Instead of commuting in by bike this morning, I put my bike on the back of my car and planned to do some errands at lunch and then take it in for some adjustments. I left my bike tied to the bike rack on the back of my car. My office window looks out on the parking lot and my car is less than 50' from my window.

Around 11:00 AM, I looked out my window and noticed my bike was no longer on the back of my car. After checking all over the building and surrounding environs, I had no choice but to conclude that this was not a prank, rather my bike had been stolen. What did not make sense to me was how anyone could be so brazen as to take a bike feet from an office building during the middle of the day. Not only that, they took their time about it and not only untied the bike but tied the ties back up and wrapped the bungee cord up around the rack. All this was done while I was away from my desk for a bit.

After asking everyone at work (still hoping it was a prank) I ended up calling the police and giving them the serial number along with a picture. I also let the local bike shops know about the theft.

Sitting at my desk during lunch (quite depressed and wondering bike commuting and riding was worth it), I looked out my window and saw a young man drive up in a truck and pull my bike out of the back of it. I met him as he was wheeling it over to my car and calmly asked him to explain himself. Turns out, he was doing his friend a favor and picking up his bike for him, only he misunderstood where it was and ended up with mine. When his friend told him it was not his bike, he brought it back. He was very apologetic and quite sheepish.

Ha, wow, that is one of the crazier stories ive read in a bit.

That is the best kind of stolen bicycle! I've had a similar experience in college. I gave the keys of my motorcycle to a friend, who needed to go home to get his assignment. I told him the plate number - 1234. He assumed that I meant the 4th bike in the line, unlocked it and took it home. We only found out what had happened when he got back - he wasn't able to lock it, the key wouldn't work. So we left it unlocked and hoped for the best!

Glad to hear it was a false alarm!

I have a similar story. About three years back, my bike was stolen from my freestanding garage. I was livid, as someone obviously cased the place to get it. It wasn't visible from the alley or the street. I got all my info, drove out the west entrance of the alley to go to the PD and report it. Came back. Stewed for a while. Wife told me to go buy a cheap $500-$600 single speed, as I simply needed something to commute. So this time I drove out east toward my preferred LBS and saw my bike leaning against the east wall of my neighbor's garage.

I still don't know wtf a bike thief would go through the trouble of breaking into my garage to joy ride the bike 10 feet. Maybe they thought better of stealing and trying to ride around a day-glo green bike. It would be pretty conspicuous.

Talking to the police, they said the most common bike theft in our area is simply people joy riding them or needing to get across town etc. They tend to leave them where they are going. In your case, they may simply have brought it back after their ride and did not want to take the risk of getting caught putting it away. I'm glad your story turned out as well as mine.

Did you even read the story? I was cheated out of buying a new bike!

I've got a similar story about a jacket in a restaurant...

If it were me this story would end with me getting home and realizing I had never put the bike on the rack in the first place.

More than one of my co-workers asked me if I had done just that. Fortunately, at least a couple of them remembered seeing it.

I would have gave they guy a 50 just for being honest! Glad it worked out.

my daughter forgot which bike rack she had used.

Or, his girlfriend kicked him out of the car and left him, broke, with no way home. He see's the bike and figures he can get it back before anyone notices and... or like he said.

I had fixed up a bike for a friend's son. (cheap repainted huffy MTB).
I got a call he had headed out of town and left the bike locked in front of the public library.
I got the combo wrong or something and couldn't get it the first day when I went to pick it up, so I went home without it. I came back the next day to pick it up.
And... the bike was GONE
Walking around the block in dispair, I found it unlocked at the bus stop 1/2 block away.
I never found the lock, but I think I did get both the bike and helmet.

Somebody must have come in on the city bus.
Taken it for some errands, then took it back to the bus stop for their trip home.

Next time, you should lock the bike to the car, even if it is 10 feet from your window.

Just imagine if he had managed to get the bike mounted and tied to the rack without you seeing him.

You might find yourself locked in a padded room!!!

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.

While it is unlikely that I will leave it on my car again, I live in a town where this is usually not a problem. In fact, there were two unlocked bikes in the bike rack next to our building. The bike rack is not near windows so would be where someone could easily grab one and be gone before anyone saw. That's part of what made this so bizarre.

lol thank you for the story.

i also would be the person who went home and later realized i never hooked it up to the car to begin with.

I recall you telling that story before, but I do still like that one a lot.

The joyride claim is true. When my brother's bike was stolen, we drove around our (small) town and found a couple of kids racing around on it.

When questioned, they claimed their cousin gave it to them, then cheerfully offered to give it back.