Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Bike Just Stolen - Reward - Berkeley Ca

Hi All,
My bike was just stolen from inside the Velo Sport Bike Shop on University Ave in Berkeley. The only place I sometimes don't lock my bike is when I take it into a bike shop. I can't believe this happened. I went inside the bike shop to ask about some fenders and parked the bike at a rack inside the shop. While I was talking to the employee 20 feet away (with my back to the bike - dumb mistake, apparently, even though the employee was looking that direction) someone came in and grabbed my bike quickly and bolted out the door. I noticed as the guy was leaving and chased him by foot yelling like a madman for a couple of blocks, towards the N. Berkeley BART station, but he got way. I called the police and have a case report number: 07-53854. I am the original owner and have the serial number (I bought the frame two years ago).
BIKE DESCRIPTION:
It's a black 62cm Surly Steamroller frame, no decals. The most identifying characteristics: black Sugino 75 cranks, Chris King Headset, Selle Italia Flite Ti Saddle, a blue chain, a blue top-tube pad, the rear wheel has black deep V rim, riser bars. I'm attaching pics. The only difference is that it now has clips/straps pedals and not the Crank bro mallets you see pictured.
I'm heading out the door to put up flyers at the local bike shops... If anyone sees this bike please call me or the police. I'll give a cash reward for recovery.
Thanks guys...

Man, that blows. Hope you catch that *******.

you lose

Don't be a jerk.

Good luck tracking down your bike, wildturkey. I never lock my bike at the shop, but I guess I should reconsider that.

I never like my bike at the shop, but I guess I should reconsider that.

haha

Good luck finding it. I'll keep an eye out.

if for some reason it ends up here in WI i'll let you know, but im sorry man thats a major bummer.

i never lock (like) my bike up at the shop either.

pardon the typo.

sorry to hear about this.

that takes some balls to steal a bike while inside a shop. He might of been just as likely about to steal a bike off their floor as yours.

Does the shop have any security camera's?

you lose

-1

I'm sorry to hear.. Good luck getting it back..

that man might have balls but only because they are replacing his brain

thanks for the new bike bro!

Yeah, the sad thing (for me) is that there were some very nice, brand new Marinoni bikes in there, all unlocked. He could have taken any of those, but he grabbed mine. I asked the shop if they had insurance for if their bikes got stolen, and he said no. Maybe he was worried I was going to try and place a claim against him. I think it's weird that a shop wouldn't have insurance. Anyway, they don't have security cameras. I put up fliers with pictures in all the local bike shops and filed a claim. I guess all I can do now is hope for the best.
I appreciate the kind wishes.
And MLKProject, I guess you were trying to be funny, in your own special way, and that deep down you feel badly for me and anyone else who would get his or her bike stolen. That's what I'll assume, since I'd hate to think you were just being a jerk.

Hilarious YYZ>LAX. Just really ****ing hilarious.

i bet they have their bikes insured

thanks for the new bike bro!

Dick.

Good luck man.

Bummer town. I wouldn't think someone would be ballsy enough to pull a stunt like that. Admittedly, i usually have my bike in hand or leaning against something in front of me while at the shop. Hope it works out.

Thanks... if it turns up I'll let you all know. Meanwhile, if anyone sees it on craigslist in your town, or ebay, or a flea market, or whatever, I'd appreciate a head's up...

If you find it, have ThrottleJock (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=342625) help you get it back :)

you lose

I think it's clear to all that there is only one real loser here, and that's you. Bikes can be replaced. Being an as$shole lasts a lifetime.

Yeah, the sad thing (for me) is that there were some very nice, brand new Marinoni bikes in there, all unlocked. He could have taken any of those, but he grabbed mine. I asked the shop if they had insurance for if their bikes got stolen, and he said no. Maybe he was worried I was going to try and place a claim against him. I think it's weird that a shop wouldn't have insurance. Anyway, they don't have security cameras. I put up fliers with pictures in all the local bike shops and filed a claim. I guess all I can do now is hope for the best.
I appreciate the kind wishes.
And MLKProject, I guess you were trying to be funny, in your own special way, and that deep down you feel badly for me and anyone else who would get his or her bike stolen. That's what I'll assume, since I'd hate to think you were just being a jerk.

