote:

I got a pair of those things for my thirteenth birthday.

Y’know, for my bar mitts vah.

[Emm]

Quite often the thief isn’t a professional–just some kid messing around with their friends. In those cases your mitts could get damaged by them trying to remove them just because they look cool, even they don’t get stolen. So personally–I’d take them off if you’re leaving your bike for any extended period of time in an unsecured location. I don’t think leaving them on while just running into a store is a huge risk though.

[huskerdont]

I remove anything that I really don’t want to lose and can’t lock. So I’ll leave my manky old gloves and helmet because if someone wants a nasty old pair of gloves or sweaty helmet, I’m fine with getting new ones. But new stuff like that I’d take with me in most cases. Maybe I’d leave them on outside a store for just a few minutes, depending on location.

[baiskeli]

I never once had a problem with my bike or anything on it being stolen — until I did.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Emm 130093 wrote:

Quite often the thief isn’t a professional–just some kid messing around with their friends. In those cases your mitts could get damaged by them trying to remove them just because they look cool, even they don’t get stolen. So personally–I’d take them off if you’re leaving your bike for any extended period of time in an unsecured location. I don’t think leaving them on while just running into a store is a huge risk though.

This is pretty much how I view things. Even if people aren’t trying to steal something, there’s a high likelihood that someone will mess with your bike simply for shits and giggles.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

If you have them installed correctly they are a zipper and two pieces of velcro on the outside, then another piece on the inside (these are flat bar types). You could aways zip tie one of these (or zip tie the zipper to discourage theft.

[hozn]

I guess I use my seatpost and saddle as the benchmark. If anything on my bike costs less than either/both of those, I am not gonna worry about it unless it is trivial to detach (e.g. headlight). … Putting on the ti post and carbon saddle definitely raised the threshold.

[baiskeli]

@TwoWheelsDC 130106 wrote:

This is pretty much how I view things. Even if people aren’t trying to steal something, there’s a high likelihood that someone will mess with your bike simply for shits and giggles.

People will steal stuff just because they can.

Actually, that reminds me of these guys who chop down a tree just to steal a bike and ride it around in a circle and then drop it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcV4LVhSRLg

[PotomacCyclist]

I think the suggestion to remove them if the bike will be parked for long periods is sensible. Likewise, for brief stops at a store, it might not be worth the bother.

Maybe some other people are more adept at installing/removing them, because I’ve found it somewhat difficult to put them on my mountain bike (flat bar). It’s hard to get the inner velcro straps lined up properly.

The zip tie idea might work too. I don’t have my Bar Mitts installed yet this “winter” so I don’t remember how that would work. If it’s possible to use zip ties, then that would deter casual thieves. (Professional thieves will likely be able to cut the zip ties. But as someone mentioned, if a pro thief is targeting something, it’s going to be the entire bike, not just the Bar Mitts.)

In any case, I doubt you’ll need the Bar Mitts this week. 75F on Christmas Eve? What? You’re going to have to break out the cooling gear if you ride around that day.

Temperatures are expected to remain above 50F even at night until maybe the morning of Dec. 30 (48F or so).

[ursus]

I have never heard of Bar Mitts before. Do they work well? Does anyone sell them locally?

I did find the company website.

[Steve O]

@ursus 130168 wrote:

I have never heard of Bar Mitts before. Do they work well? Does anyone sell them locally?

I did find the company website.

There was a short previous thread here
Another
And from way back when the forum was still riding in a Burley: “Moose Mitt Season is Upon Us“
And the more generic “What Clothing Works for Cold Weather” that includes some discussion

There’s a search box at the top right on the forum. It’s not the greatest, but it works okay. There are loads of previous threads about winter clothing with all sorts of opinions and suggestions.

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