Commuting - STOLEN in NYC: My 1967 Paramount P14

My favorite ride has been jacked! I've rode this bike for almost six years, including three Century rides...I can't believe it's gone! Circumstances beyond my control forced me to leave it locked outside for less than 20 minutes and somebody decided to take a grinder to my lock. Sad day! Would be grateful if any of y'all NYC commuters could keep your eyes open. Details below...

1967 Schwinn Paramount P14 Track Bike, Fully Chrome, Size 23" (58st, 56.5tt), Nervex Pro lugs (with blue pinstriping), complete Campagnolo Record Track Gruppo (incl. con denti pedals, 151 bcd 165mm crankset, 45/16 ratio), Brooks "Swallow" saddle (stamped A62), Titan Bars & Drop Weld Stem (stamped 67), 27" Mavic E clincher rims w/ gumwall tires (Avocet 27x1 front, Specialized 27x7/8ths rear), Christophe toe clips w/ white Binda straps. Last seen at 2nd Ave & 19th St in NYC, approximately 5:05 pm on 06/03/09. Deep sentimental value! Substantial reward offered! No questions asked if recovered. Please contact 917-903-4743 with any information. Thank you very much!

That sucks bro. Out of curiosity what lock(s) did you have?

wow. that REALLY sucks. i'm glad i don't live in that crap hole. :eek: that's just freaking absurd.

don't do that again!

You should post this in the NE section of the forums. I am sorry for your loss. There is nothing worse than having your stuff stolen!

Feel for you! I had my bike stolen once - so sorry to hear! I was so angry/mad/sad and never locked my bike outside which was a pain sometimes. I eventually converted to folders.

I will keep an eye out!

That sucks man.

I've had one bike stolen and the cop who I reported it to just rolled his eyes at me, so I knew I'd never see that bike again.

That sucks, I'll keep my eye out for it. 20 minutes? Ugh.

OP, I'm always around LES & a little further up north. I'll keep my eyes open. Sorry for your loss. Just curious what locks you used and your lock up method. Maybe all of us can learn from your very harsh lesson.


Since it was a grinder, I'm not sure it matters what locks/methods. Either way, it sucks.

Wow, what an awesome bike. You gotta be heartbroken. Someone with a grinder working away on a bike and nobody does a thing. Sucks.

Are the bike thieves just roving around looking for sweet rides? I mean what ****ty luck or maybe you were targeted.

That's a sweet bike, and my guess is that someone had their eye on it for a while and waited for the right opportunity. It sucks to have to be this way, but I never take my nice bikes anyplace where they can't be with me. At night they're in the house.
I know people who have diligently locked up their nice bikes, were gone for only a few minutes and poof... come back and the bike is not there.

I'd definitely go to, or call every bike shop in the area (yeah, I know it's NYC) and have them post a pic and an explanation. Do the same on Craigslist. A bike that distinctive is going to be seen by someone.

Sorry to hear about your loss. I, too, am curious as to what was your method of locking. Also, how do you know the lock was defeated using a grinder?

Lotta bikes around where I work (Williamsburg) so I'll keep an eye out. Easy one to spot. Sorry to hear it was jacked. :( Terrible feeling (been there).

Stupid question - are there any locks that are grinder-proof?

What I'm really surprised is that this thief can do it in less than 20 minutes. That's insanely fast!

I have a sense that people keep to themselves in urban environments. "The owner of that bike forgot his key, and he's using the grinder to break the lock" It's like sensory overload takes over, and people fail to notice the forest because of the trees

OMG! I feel your pain. The same thing happened to me the day after Xmas. I had only left my bike for a little while in a highly trafficed, populated area, brightly lit, outside under security cameras with a Kyrptonite u-lock and then POOF! Gone in a NY minute! :(

I'll keep my eyes peeled for your bike. I'll give you a call if I see anything. *fingers crossed*

You should also post this and pictures of your bike on Craigslist. Also keep your eyes peeled on eBay and at local bike shops. You shoud also print out flyers with pictures and your bikes description and post them all over town.

Lastly, please post the lock you used and the locking technique to help others on the forum avoid a similar situation. I know you said a grinder was used, which will break any lock given enough time, but we need to know which lock and locking technique was defeated so quickly (less than 20 minutes) in broad daylight on a crowded NYC street...

