Discouraged by thieves, please help.
 

Hi there, one day in 2005 I had a dream that I was a kid again riding my bicycle through the neighborhood. I remembered how good it felt to be feel free and fast and out doors and everything that comes along with cycling. I weighed 404Lbs in 2005. This dream encouraged me to lose weight so that I could maybe pick up my beloved hobby/time killer/sport again. So I worked and worked and worked, all the while promising myself that if I got to the point where I could safely ride a bike, I would buy myself a new bike.

Finally, in Spring of 2006 I weighed in at 270lbs, I was so proud of myself. It was April, and next month would've been my 27th birthday. I went by my local bikesource in Westerville, OH and fell in love with the Specialized Rock Hopper comp disc. I felt so good reaching my initial goal, i loved riding my bike around. In columbus we have this alum creek trail which goes from one side of columbus to the other side, it is very nice. I would ride this trail almost 2-3 times a week. I loved it.

In August of 2006, I was taking the garbage out, and ran upstairs to collect the trash from the bathrooms, when I returned (no more than 5 minutes) my beloved rockhopper (which was hung in my garage 8' up) was gone. It was like the thief not only took away my $1000 bicycle, but also my accomplishment. Since then I have really struggled with my weight, i've been depressed about the bike situation, and generally just upset about this.

I am planning on getting a new bike for my 28th birthday (in may). I am thinking about possibly buying another rockhopper comp disc. I found that most of the riding I did was on pavement, and not on gravel/dirt paths, or jumping hills or trees or whatever it is the real hardcore guys do out there. I really loved my rockhopper, it was just the right size, and weight and everything; is this bike pretty decent for riding on pavement?

I am reluctant to buying a road bike simply because if i want to let loose and ride through something I dont want to be limited. Is there a way to take a rockhopper comp disc and make it more suitable to paved roads while keeping its great bulky charm?

I now weigh 315lbs, and I think I am ready to try and "get back on the horse" as they say.

There is nothing worse than really working for something, and then have someone steal it from you...

Andrew

Dont know if you have seen it and this is way too late for you but on one of the lock websites it says that you should always lock your bike, as a lot of thefts are from garages, university halls of residence, I woke up at 4 am this morning dreaming that my bike had been stripped.

But no I have a small abus lock that locks the seat to the frame, a long abus coil lock that goes through both wheels the forks and the frame. But today I bought an Abus Granite 54 X Plus, which locks the frame to a post or something else immovable.

Some stupidly high percentage of crimes are opportunist chancers.....

if you put the weight back on and find out who took it, well then you just sit on their chest until they apologise enough, no point in resorting to violence

remember "we have the mass and the rest dont matter"

> Is there a way to take a rockhopper comp disc and make it more suitable to paved roads while keeping its great bulky charm?

You bet. Get tires made for the road (smoother tread) rather than ones made for off-road (knobbies). Sounds like you're on the way back!

I hate borrowing cliche phrases from movies, but here are two:

You can't live in fear. (ghostrider)
Fear eats the soul. (translated from german, Ali: angst ..., Fassbinder)

I've had one bike stolen from me as a kid and another destroyed in a wreck. I have lights, wear a helmet and lock my bike everywhere it goes, but refuse to give the ideas of theft and injury any more anxiety than that.
If a lock can be made, it can be circumvented, its just a mechanical fact. the more you complicate/strengthen a locking scheme the more time you buy yourself between the moment someone who wants the bike sees it and the moment they successfully pick/cut/etc their way through the lock. but simply applying A lock probably denies the overwhelming majority of opportunistic thieves their chance, leaving it to the most determined individuals, who are the ones you'll never stop anyway.

A couple of years ago we had some bandits that would enter houses, attached garages, etc.. just to steal mid to high end bikes. These guys walked into a police Lt's house while he was home and made off with two nice Treks. As Obelix67 stated, crimes of opportunity are much more prevelant. All of my bikes are locked inside the locked garage. I hate thieves.

I wouldn't let thieves stop you from riding. If you like that bike a lot get it again. And if you ride mostly on the road just put some smoother tires on and it will still be fine if you decide to go off the trail.

If you want to take another step closer to a road bike that would still be okay if you decide to go on some gravel roads or bumpy pavement look into...

Trek SU200 $489.00
Trek 7.3FX $529.00
Trek 7.3FX Disc $619.00

I'm sorry for your loss, reminds me of the time when I was 12 and got jumped for my Schwinn 10 speed. Got messed up pretty good and had nightmares for a month.

