Foldable Two

On Sunday May 16, what is billed as the "Ultimate Folder" was stolen here in Portland, OR.

https://www.ufbusa.com/

It's a titanium Brompton being developed by a local gentleman and is shown in detail here:

https://homepage.mac.com/lenrubin/PhotoAlbum1.html

Should be fairly easy to spot online, or on the street.

Lou

randya

I think there's a bike security lesson here somewhere, and it's not about bringing your folder in with you wherever you go...

https://bikeportland.org/2010/05/16/o...n-in-sellwood/

AEO

it either shows up in the first month or it won't show up for a long time, since it would be sitting in someone's garage or bike chop shop.

jefmcg

What lesson are you learning from this? I assume robberies from yards are not unheard of in Portland. Was there an open gate, did they carry it over a fence, or were there bolt cutters involved?

If it was behind a high fence with reasonable security, then the lesson is "you can only do so much to secure anything from theft"

Personally, I don't leave my £500 bike outside, but I'm in London - theft and rain are both pretty common.

snafu21

"It's like someone stole the Mona Lisa."

Mrs Rubin writes:

"Our house burned down and we lost everything (right after this titanium prototype was made) then - a few years later - our children were poisoned by the work of a painting contractor. I have spent the last four years trying to get the laws changed so other children are not poisoned as ours were. The new law was passed last month. We still have poisoned children and very few possessions and no money as a result of the costs of our fire loss and our children's poisoning. That bike - the key to our future - was our only thing of value."

News flash: "We just got word from two separate people who think they saw a homeless person on the SpringWater trail with it earlier today.... if you are headed down there please keep your eyes open - it was possibly sighted by the Ross Island Bridge. We're heading down on bikes right now."

mdiluca

mr. rubin reminds me the very important things in life

prtyich

At the risk of sounding like an a$$, why would something so important be left unlocked outside in the backyard?

As a cynic and overall negative person, it seems to me like someone might have been seeking free publicity they knew they'd get - like how we are writing about it in this forum - by letting a "one-of-a-kind" titanium bike that this person has painstakingly worked on for years - if it got stolen...something smells fishy here...

brakemeister

I am in the bike industry and I know Mr Rubin or at least I think I know him .... he is somewhat quirky and doesnt fit in any mold.
I would certainly agree with above poster if this story came from me or Yan ... lol,
but I am pretty sure that this is truly a page out of Len Rubins life and he doesnt need this kind of advertising ...

( Now if he would built me a MU frame out of titanium ...... we could do some biz )
Thor

chucky

Even I don't leave my 20" folder in the yard although I lock it outside away from home. What's the point of the UFB if it's still not "ultimate" enough to keep inside your home?

I think the lesson here is that in order to be completely theft-proof a folding bike has to be easier to fold up and take inside than it is to leave unfolded. Obviously neither the tikit nor the Brompton nor even the UFB are compact and convenient enough. I think George Lin got it right with the Carry-me.

prtyich

Hey Thor. It just seems rather strange to begin with since as i understand it, titanium is an extremely difficult metal to work with even for factories, as it hardens quickly and once it does, cannot be bent/shaped. This makes me wonder how someone working in their house could be able to actually work with this substance.

Foldable Two

I've read about this bike in the past. Sounds like too expensive a design for daily commuting. Might work for someone having to give up their Mercedes 500 sedan, or something like that, but not for the average Joe.

If a homeless type is out riding it on the Springwater Corridor (per the Bike Portland.org site), it won't stay missing for very long.

Lou

snafu21

It's quite remarkable to see how the online community is responding to this. Mr Rubin is widely castigated as a fool, but very few condemn the theft or the thief. We shrug and say, "well, that's how it is and Rubin is an idiot for not locking a bike up in the sanctity of his own property" A few on bikeportland . org threaten violence if the thief is caught with the bike. Nerds ignore the social injustice and immorality of the act, and talk about the metallurgy of the bike. Others ponder its suitability for commuting, or whether the Rubins are seeking self-publicity and stole it themselves. Mrs Rubin believes it's "the homeless" - a euphemism for something or other.

Consumerism is now more important a conversational topic than morality.

