phillyrider

I often hear about bikes stolen in the city. U-Locks alone don't work. It recommended to use 2 different types of locks (decent U-lock and cables or chains), park in visible area, and never leave a bike overnight.

However, I had my 80's panasonic stolen out of my closed garage. The thief broke into our car to get to a garage door opener, and then ripped off my bike, gear, and helped themselves to a few beers in the fridge. I was originally upset about the bike and guiness (they left my father in-laws coors for when he stops by) until I realized that the thief also walked off with my garage door opener, which turns out to be more expensive than the $100 bike and gear to replace. I was stuck because they could basically come back and walk into my garage.

I have better bikes now, but this was a real lesson because when you think you have things covered - you never know...

BarracksSi

Wow -- now that's a statement I've never heard before...

javna_golina

had my bike stolen today, the whole thing, it was locked up with a hefty cable lock in a very busy area, don't know how they did it.

this really bums me out as I am extrememly poor, just finishing up being a student and now I am wondering how the hell I am going to find a job for the summer when I have no means of transportation (it was my only bike and I have no car)

Just wanted to vent

maximan1

I knew this wanna be gangster.

He has this grudge against me

kemmer

I have to change my vote, I got it back! It was stolen a couple of months ago and I had pretty much written it off until my friend called me up to ask me for some details about the bike. I described it and he told me that he knew where it was and the guy would be happy to give it back. Apparently, he saw it locked up for a couple days straight, covered in cobwebs with no front wheel (which is how I acquired it) and assumed it was abandoned. He just dropped it off where he took it from, but now it's stripped of derailers, has a front wheel, new tubes and tires and he threw in some new cables and housings. I'm gonna trow a single speed freewheel on it, re dish the wheel and hook up the brakes tomorrow!

kemmer

That sucks man. If you're desperate for a new bike check the dumpsters of your local thrift stores. Around here there are more bikes in the trash than in the store.

l3ica

when commuting and riding/parking the same route every day it's important not to get lazy. I normally locked up my Lemond Poprad on campus at rack with a lot of traffic so it would be harder for someone to steal it unnoticed and always with a heavy u-lock+cable and padlock. Sure enough, the day I was running late to campus and parked in a secluded rack right next to my building and forgot the u-lock so just used the cable, the bike was gone within that hour I was in class.
No doubt sold for meth that same day.

devianb

Every bike I have owned up until my Diamondbike Hybrid has been stolen, all except the Huffy mountain bike, no one tried to steal that. Had my seat and then my seat post stolen from my old MTB. Once I parked my MTB on a bike rack at my apartment, and came outside to see my bike gone, but so was the bike rack and all the bikes that were on it.

I usually lock my bike up at the back of the store where I work at, but its in a dimly lit area. I only use the small cable lock for it since its a rough looking bike. I came out after work one night to see some guy trying to take my bike and lthen left after seeing it locked. I just went over to my bike, unlocked it and rode past the guy. I just bought a new MTB to replace my Hybrid, but now I am wondering if I should even lock it up outside at all.

Kenay

Where do all these stolen bikes go!? Craigs list?
I was wondering today when I was locking up--if my bags and computer etc. were safe? It looks like that stuff doesnt get jacked as much as the whole bike-but that would really anger me if my bags were gone.

I never thought to have to double up on locks. Jeez! I guess spending another $50 on a lock is better then another $800 on a new bike!
What U locks do you guys recommend?

gmacdermid

I've had the lights stolen. Another time the seat and post stolen (botled, not quick release).

Once, someone stole just the batteries from the light, leaving the light, and stole the seat post clamp, leaving the seat and post.

Markok765

Who steals a kids bike!?

GearsForFears

Two things I just don't understand:

1. Why police don't get serious about bike theft, as they have in my college town where the PD finally decided to put out some bait bikes with GPS and are arresting thieves by the dozen. Yeah, it's just a bike, petty theft. But it feeds all the bigger problems like drugs. I'm really glad to see our bait bike program getting national publicity. Maybe the law enforcement world will get a clue.

