motobecane69

So my super gave me a key to the boiler room because the landlord (who doesn't come around often) was complaining about my bike being locked up outside in front of my upper east side apt. I have pinhead skewers on the wheels, seat post, saddle, and fork and filled up my stem bolts and RD bolt with solder after it got vandalized for the handlebars a couple times. overall I don't sweat it if parts get stolen, because it was a build from mostly nashbar parts and no individual part is all that expensive. so i I went away for the weekend and decided since I'd be gone for 3 days, I should put it back in the boiler room. That was friday morning at 9am. I go down there this morning to get it out and go to work and bike is gone! Talked to my super, he says he went in there to do the recycling and doesn't recall if he saw the bike in there at the time or not. There are some very shady people that live in the basement apartment that are definately suspect but ultimately i'm out a really nice commuting bike.

I have renters insurance but they screwed me over once before so I'm dreading having to call them but I don't think I have much choice. Any new yorkers ever place a claim for a bike on renters insurance? got any advice for me?

dendawg

My only experience with renters insurance was a time my car, parked in a municipal parking garage with my ski's and luggage in the back, was broken into and the contents taken. You will need to file a police report, and provide receipts for the missing bike if possible. And you might find that your deductible is pretty steep. In my case it was 10% of my coverage. It would probably be easier if you had a bill from a shop for a complete bike, rather than a list of parts for your build.

motobecane69

heres a pic if you see it, let me know!

motobecane69

Hey Dendawg, how are ya? I do know I have a $500 deductible on my policy. I'm thinking about the issue of the receipts now because I built it custom and sourced so much stuff online that it's going to be a pain to get all the receipts together but I may just try to get the bikeshop to create some kind of estimated value statement.

dendawg

It's a PIA but definitely get the police report filed, as it takes a while to get the copy from them.
I've been ok but overworked. Trying to head out to at least Alpine, maybe Piermont this morning. Haven't done a long ride in a month and that was only 37 flat miles while I was on vacation.

motobecane69

if i wasn't dealing with this crap I would join you. I've been getting a good amount of ride and have my fitness back. still mad I wasn't able to do gran fondo but looking forward to the NYC century and escape new york next month

dendawg

I'm back to Tue and or Wed off after next Sunday so I won't be doing either of those rides. We did sign up for the Bike Club of Philadelphia's fall foliage weekend in October since we're not making the trek to Indiana for the Hilly Hundred this year.

cranky velocist

Wait...your landlord needlessly complained about your bike locked up outside, so it was stolen from inside the building?

If you arn't getting such a good deal on rent that the savings equate the cost of the bike, and it were me, I'd tell my landlord I were leaving at the end of the lease and that this is why - his building is more full of thieves than a New York street.

cranky velocist

You might also request that the locks be changed on the building, or that the land lord to ask the super to check the tennant's apartments for your bike. In a perfect world.

motobecane69

we have a suspicion of someone but they have a well known drug habit. The super feels really bad because he had gone in the room on friday and saw the bike there and then got into an argument with the suspected tenant about how they dispose of their trash. He thinks he was in such a huff when he finished that he neglected to make sure the boiler room door was locked.

My landlord does kind of suck and believe me, I'd love to be in a true doorman building with a bikeroom or just a low floor so that I could bring my bike into my apt easily. I'm in a 5th floor walkup with very narrow hallways and this bike is a touring frame with racks an stuff like that plus it's a 60cm frame so the bike is really big. I leave very early am for work and I don't want to be wacking my wheels against neighbors doors at 5am everyday.

IT sucks but i'm hoping that the renters insurance does the right thing. I'm just worried because it's such a custom build. it would be a lot easier if I just had a receipt for an off the rack bike I bought.

himespau 

Bummer dude, hope it somehow turns up and back into your possession.

cranky velocist

If its any consolation moto, you seem to be taking it really well...If it comes to it, can you lock it up to a part of the boiler-pipes or something?

I usually think people who get bikes stolen didn't take every necessary precaution, but you defiantly had really really bad luck.

motobecane69

i would have been better off leaving it outside. might have gotten my handlebars stolen again but I'm sure they wouldn't have cut through my 13lb kryptonite chain nor would they have taken the time to hacksaw my pinhead skewers off of the bike. I could definately have locked it up inside the boiler room but I left it unlocked just in case it was in my supers way, he could move it.

I went to the police station, they werent totally disinterested, the fact that we are dealing with not only grand larceny but potentially Breaking and Entering makes them a bit more attentive to me. they are supposed to get back to me tomorrow as is the insurance company.

woodrupjoe

Sorry about your bike. I saw your post on Craigs yesterday, I'm keeping my eyes open. I got my bike stolen last week also. It does suck, even if the bike is just a $200 mutt like mine. Hope you can unravel the mystery.
I was on Craigslist trying to find something affordable to replace my stolen ride.

Joe
nyc

cranky velocist

The police stations really, really enable the theives. I've got alot of my war stories on various posts. filling parts in with soldier sounds McGiveriffic! Thats what irks me...you spent so much time on a bike, all for nothing.

motobecane69

well the tomorrow in "we'll get back to you tomorrow" has come and gone and I looked at the incident information slip that they gave me that says "Your matter has been assigned the following number (s)" and the Complaint # box is checked off but they didn't write in a complaint number! One detective took all the paperwork that I brought (pics of the bike, copies of some of the receipts, etc) but he didn't take the actual complaint form from the desk officer. So annoying. I don't expect to get my bike back and as each day goes by it's more likely that i's been chopped up for parts since it had pinhead skewers all over it they are gonna have to at the very least bust those off somehow. Ijust want them to go talk to my super to get his testimony in the report and go knock on the downstairs neighbors door who we suspect was involved and then get me my copy of the report for insurance purposes.

m015094

In New York State, it's only grand larceny (a felony) if the value of the item is over $1000. Otherwise, it's petty theft (misdemeanor).

When my bike was stolen from 125th ST in Harlem, I lucked out and had 9 police officers respond. Unfortunately, when the case was assigned a detective (the value of the bike was >$1000, therefore a felony and required to be assigned a detective), the detective assigned (Detective Heidi Carnevali of the NYPD 28th precinct) was less than helpful. She didn't even bother looking at the security tapes of the crime.

motobecane69

they are considering mine grand larceny and a detective walked by and the desk officer called him over. the detective seemed nice enough and said he would get back to me but alas, still no contact from him.

dendawg

Try stopping in with a box of Joe and some donuts and see how the level of service improves.

geo8rge

"Bike stolen from an unlikely place! " - It is a myth that bikes are more secure indoors than outdoors. Those 'bike storage rooms' are regular targets for bike thieves.

jimnolimit

Sorry to hear what happened.

My bike gets parked in my apartment.

motobecane69

my racing bike does too. it's not feasible to bring my commuter up and down 5 flights of stairs 5 times a day so it gets locked outside normally. wish i locked it outside, worst that would have happened is I would have gotten my bars and Deraileur stolen

jimnolimit

how about locking your commuter outside during the day and when you are finished with it, bring it back upstairs overnight?

motobecane69

i leave as early as 5 am, I don't like wacking my rear wheel into my neighbors doors at that hour so it's really a pain in the ass keeping it inside. next apt is absolutelygoing to be a low floor or a doorman building

jimnolimit

i hear ya man, i live in the 3rd floor of my walk-up and i'm always careful not to hit anything while moving my bike. It sucks that you have to deal with ass-hole thieves and the lesser of two evils in parking outside and getting parts stolen. i hope everything works out.