What a shallow, cyncical, self-obsessed and judgemental world we are creating.

brakemeister

well I know you are right Snafu
I dont think however its all THAT bad to question somebodies logic to have a very very expensive folding bike and than leave it outside.
My other point is ... as long as we are talking about it it will stay on top of the forum and more people will read it and maybe are helpful to retrieve it. So even a negative remark will maybe make a difference. And it might make us think how we act with our bikes the next time around...
I dont read it that folks are making fun or badmouthing Len
:-)
Thor

randya

update:

https://bikeportland.org/2010/05/18/a...d-stolen-bike/

TrekJapan

Interesting story and I don't have too much to add to the theft portion. Only thing I'll say is that such a public response with the bike theft hitting the media is that it'll likely get tossed in the water or something by the offender if they find out its such a hot item. But I hope the bike is recovered by the owners.

As to titanium.....I used to work on the F-14 Tomcat A to D modification program and did extensive work with Titanium and other high strength steels. Titanium is undoubtedly harder to work with but can be drilled and worked with some common shop processes such as by using cutting oils as a coolant.

Big problem with titanium and drilling is that it will absorb gases when it's heated which make it very brittle around the worked area. Consequently when this is done the titanium can fail catastrophically.

I personally would never own a titanium bike due to this and how much cracked titanium I've seen in my life (on aircraft). But that's just me and it shouldn't sway somebody from getting a titanium bike because some guy on the internet who used to drill titanium doesn't trust it.

John

lucille

I really hope they find the bike and it gets returned to the owner. I couldn't help but notice though, $200 reward for prototype bike? Seems a bit stingy. I wouldn't accept the reward myself, but if you want to appeal to somebody to give the bike up, you need to make an offer somewhat enticing, don't you think?

invisiblehand

I don't recall the details of the Rubin's life. But my memory is that they have had some hard luck along the way. And I think that their kids have suffered some sort of misfortune as well.

lucille

Well, I find the whole reward thing strange, every time I hear about it (not just in this case). Why should somebody get a reward for returning what's not theirs to keep? I can't imagine ever accepting that, but that's just me.
I really do hope they find the bike, and it will still be in good shape.

snafu21

(Thank you Thor, points noted)

Lucille: "Why should somebody get a reward for returning what's not theirs to keep? " It stimulates others to seek the 'borrowed' item. The Bounty Hunter mentality. Of course, the finder doesn't have to accept the reward. I lost my wallet with £200 cash in it a few years ago, had four credit cards in there too. It was found by the local Scouts who called me and when I went along to collect it said that they could not accept a reward for honesty which should be part of the human condition.

So moved by this was I - I gave them the £200 cash as a formal donation towards repairs for the Scout hut. Everytime I drive past it I'm reminded of the glow that honesty brings.

The bike is obviously very important to the Rubins. After some years of misfortune they have pinned their hopes on it to secure their future So it has become an icon of Future Hope. Let us implore the "borrower", should they appear on here, to give the bike bike. AT ONCE! (wags finger)

brakemeister

I think the reward is geared to the usual meth user who steals bikes for 50 bucks or a bag ( bag ? what do I know ?) of poison. Those guys "trade in" any bike for 50 bucks flat rate .... therefore 200 is a very good deal for them to try to cash in the money for themselves. Every upstanding and mildly clear thinking individual would not accept the 200 bucks of course.

Lets hope that the bike is found.
Every police station, fire station ( they usually provide divers for rescue ) should have a pic of the bike, just in case the guys go in the water for a search ( or training ) they might find it in the process .... Do you have any scuba shops or clubs around ? They sometimes make a weekend to clean the streams and rivers ....
Fisherman come to mind as well.....

They should know about the missing bike. Just in case the thief found out that the bike is hot.. very hot ...

Thor

Brimstone

Wow, Portland is an interesting place. Lots of people seem to be concerned about the safety of a mysterious homeless person who allegedly stole the bike. They don't want the police involved for fear of violence.

I tend to agree; if the donut munchers decide to sling lead they might hit the bike. Stop violence against bikes now!

Wasn't so long ago they hung horse theives out west.

Portland's fixations with nudity and biking make it an attractive place. Unfortunately it seems to be attracting the wrong crowd: bums and theives.

prtyich

I guess the nudists there have stiffened their resolve and publicly taken a stand to deal with clothing thieves...

lucille

I do understand the concept, believe it or not, but thanks for the explanation. And the touching story.

xnevergiveinx

i think its pretty cool that people are banding together to find the bike. obviously it's only something material and can be replaced, but it has greater value to the owner in more ways that material

Dahon.Steve

Incredible... It seems like Len's life has one tragedy after another. If the bike is never found, I think it's time for Len to close this chapter in his life and start something new. One thing is to go after your dreams but there comes a time when you just have to walk away.