Lilcphoto

I did a search, but couldn't find a prior posting of this video. Thought it was quite entertaining.

TechKnowGN

maybe the new yorkers saw the camera and realized since it was being filmed it probably wasnt anything to worry about

SBRDude

Reinforces the perception that people in NY don't want to get involved. I wonder if it would have made any difference if the guy looked more like what people expect a thief to look like. There is some show on NBC that stages situations to see if people will get involved.

TheHen

This isn't unique to NY. In OR I had an old Krytonite lock fail (the key would just turn without opening it). I called the police to see if they could help since they are known to impound bikes. They said call a locksmith. The locksmith was going to charge $70 and take four hours to get there. A passerby offered to go get his car jack and help, so I took him up on it. It took us about 30 minutes to pop the lock (we are really amateur thieves). We were in front of a grocery and drug store. Approximately 200 people saw what we were doing and no one called the cops or said anything. It seemed even worse since we were five blocks from the University of Oregon campus which is somewhat notorious for bike thefts. I'm willing to bet that if we were breaking into a car someone would have called the cops.

degnaw

Well, I'm guessing that nobody who locks their keys in their car will smash the window to get in.

rumatt

Well, it also raises the question... Even if an officer does get involved, how can he prove it's not your bike if you say you lost your key?

meanwhile

From experience, no, you're quite wrong about the car. As long as you look befuddled but unfurtive you can pry away at a car window with a screwdriver as much as you like.

KD5NRH

Depends on where you live; here, I can get a side window replaced for $55, but getting a locksmith out in the middle of the night starts at $75. I also don't have to come up with the window replacement cost in a parking lot at 11PM.

Digital_Cowboy

The person would have to know the s/n of the bike (yeah I know it's embossed somewhere on the frame and could be read prior to the cops showing up) or the city, county or state or national registration (again I know that it could be read from the sticker). Or point to an upgrade or add on that isn't very common for that particular model bike.

Digital_Cowboy

I'm not sure, but I think that this has been posted here before.

cab chaser

I live in New York City and will assure you this was not the case. About a year a go, my bike was locked up directly in front of my office: the front of my office building is a large glass facade, with a bunch of security people inside, and a bunch of people outside smoking directly in front of the office at all times. One day, I came out of work to find that somebody had dismantled the entire front end of my bike (both wheels through a kryptonite chain). they took: my bars. My brakes front and rear). My levers. My stem. My headset. My fork. The bike was still there, as were the wheels ... but I can assure you somebody was out there dismantling my bike for awhile, while people looked on, smoking right outside the front door.

If I had seen this happening, I would have assumed that the person with the video camera was a tourist, pointing his camera and anything that seems even remotely interesting.

I don't think I would approach a bike thief carrying an angle grinder, a big wrench or a heavy pair of bolt cutters ... he's got the upper hand as far as weaponry goes. Maybe if I have my chain around my waist that would be a different story ... but after that experience: woe be to the thief I catch provided I think I have the upper hand.

finelargeaxe

Every once in a while, I'll get the urge to make a sign for my bike: "Caution! Contains Explosive Ordinance!"

...or do you think they would just steal the sign?

vol

Holy Jesus. Sorry you had such an experience. This seems to be a professional bike thief. Maybe he's assembling his own bike and needed the parts. No wonder New York is infested with criminals--no one cares as long as it's not their business.

scott kursk

I had a brief stint in college doing car repos. Not the nice wrecker drivers we were skip trace, snatch, and grab. We even had people help us on a couple occasions. Also had someone shoot at me but every job has its drawbacks.

CB HI

Yes, it has been posted before, but a long time ago.

I say it is OK to reposts vids that the new folks have not seen and are unlikely to find in a search.

Digital_Cowboy

CB HI,

I wasn't complaining, just trying to confirm if I'd seen it here before or not. And I agree with you that it's a good idea to repost some of these videos/topics for the new folks.

jayvo86

And that's why I take my bike inside with me.

dougmc

There's ways and there's ways and there's ways ...

The police may very well simply ask you for ID, run your numbers to make sure there's no warrants, and keep a record of the interaction, perhaps also getting a serial number of the bike. If the bike turns up reported stolen, they have a suspect ...

And really, if you're calm and collected and explain that you lost/broke your key to the cops, that alone suggests that it's yours. It's not proof, but most of the time a thief won't do all that ...

Digital_Cowboy

Yep, and all we can do is to do our best to protect our bikes and other equipment or what have you from thieves. Fortunately for us I think that most of the time that it is safe to say when our bikes are stolen it's a crime of convenience i.e. someone looking for something to sell for drug money or someone who is too lazy themselves to walk home and are looking for a quicker alternative. So all we have to do is to make our bikes as unattractive as possible to get away with quickly.

The professional thief on other hand sadly there really isn't much that we can do to stop them. That's not to say that we should secure our bikes to the best of our ability. But we if do everything that we can to secure our bikes and a "pro" steals it we shouldn't be too surprised.

KD5NRH

Why would they want a misspelled sign?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordinance
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordnance

San Rensho 

Many times, but a good vid. Your bike should be in your house or between your legs if you want it safe.

Digital_Cowboy

Exactly, which is why when I was pulled over by the off duty traffic homicide cop a couple of years ago I stayed standing over my bike while talking with the officer. Because as I've said before there was something about him and the stop that didn't feel right. Especially when he threatened to seize my bike on the spot for informing him that cyclists were allowed to take the lane. He was of the opinion that we couldn't do so. He also behaved in an unprofessional manner by starting his stop off with "you and your bike clubs need to learn. . ." and "I'm a traffic cop and I'm tired of cleaning you guys off the pavement" and finally "so and so (naming her by name) has had 70 - 80 or so moving violations in the past 7 years or so.

CB HI

DC, I did not take your post as a complaint.
My words were for those others who would eventually come into the thread with rude comments about it being posting before.

finelargeaxe

Hm...so it is. Sorry about that.

Glad I didn't have the sign made yet!

Digital_Cowboy

CH,

Not a problem. As those of us who have been around for a while forget that there are things that we "old timers" take for granted that have the newbies scratching their heads wondering what the hell we're talking about.