As you may know I recently got a new bike and am experiencing that special paranoia that goes along with the joy.

I use a decent U-lock with a cable for my front tire, all done up just like Sheldon Brown suggests.

The whole topic however got me thinking about bike theft and the stories behind the losses. I've seen at least one story here about a fellow who, being without a lock that evening, tried to hide the bike only to find it gone a hour later. Usually leaving a bike unlocked is a clear invitation, but what else causes theft. I know there are lots of threads on locks, etc. I'm not looking for review per se, but more what actually happened when your bike was stolen.

Have you ever lost a u-locked bike? If you live outside of New York or other huge urban center, do thieves actually break, cut, or otherwise defeat a good u-lock. Have you actually had parts stolen?
What did you do wrong or right that aided or prevented a theft? Is Sheldon right that no one actually cuts through a rear tire? Does disguising or removing decals actually make a bike less attractive?

What is fact and what is bicycling urban legend?

For my own part, I had a rear wheel stolen when I was in college and not smart enough to lock both wheels. When we lived in Boston, I had a couple of blinkies ripped off the bike. It was clear the force would have broken the light, so this was just stupid vandalism.

Tell us your woeful stories that we might learn.

I have had my bicycle bell top removed when it was locked up - not the mechanism itself, just the top.

My bikes that were stolen were just not locked up - when I was a kid and a couple of years ago after I moved to Canada (they have bike thieves here too!)

No stories here (slams head onto wood desk for luck) but I have read countless stories where it was left outside a concenience store, gas station, etc for "just 1 min" as the rider went in to buy a drink/bar/use washroom. Even ones where "i could see it thru the window the whole time"

Since my bike sits inside my office, I dont carry my 3 lb lock commuting. But there is still occasion I need to stop, buy a quart of milk, etc. So I carry one of these. Fits inside my seat bag so even when my panniers are off for a group ride, i can stop the grab and dash.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ima...sporting-goods

I had a seat and seat post stolen when my bike was locked at an El station in Chicago, and it was an El stop that was in a good neighborhood at the edge of the city. It was a factory seat so it was no big deal but I was surprised that someone would steel a seat. I used the occation to buy a better seat and this time a small lock and cable to lock the seat to the frame.

I also took the quick release handle off of the front wheel and replaced it with one that has a torx screw driver fitting. This was marketed as a theft resistant quick release hub. I carry the torx handle in my tool kit if I need to change the tire.

One thing I do for the 'I can see it through the window the whole time, I'm just getting a drink' thing is release the rear quick-release lever and pop the wheel out just slightly. No one could ride the bike away and would look pretty stupid lugging it-- slower too.

I had a front wheel stolen off 2 different bikes because they were locked outside overnight.

A Trek bike I had stolen had a Krypto ulock and a cable lock. I assume the cable was cut, and the u either had the lock mechanism torn out, or the fabled bic pen. I actually spotted the bike 2 years later and got it back in like new condition.

My old Trek BMX was stolen a few years back. This was by no means a cool bike. It was in good repair, but it was old, and the components were all mismatched, even the wheels were different colors. I had it "hidden" in the bushes while I was over at a friend’s house. I ended up staying inside for much longer than I'd planned and when I went to leave it was gone. I was devastated, it was the only decent bike I had at the time, and it was near the beginning of an awesome summer where I was going to be riding it a lot.

I filed a police report and mentioned it to some kids I knew who always hung out at the skate park.

No kidding, THE NEXT DAY one of the guys I had asked to keep an eye out of for me showed up at my house- they had seen someone riding my bike at the skate park not 10 minutes earlier! Being all those goofy mismatched colors, at least it was easy to describe and recognize.

We went down there and got it back.

The police were involved, and they verified the serial number (keep a record of these!) and made it all official. The kid got in some trouble, he was 15 I think.

I was so lucky. There was no way I could have afforded another decent bike that summer. I learned a hard lesson, AND was only without my bike for one night.

I'm fortunate enough to be able to leave my bikes leaning, unlocked, against the fence outside the plant. Not much bike thievery in rural NNY. Even much less traffic at a plant ten miles outside the nearest community.

Even in town (pop 3000, 8000 when the two colleges are in session), I rarely carry a lock. Even when I'm near the college, I typically only lock up with one of those cheap little locks we all had as kids, the ones with the four thumbwheel combination locks. More of a dickhead repeller than a theft preventer. Biff and Muffy are typically driving around in $40K SUV, wouldn't be caught dead exerting themselves on a bike.

The only tampering about that has occured is the occasional dofus who decides to take it for a spin during lunch hour. One was thrown off, another fell off and dented a car door. Thats what you get for dickin with another man's fixed gear.

I had a seat and seatpost stolen even though they were locked to the bike with a cable lock. My guess is that the thief cut the cable lock and then realized that I had a U-lock and a frame lock that would have to be defeated before they could take the bike. So they tool the seat and seatpost as a consolation prize. I hate to think another biker took my factory seat and suspension seatpost for their own use. Now I found a nearby parking garage with a bike rack, so the bike stays safer and drier.

Where exactly is that? :rolleyes: Just curious.

I've never had a bike stolen. My secret to success is to ride old beaters and lock with a minimal cable and paddle lock. The lock would be easily defeated if someone wanted the bike. Its just to prevent the crime of convenience. Someone stealling a bike just for a one time transportation need. The hardcore bike thief doesn't want my old beat up bike.

My bike is either in my garage or in my work's cafe. Occasionally I take it to the store and lock it up with my u-lock. Another cyclist who commutes using the same bus I do hits a convenience store right by the park-n-ride. He simply flips his bike upside down and grabs his coffee. It seems to work for him but it would not be practical for my fully loaded commuter tank.

I rode up to the bar last night and spotted a very familier looking bike leaning against the wall. A pink Schwinn beach cruiser that I bought for my sister. She's too young to drink so I was confused. Ends up my brother borrowed it but didn't have a lock. So I locked it to mine and to the rack. I didn't give it back until he solemnly promised never to leave a bike unlocked again.

I had a new bike stolen last year. It was a 26" wheel folding bike...I bought it for travel but it was still a bit too big to take inside the office. The theft was probably due to my error. I had a cable lock and I think I may have locked it around the end post of a free-standing bike rack. The thief may have been able to lift the rack and work the cable around the 'T' shaped base. Had it been a U-lock, or had I placed it at the middle of the rack, I would have been ok. I knew better but had a momentary lapse.
I've also had a seat stolen and several lights. I take everything removable with me, use a U-lock and a cable, and even have a small cable for my seat, even though there's no quick release.

Always an interesting topic.

I'm putting a Brooks on my bike and will be having it locked up as usual. I'm not worried about the whole bike being stolen, but the stories about just seats/seatposts being stolen concern me. Can anyone provide a link for a good seatpost lock?

Beware the Bic pen! Well, just be sure you have the latest and greatest u-lock. If someone really wanted to steal your bike, and had enough time, they'll take it. Be sure it's in a good public access area. Then again, I've seen lots of bikes bashed up while locked, I try to bring it everywhere I go or just don't stop!

Find Syracuse NY on a map. Go north. Find Watertown NY. Head north - northeast. When you hit the Canadian border, backup about 20 miles. You're there.

I use a non-quickrelease bolt and a seat leash, just a thin cable, that I then hook into the U-lock. I've heard of people taking lengths of old chain, slipping the chain inside some soft material to avoid scratching the bike and then using that to attach the seat to the frame--the thief would need a chain tool to easily remove it.

There are some locking skewers out there. I'm intererested in the ones from Germany made by Pitlock, but no one seems to sell them here in the States.

I think seats are hard to secure really well, most times a hex key, a small cutting tool, or a chain tool and a couple of minutes and the seat is gone.

He borrowed a pink bike to go drink at the bar?
No wonder he didnt take it inside with him :D

Yea, he loves that bike. And guess what happens everytime he rides it...girls stop and ask him about his "cool bike." Happed twice last night as we were leaving.

I had a bike stolen out from under me when I was 13 by three older teens. They caught the three but they had fenced the bike already.

The only other bike I had stolen was from a bike shop which I had dropped it off for repairs while I went on vacation. When I got back they called me to tell me it was ready, I went to pick it up and on my way to get it I thought I saw someone on a similar bike. When I got to the store they went to the basement to get the bike and came up empty handed. No sign of forced entry, inside job?
The frustrating thing was that they tried to nickel and dime me on the value of the bike. I had recently upgraded everything and replaced the fork and they wanted to give me the value of the bike with OEM parts. After weeks of back and forth we agreed on a value and I ended up with a better bike than I started with.

I have never had a locked bike stolen, and always lock my bike. Here is a tip if you are 'forced' to leave you bike unlocked while you quickly run in somewhere: shift into your highest gear and undo your rear quick release. If anyone tries to jump on your bike the rear wheel will be pulled out of the dropout and jamb itself forward against frame making it impossible to ride. Just don't forget to redo the quick release when you come out of the store.

I've had three buddies have their bikes stolen here in downtown Calgary. Common thread? They were all high end MTB's (they had ridden them in and we're getting a ride out to the mountains for an evening ride) and they were all stolen in secure parking garages. It was easy for the thieves to break the lock since once they got into the garage, there was hardly anyone around to catch them in the act. It was obvious they were casing parking garages around town for bikes. So the lesson is, never ride a high end MTB to work unless it will never leave your sight. A shop I used to ride out of in Nevada once told me, they would put a $6000 road bike in the window before they would put a $2500 mtb there.

I lock both my saddles down (one is a Brooks) using old bike chains slipped inside old innertubes. Both are free from your LBS. The Brooks is on a seatpost w/o a QR lever. Anyone could steal it w/ bolt cutters or a chain tool and a hex wrench, but it's really for deterrence. If I really didn't want it stolen, I'd put a QR lever on it and take the seatpost and saddle w/ me everytime I locked up.

I had a bike stolen when I drunkenly left it unlocked outside a bar where I was getting drunker still. I haven't had a bike stolen since I stopped drinking.

You can draw your own conclusions.

Good citizens saved you from drunk-cycling??? :unsure: :p

My only stolen bike was while playing b-ball with a stranger in the park. I went to chase the ball and he took off. Unfortunately my wallet and house/car keys were on the bike. My neighbor let me use her car to drive to my parents' house to get a spare housekey! There is human-scum on this planet.