Winchester CTC supports Cycle Winchester, a local community action group, campaigning to make Winchester  better by bike.

Cycle Winchester

In case of Emergency (ICE) tags

Winchester CTC has now negotiated a discount for a number of ICE (In Case of Emergency) ID tag kits for their members from a company called OneLifeID  (https://onelifeid.com/shop/product/club-tag-id/id/CLUB_TAG_ID?color=). The discounted cost of these is £5 inclusive for Winchester CTC members, instead of the usual club rate of £5.99 plus £1.50 p&p.

These are currently in use with Southampton CTC and other groups. These kits include three small PVC ID tags, key ring fob style, about a third the size of a credit card with 4 lines of emergency details such as name, contact details, emergency contact, any medical conditions/allergies, and link to an online service with more information (you choose what this shows) that can be used by the emergency services. You also get an "alert" sticker which you can attach to your helmet or your bike. It also includes a mobile app to display an ICE screen on your phone that turns your mobile phone into an extra iD. Each OneLife iD also has a weblink, which connects directly to your OneLife iD online profile where you can include additional, more detailed information.

The tags can be attached to saddle bags, keys or multiple bikes.

ice

If you don't already have something like this then it's a worthwhile precaution to take, just in case the worse happens while you're out on the road. Carrying a personal ID with ICE (in case of emergency) information ensures immediate identification, effective and prompt treatment, quick communication with your emergency contacts and provides ‘peace of mind’. To access your details, emergency responders can read your engraved or printed details or just type the web link on the ID into a web browser. Many emergency and medical services now automatically look for ICE IDs and are familiar with accessing details online. Please make a payment of £5, this will need to be made to:

Sort Code: 30-97-14

Account Number: 33411168

Name on account: Winchester Cyclists Touring Club

Please include the riders name in the Payement Reference - e.g "ICETAG - JBloggs" 

When you have made this payment, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will release the code with instructions on how to order your personalised tags and web entry. Please note, this payment is for EACH person, so if you are ordering for a couple you will need two payments and two codes to set up a profile for each person.

Please contact the Wefare Offiicer if you have any questions. 

 

 

This article will appear on the Cycle Winchester website  in the next few weeks. It has general advice as well as Winchester specific information.

See the Cycle Winchester website for recent coverage of thefts in Winchester. 

Cycle thefts in Winchester: an update

These reports are now a little out of date - police crime data records 6 bikes taken from WSLC and 16 from the railway station in October.

Recent thefts at Winchester Sports & Leisure Centre

Bike security and theft reporting in Winchester – A guide.

Helping ourselves.

We will never stop a well equipped and determined thief from taking our bikes. But we can make it more difficult.

  • Investing in a good lock as a deterrent (although this may only slow professional thieves or divert them to an easier target). Locks do not last forever – replace when tired.
  • SolidSecure Gold rated locks can be bought from £25 on line and £30 from Halfords. These are typically D-Locks.
    • o Diamond rated locks “provide the highest level of security, aimed at very high value bicycles and e-bikes.”
    • o Gold rated locks “offer the next highest level of security, aimed at mid-to-high value bicycles.”

Examples of locks and guidance can be found here thebestbikelock.com. The Solid Secure website is not easy to navigate!

  • Lock your bike to something solid in well-lit areas preferably with a high footfall and CCTV – although don’t rely on the presence of CCTV. These tend not to be monitored in real time but can provide evidence in the event of a theft.
  • Lock the frame and both wheels to the stand. Make the lock and cycle hard to manoeuvre by securing the cycle as close as possible to the rack. Make sure locks cannot come into contact with the ground.
  • Secure your bike at home. Thefts from sheds and garages are quite common.
  • If your e-bike has a removable computer, remove it when not in use.
  • Register you bike with “Bike Register” – its free although there is a fee if you want a sticker for the bike. This will improve the chances of recovering a bike. Not too effective if the bike has been stolen for its components.
  • Photograph your bike – highlighting any features that would help identify it such as paint scratches.
  • Report thefts (and attempted thefts) to the police – more reports might trigger some action.
  • Report suspicious activities – especially around bike racks.

Reporting bike thefts and CCTV review in Winchester.

Report your theft to the police on 101 or online. You’ll need to do this to claim on insurance and more reports can trigger wider action. Hampshire has third lowest rate of identifying bike theft suspects in England.

Do your own detective work. Ask for CCTV recordings to be reviewed (if there is coverage); the police rarely investigate these cases unless they have evidence.  You will need to work out who to contact for CCTV coverage. However it is likely to be Winchester City Council around town, but also the hospital, university, railway station etc if the theft was from their property. 

See https://www.winchester.gov.uk/parking/cctv. You can ask for CCTV review as a member of the public. Note the list of cameras on this website is a couple of years old and the online application is friendlier than the paper form.

Thefts from Winchester Sports and Leisure Centre.

In addition to reporting your theft to the police you may also report the theft to WSLC reception and ask them to review the CCTV recording; this review probably won’t be done unless you ask. WSLC will pass evidence to police. The cameras covering the parking at WSLC are run by Winchester City Council but WSLC have access to them.

Thefts from Winchester Railway Station.

Thefts should be reported to the British Transport Police (101 or online) and the station staff should be able to give advice too.  You can ask that the CCTV  recordings to be reviewed; however they will be reluctant to review many hours of recordings. This is unfortunate as most users a going to leave their bikes for many hours – but it’s worth a go and probably won’t happen unless you ask.

 

Please send us your cycle routes! We're always keen to add more routes for the Winchester area to the library. They don't have to start in Winchester.

If you'd like to provide one, here are some guidelines. Please include the following:

A short description

A couple of lines will do - where does it go? How long is it? Potential stops refreshments or sites?

Any hazards to watch out for

For example, "bad road surface near Hawkley," or "lane to Cheriton very muddy when wet," or "careful crossing A272 - poor visibility," or "left turn off A33 is easy to miss."

A GPX file or link to a route on your favourite website.

If you can provide a GPX-format file that would be best. If you recorded it on a GPS device while you were riding, don't worry if it ends up at your house or includes the bit where you missed a turn and had to go back - we can edit those bits out. 

And that's all!

Put the information in an email, attach the GPX file if you have one, and send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thanks.

 

Martyn Wilson has put together this set of notes as a result of meeting people, both on holidays and in our club,
who expressed an interest in electric bikes. He has found that it is difficult to get this sort of simple
background information on e-bikes and even experienced cyclists haven’t yet built up this
knowledge. It isn’t a guide to exactly what to buy but, hopefully, useful information to support
potential buyer’s research.

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