Thanks for all the condolences. This is my third bike stolen since 1984, so I have a pretty good track record for NYC. It happened when I was about to be late for an important meeting. The building's security guard liked to "exercise his authority", and wouldn't let me bring my bike inside (which other guards in the same building had done for me before). As circumstance would have it, I had loaned my Kryptonite U-Lock to an out-of-town friend that day, so all I had was my inch thick combination rope-chain (brand started with a K, and was four letters - usually I would use it as a secondary lock). It turns out you can grind through that one pretty fast! At least they left me the chain, which was very thoughtful of them.

As much as I would like to think that it was a group of pros (and it certainly could have been), it was likely a person from the neighborhood with access to tools, who thought it was shiny and decided to take it. Probably had no real idea of what they scored.

Again, how do you know a grinder was used?

Oh no.... that is such a gorgeous bike and I imagine it would be difficult to replace. I have to think that somebody knew its value and had their eye on it for a while. Maybe you can get the word out to the local bike shops and bike club membership to track it down.

Again, how do you know a grinder was used?

They were nice enough to leave the remains of the lock and chain!


Oh no.... that is such a gorgeous bike and I imagine it would be difficult to replace. I have to think that somebody knew its value and had their eye on it for a while. Maybe you can get the word out to the local bike shops and bike club membership to track it down.

Indeed! With over a hundred 'local' bike shops, and with my demanding work schedule, I've only been able to leave flyers at about 35 of them. I still haven't given up hope yet, as a buddy of mine had his Hetchins returned to him after six months!

I see. I'm very sorry to hear about this. I only recently began going out on my bike, and, needless to say, I'm apprehensive about theft. I plan to use a good U-lock (OnGuard) every time I must leave my bicycle behind, but, as much as possible, I'd like to stay with it.

I know the odds of its happening are slim, but I hope your ride turns up.

Sorry for your loss. This is probably not much help now but I wanted to spread the word about Bikewise.org so that someday it may be useful for situations like yours:

Bikewise (http://www.bikewise.org/) is a Google Map-based online application to track bicycle crashes, road hazards, and thefts. The concept is to share those instances with researchers, relevant agencies, and other bicyclists with the goal of improving conditions and making bicycling safer and more enjoyable for everyone. Created by the Cascade Bicycle Club originally for the Pacific Northwest, the program can be applied to any location in the world. To use Bikewise, simply create an account, set-up your profile, and start logging your info. Sharing information this way could start something positive.

braveeagle, was your bike etched by your local precinct?

im a cop in nyc, and there have been numerous times that ive stopped someone that i believe is riding a stolen bike. proving it in a timely manner is another matter entirely. if the bike has been etched with a serial number, or if it already has one, a cop can call the precinct and run the number in order to determine who the bike belongs to, and if its been reported stolen. it puts someone in a slightly better position of getting their bike back.

braveeagle, was your bike etched by your local precinct?

im a cop in nyc, and there have been numerous times that ive stopped someone that i believe is riding a stolen bike. proving it in a timely manner is another matter entirely. if the bike has been etched with a serial number, or if it already has one, a cop can call the precinct and run the number in order to determine who the bike belongs to, and if its been reported stolen. it puts someone in a slightly better position of getting their bike back.

I never got it etched by a local precinct, though I do have the serial number off the bottom bracket. Hopefully this will be a reminder for folks to register and/or get their bikes etched at their local precincts.


Sorry for your loss. This is probably not much help now but I wanted to spread the word about Bikewise.org so that someday it may be useful for situations like yours:

Bikewise (http://www.bikewise.org/) is a Google Map-based online application to track bicycle crashes, road hazards, and thefts. The concept is to share those instances with researchers, relevant agencies, and other bicyclists with the goal of improving conditions and making bicycling safer and more enjoyable for everyone. Created by the Cascade Bicycle Club originally for the Pacific Northwest, the program can be applied to any location in the world. To use Bikewise, simply create an account, set-up your profile, and start logging your info. Sharing information this way could start something positive.

That Bikewise app is pretty amazing. Thank you for that!

Beautiful bike, tragic loss. :(