But I'm riding now. In fact I got another crappy Schwinn 10 speed and beat the hell out of the thing biking to and from high school, but that's another story.

However, the fear of theft is what prompted me to get a Dahon Jack. Now I'm a clyde like you at 288 lbs right now and the wheels on the thing aren't tough enough for my weight. I'm having the rear wheel rebuilt right now and hopefully that will hold me until I drop 40 lbs (my summer goal). If not, then I'm going to get something with a higher spoke count.

Now I bring my bike into work with me and my house -- its as safe as I can make it.

I am sorry you lost your bike - you have an impressive story and I would hate to see you lose what you have earned. I lost a bike (not as nice as yours) the same way, but it made me RELIGIOUS about keeping my garage door closed, my doors locked and my bike locked up securely (see this: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html ). Do NOT give up and do NOT give in. Get a new bike if you need to, be careful about keeping it, and ride and enjoy, dammit!

Touched a nerve there, but I am better for the post. Thanks for the session.

hey dude i live in westerville ohio to and if u wouldnt mind telling we ur were about in the city and give me some pic of ur bike ill keep a look out for it because im out a lot and see many off ppl biking

I've been really lucky in that I've never had a bike stolen. I've had accessories stolen, and I've been tricked a couple times into thinking my bike was stolen, but that's it.

As a kid I grew up at the campground my parents own and I was always told to put my bike in the garage at night but I never did. One day it went missing and I didn't tell anyone. I suddenly started walking everyone like it was my decision. Weeks went by when I was down in the big workshop and found the bike hidden behind some stuff. Guess my stepfather wanted to teach me a lesson.

Then after school one day while waiting for the MTB team practice I left my bike in the hall when I went to take a piss. When I came out of the washroom the bike was gone! I ran everyone looking for it, thinking the worst. Turned out to just be a teammate playing a trick on me.

We used to put our bikes in the Art room at the back, unlocked, and someone stole my speedo computer off of it because I stupidly didn't take it off. I also had bar ends stolen outside the mall.

My new bike will be kept inside my house at all times, will be transported inside my car (if it fits across the back seat with the front wheel off), and if I ever have to lock it up I'm getting a good U lock with cable for the front wheel.

You should lock up the rear wheel also. I can take my front wheel off in about 8 seconds, I can take my rear wheel off in about 15 seconds.

I actually posted these fliers all over the place:

Missing bike flyer

It was stolen from my condo in east columbus (by ohio dominican).

-Drew

Oh, and the most screwed up part that i forgot to mention is that the thief left a $50 Magna bike from target laying in my back yard. After i picked it up and threw it around for awhile enough to bend the rims and the frame I put it on my porch, and there it has sat since my bike was stolen..

-Drew

o that sucks..

Sorry to hear about your loss. I used to live in an area that if it wasn't bolted down it was gone. What I did in my garage was screw a couple of eye bolts into the wall (the kind that have a solid eye) and I would lock my bikes,lawnmower, and ladder to the wall. This won't stop a serious thief but it will discourage the quick snatch and grab which was what most of the thefts in that area were.

If you liked the bike and fit go buy another, nothing wrong with a mountain bike on the street. You might want a fork with lockout to reduce bobbing. FWIW I ride a Gary Fisher 29'er on the street more that I care to admit although most of my mileage is on a road bike. When you purchase the bike have the bike store set you up with some slicks instead of knobbies.

Shog

Also make sure your bike is fully covered ("like" replacement cost) by your homeowners/renters policy, my homeowners only covered bike thefts up to $250 so I had to add a rider to cover my bikes.

I just don't understand why no one mentions waiting near-by for the piece of garbage to steal your bike. Me and my buddies used to do this quite often. The POS couldn't walk afterwards.

We did this several times over a year or two and they all deserved it. We stopped as we got older and started realizing we're in bigger trouble than these scum if we're caught (even though our "crime" was punishing criminals who cause real pain to people). I also felt bad about the violence and couldn't stand watching it. We had two in the group who loved our "honey-pot" nights and I guess it's good they were there to mete out the justice us wussies hadn't the stomach for.

I'm not saying it's right (no real regrets though), but in America with the whole gun fetish/Rambo thing going on why aren't more of you "getting some payback"? We never had to wait more than 30 min.

I say it again - they did deserve it. As long as they could heal to 90% pre-us that was fine. What did Plato say about some of us needed for guard dog duty or somethin'?



*disclaimor - all of the above was just a joke take none of it seriously, do not do this it's wrong, obey the law.