It makes sense that they wouldn't have theft insurance as the cost is so high compared to the benefit. I recently spoke to a small business owner in the States who had $30,000 worth of merchandise stolen. I asked him of he had insurance and he said no. When I asked why he explained that insurance costs $10,000 a year and he gets broken into about once every 10 years with the average loss per break in about $5,000. It just doesn't pay for him to have insurance.

Wow, you are one determined individual. The shop I work at has a flier for this bike inside. We'll keep an eye out.

Cool, thanks Tapeworm21. Yeah, I'm determined. I've had many bikes that I've liked over the years but that's the one I really loved. Silly me for growing so attached to it. I know you can always replace things but still...

Dude! That sucks! Sorry to hear that. Hope you get it back.

I think it's clear to all that there is only one real loser here, and that's you. Bikes can be replaced. Being an as$shole lasts a lifetime.


k.

With the vast majority of stolen bikes those who steal them ride them. I didn't think that made sense, but I've been told time and time again that it's so. Now, with a fixed gear then it's a different thing b/c you have to know how to ride it and hence know its value. That means it will be for sale somewhere, sometime; or they're trying to paint and, or disguise it.

Keep your hopes up. I know a guy who bought a bike from a guy in West Palm Beach(45 min's north) and brought it into our shop the next day and found out it was another customers bike, stolen 6 months prior. Watch not just CL ad's, but ad's with vague descriptions and no pictures. People that sell stolen bikes limit their risks by only letting those whom come to see it know what is for sale.

Also, pawn shops function with an outdated, in person record check done monthly with police officers whereas they come in and crosscheck items with reported stolen items so if it was pawned it can be found.



NEVER do as throttlejock has done and if we can get his bike recovered we will send it to you.

Still thinking about it, if the guy rode the bike fine then I would think he was someone whom lived outside of the city, or far enough away to not be worried about keeping the bike, but if not it would be for sale.

Why didn't the employee grab a bike and give chase?

I got hit by a drunk driver last weekend and the car that witnessed it was annoyed that I blocked its path, let alone followed the car, so I could recover my trashed bike. In general people suck, but elsewhere people are much, much worse I suppose.

Man that blows, I just had my all-black IRO Jamie Roy lifted from outside my condo and it was my only form of transportation, now I gotta bus it. I feel ya, hope you catch that guy.

I'm just wondering what opportunist thieves do with fixed gear bikes.

Man that blows, I just had my all-black IRO Jamie Roy lifted from outside my condo and it was my only form of transportation, now I gotta bus it. I feel ya, hope you catch that guy.

I'm just wondering what opportunist thieves do with fixed gear bikes.

hmmm how did you have it locked out of curiosity?

hmmm how did you have it locked out of curiosity?

I'm more curious as to why you wouldn't simply bring it inside. Then again, there may be circumstances i am not aware of.

bro, check that a-hole who owns Karim nearby on Telegraph.. a bike shop that buys stolen bikes and resells them. they totally encourage thieves.

from yelp: "I know folks that used to work for this shop and i have heard all the stories. He does in fact buy stolen bikes no questions asked for 5-20 dollars. I know some people that went through tough times in their lives and resorted to stealing bikes and selling them to this guy. All the stories are true."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/16/BAGIUD9FVK1.DTL

did you write the serial number down? start looking at all the places around who sell used bikes (including the Ashby and Laney Flea Markets and that dude on Alcatraz who sells em in his front yard)

Definatly check pawn shops and flea markets and don't forget ebay... Good luck.

Thanks for the tip. Karim's is the first place I went. I couldn't go into his "shop", the place is crammed with bikes and he does his business on the sidewalk. So, I gave him a flier with a picture and description of the bike and the police number written on it. Told him that I would pay for it's recovery. He was super defensive and said that he never ever buys stolen bikes. But then he started asking how he was supposed to know it was a Surly Steamroller if there were no decals. Maybe he was looking for his out. I told him that if anyone brings in a large black fixed gear frame he should call me or the police officer and read the serial number and we would confirm yay or nay. Duh. He said he'd let me know. Whatever.
I'm going to try the Ashby and Laney flea markets on Saturday.
I know the Pedaler is hosting a bike swap meet in a couple of weeks, but those guys seem very legitimate and cool, so if I take them a flier beforehand hopefully they would keep their eyes out.
Someone mentioned that bikes stolen in the East Bay are often sold at the Civic Center Plaza. Is that an every-day thing or just weekends?

