RidingMatthew

. True but the security cameras and guards help keep random people away from them.

Fastwes

Your lucky there was a strong presence around to deter. I'm used to always rolling my bike inside a building when ever I can, if I cant take it with me I will lock it where a thief has no concealment. I don't like leavening I unattended for long periods though. Is there a way you can lock your bike inside your job?
Wes

Scummer

Had my bike stolen in Chicago downtown around September 2008. I hope those f'n thieves got into a hail of lead from drive-by-shootings.

blue192

I had a homeless guy in a wheelchair steal the seat off my brand spanking less that a week old Jamis Allegero 3x once. (still think it is funny happened in 2007).

babo

Many years ago, both in grade school and high school, I had then locks stolen from where my bicycles were locked up. Three times in total. I'm fairly certain it was classmates playing "jokes". I'm mostly certain that these events led to me acquiring a irritating, time-wasting lock-checking OCB.

Reynolds 

2 bikes and a wheel stolen in 50+ years. Not too bad IMO.

devianb

In college I used to leave my bike locked outside for long periods of time without riding it. My seats were always stolen. One day not only was my bike gone, but so was the bike rack.

rmfnla

I haven't had a bike stolen since grade school (a long time ago!).

One I got into "good" bikes I stopped leaving them outside, including carrying my all-Campy Crescent Pro into classes during college.

Now my bikes hang on the wall in my study and I still carry them inside wherever I go. The only exception is I will park with an anti-grab lock & cable in view at cafes and such...

Darth Lefty 

I had a rear wheel stolen in college. This was off a Novara MTB, nothing special.

AlTheKiller

Stolen tonight right under my nose. But my fault for not locking

I was closing up the shop, moved my bike from the locked and fenced in area and put it in the rack literally six inches from the rear door so I could move some stuff inside. Door was open with two of us walking in and out for about five minutes before I shut off all the lights and armed the alarm system. And my bike was gone. Coworker hopped on his and circled a few blocks, found my helmet with my gloves/shades in it a block away.

Love this damn bike and super pissed. Was never more than twenty feet away from it tonight while unlocked, and we were talking loudly. Some brave dude just hopped on at the perfect time.

mrbelvetron

That stinks about your bike especially being so close to it.

We had a bike (mongoose mountain bike nothing awesome) appear in our driveway one day. Checked the neighborhood, posted on the facebook page, ran the serial number and checked with the pd. No one had reported it missing or stolen (I'm sure it was but no way to find the owner) so after about two weeks of it sitting on the front porch we decided to give it to a friend that's usually down on his luck and needed a way to get to work since he was sans car. I was working nights at the time so I was up playing Call of Duty and thought I heard something outside but when I paused the game I didn't hear anything else. Our friend came by the next day and we told him he could take the bike and he says "what bike?" That's when I realized I had heard it being taken.

I'm usually really paranoid about checking anything outside but since I was distracted and not sure I'd actually heard something I hadn't checked and missed them. Oh well. It wasn't mine but I was po'd about someone coming onto the porch and also about not being able to help a friend out.

AlTheKiller

damn kids:

fietsbob

there is a surly locked to a rack, no wheels or seat, stem gone, bars dangling from the cables, a brake stripped 3 more left.

but the U lock held firm.

MrKris

There's one here on campus like that too. The only thing left is the frame u-locked to the bike rack. The nuts that were holding the wheels on are there on the ground.

JanMM

One bike stolen about 1984 when I lived in Atlanta: Stopped at the mailorder department at the Sears store on Ponce de Leon. (That Sears still there?) Left the bike near the entrance in front of large store window and ran in to check on an order, planning to keep an eye on the bike through the windows. Came out very shortly to find my '76 Le Tour commuter gone. Who would have thought that an unlocked bike in a very public place would be stolen???

AlTheKiller

Well, I have good luck with getting the world's dumbest thieves.... I had posted to a few local "buy,sell,trade" groups with a picture and description of my stolen rig. Random guy who saw his aunt repost it was driving down the street and saw the unmistakable, brown balloon tires and porteur rack. He blocked the kid off with his truck, confronted him, and the punk took off... So almost exactly 24 hours from the time it was stolen I got it back. It still had the nice, bright lights on it and everything! lol. And the dude described him as wearing the same exact outfit as on the security camera footage....

mconlonx

Yay! Love a good ending with a stolen bike!

sjt78

Good to hear you got it back and I hope you treated that guy in the truck to a nice meal, drink or something.

corwin1968

Never, as an adult because I rarely leave my bike unattended. As a kid, every single bike I owned was eventually stolen from my parent's front porch. Probably one of the reasons I harbor such hatred for thieves.