2. Why some genius kid at MIT doesn't design a better way to secure a bike. Or a truly securable bike. MIT vs. crackhead - should be a mismatch, right? Next to splitting an atom it can't be that hard.

Kenay

hahah yeah no kidding! I think I will get a gps beacon for my bike-never thought of that!
research time...

Szczuldo

had my damn front quick release stolen a couple of years back..pissed me off especially since a group of college partying ****heads rode by on their walmart BMX bikes and were taunting me and my friend on our road bikes. They continue on their business, then when we go inside apparently they come back and steal my quick release so I spend half an hour finding the most abandoned bike I could find, checking the chain on them for level of rust, finally found one with the chain rusted solid so I took the front quick release off that and still have it to this day actually..

CCrew

Actually, many jurisdictions over $300 is a felony. Most of us at least these days are riding bikes that cost more than that. Unless of course its from "a name we shall not mention " store

DieselAmy

My parents' late 70s Huffy Sea Pines was stolen out of their garage in Indiana, apparently by the druggie neighbor who broke in. The police found the bike in FLORIDA and they got it back! I used it to deliver my paper route in the 80s.

I had a crappy 10-speed stolen off a rack at a state university. A few months later the police got THAT back too! It was in a local garage with a lot of other stolen bikes. Pays to report the description, I guess.

Once I went to a private college no one stole my bike anymore! And now here at work most commuters don't even lock their bikes on the outside racks. It's nice to have a secure campus.

rdubbz

For you viewing pleasure

stevage

One bike (I either left the keys in the lock, or dropped nearby), one seat, one quick release. Think that's it.

Steve

Pezzle

The only bike I've ever had stolen was when I was 6 years old. We lived in a damn good part of New Jersey around the Scotch Plains area and I just left my bike leaning outside most days since I didn't want to track mud onto my dad's carpet. So lo and behold one day I go outside to ride it again after grabbing a snack and it's gone!

My dad comes home to find me in tears, and he's mad. Now, I don't even know the brand, it was probably a little Huffy; It wasn't all that expensive and came in these really girly colors. As in pastel pink and purple with little colorful beads on the spokes and a cute bell. You could tell it was a wee girl's bike. And I took it EVERYWHERE.

So my dad takes off around the neighborhood and stumbles upon a group of 3 16-year-old somethings smoking around my bike, doing wheelies and crashing it into a public mailbox over and over again. Dad, being...well... dad, confronts them and tells them they have five seconds to give the bike back to him, or he calls the police. They pulled the BS "how do you know it's not my bike?" crap. Apparently they missed the balding tires (white!) and the sparkly glittery license plate on the back that spelled my name out.

Long story short, the parents overheard, found out, made them all personally apologize to me for vandalizing my bike.

mondaycurse

Only one bike stolen. When I was around 8, somebody stole my huffy when I left it in the front yard. One day a truck with a pickup bed full of bikes goes through the neighborhood with me in hot pursuit on foot. The truck stops at the end of the neighborhood and the driver gets out to sneak into a golf course, the only place to get a bottle of icy soda for a quarter. When the coast was clear, I hopped in back and saw my red huffy at the very bottom. Threw every freaking bike out of that truck bed and onto the ground to get mine, then left a not-so-nice note writing in permanent marker on the side of his truck. "Eat poop" or something a vengeful 8-year-old would say.

Ka_Jun

Threads like this make me sad.

deez

me too.

We had a bike stolen from our garage 3 weeks ago or so. Someone left the back door unlocked and the (major piece of crap) bike that was parked closest to the door got stolen. They must not have noticed the other 3 much nicer bikes also in the garage...and didn't even steal my wallet out of my car that was parked, unlocked in the garage, with the wallet and cash on the passenger seat.

MadCapsule

I've had two crappy bikes with crappy locks stolen. And a Gatorade bottle with week-old water in it.


Oh, and when I was about 15 or so some punk tried to steal my BMX bike, but I ran him down like an Olympic sprinter and he dropped it when he saw me coming.

powerhouse

Neither my bicycles or their accessories have been stolen. I hope this will continue to be so.

JMRobertson

I had a bike stolen off my front porch when I was a kid back in the 70's. Nothing since then though.