Oh yeah... Do you guys think it's reasonable for me to ask Peter Rich (the guy who owns Velo Sport) to order and build me up buy a replacement bike from him at cost or a steep discount, considering it was stolen out of his shop?

Oh yeah... Do you guys think it's reasonable for me to ask Peter Rich (the guy who owns Velo Sport) to order and build me up buy a replacement bike from him at cost or a steep discount, considering it was stolen out of his shop?

Why don't you talk to him about a replacement bike without mentioning exact cost and see what he says. It'll give you a very good idea of what kind of place you are dealing with.

Good idea Ziemas...

I'll keep an eye out.

Oh yeah... Do you guys think it's reasonable for me to ask Peter Rich (the guy who owns Velo Sport) to order and build me up buy a replacement bike from him at cost or a steep discount, considering it was stolen out of his shop?

No.

but while your bike was in the shop... did it.... tie the room together well?

Maybe not Dobber... after all, I'm not blaming the shop or anything... I just thought it might a worth a shot to ask him for a discount out of the goodness of his heart, since it was taken from under our noses and it could just as well been any of his bikes right next to mine, which weren't locked either. But just to be clear, I didn't mean that I want him to lose money on it or anything.

it might be worth trying to see if he'll give you a discount on the frame and parts,
but i think he'd have to be awfully nice to give you a break on the labor to put everything together..

you'd probably have better luck if you were going to assemble the whole thing yourself


Oh yeah... Do you guys think it's reasonable for me to ask Peter Rich (the guy who owns Velo Sport) to order and build me up buy a replacement bike from him at cost or a steep discount, considering it was stolen out of his shop?

steal one of his marinonis

good suggestion coelcanth... if I build it myself, maybe he'd cut me a deal on parts...

That sucks, especially because I live in that neighborhood. I've never felt comfortable leaving a nice bike in the parking rack at bike shops....why do they put them right by the door??

Anyway I don't think it is entirely unreasonable to ask him to get you a new bike at cost...but like others have said, try to feel it out first and go about diplomatically.

As for Karim, showing him that flier might have been a mistake. That guy is a grade A d-bag...you'd be better off just frequenting his shop or have some friends do it for you. He's already been busted a few times, so if some crack head comes in with your bike he might turn them away or flip the bike on craigslist (which he consistently does against craigslist policy) knowing that someone is out hunting for it.

Seriously, if the police shut Karim down and regulated on those stupid flea markets bike theft in the Berkeley-Oakland area would probably go way down, because bike theft wouldn't be the ridiculously viable source of income that it is. Am I wrong?

i can't believe the little jackasses on this thread trying to be funny at this guy's expense. you little ******s hide behind a keyboard and act like punks with your jokes. how funny are you with your mouths wired shut? good luck finding your bike. i think it can't hurt to ask the bike shop to help you. why not ask.

Thanks cew and I luv hooters. I did call the bike owner last night and it turns out that he was really nice. I just nicely asked him if he'd be willing to give me a discount on a replacement bike. He said he felt bad about my bike being stolen from his shop, and although there isn't much mark-up on bikes, he'd be happy to give me a 10% discount, or maybe a bit more. It's better than nothing... assuming his price is reasonable in the first place.
Meanwhile, I'm still checking places out. I'll probably have a friend go by Karim's. The Coliseum flea market is a miserable place, with lots of bikes that appeared stolen, but I couldn't find mine.

If you find it, have ThrottleJock (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=342625) help you get it back :)

lmfao.


but, seriously... that sucks. i hope the guy was hit by a car as he fled from you.

he'd be happy to give me a 10% discount

That sucks. I guess he still wants to make money on ya. There's way more mark up at a shop than 10 ****ing %.
You can buy it off the web and do better.

That sucks. I guess he still wants to make money on ya. There's way more mark up at a shop than 10 ****ing %.
You can buy it off the web and do better.

It's not Uncle Che's House Of Bikes And Karma, It's a business which from what I understand the OP has little or no relationship with. Do you think they should just GIVE him a bike or something? :rolleyes: