My favorite not a stolen bike story dates back to the late sixties. We had completed an early AM Sunday ride and retired to Ratner's on the lower east side for a late breakfast. High end Italian bikes weren't common back then, and serious bicycling was still a bit of a novelty. So we stacked up our 20 or so road bikes against the building right outside the window. No locks, because we had our eyes on them.

So we're enjoying our meal when someone strolls up, looks at the stack of bikes, then grabs one, hops on, and takes off down the block. We all pile out onto the sidewalk, and a few grab their bikes and give chase, but it's a pretty much hopeless cause given his 20 second head start. So there we are, staring down the block and wondering what to do next, when the stranger rolls up behind us puts the bike against the wall, and says "Thanks, I always wanted to ride one of these" and walks off.