Came out of work yesterday...
 

and my trek 4300 was gone. :mad: I've had it for a little less than a year, and I love that bike. :(

Sorry to hear that. How have you been locking it up? Do you have the serial number to give to police?

i do have the serial in my paperwork, but do you think it would make a difference to give it to them. I mean I know it wouldn't be any type of priority for them and the serial number is probably filed off right. I'm just bummed about the whole situation. I feel like the bike is just gone.

I recommend you put stolen bike in every local bike shop, thrift store, second hand store, forum, paper, advertising board, notice board, etc.

You never know what might turn up.

Sorry to hear about that!

For (future) reference, how did you secure or lock your bike?

I never had a bike stolen before. I just had it secured with a cable lock that went through the fraim and front weel then around a pole. They used a bolt cutter and went clean through the cable.

My sympathies. I have a Trek 4300 also.

If the theft was a non-professional crime of opportunity, then the bike might just get dumped somewhere and show up at the police station. In a case like that, having reported the theft might produce some results.

I don't know how it works with bikes, but when my apartment was burglarized, having all the serial numbers allowed my to retrieve two of my stolen items. One turned up at a pawn shop, where they are required to run all the serial numbers before selling the item, and one item was found during, I think, a drug bust. This was with electronics, so I don't know if similar procedures are followed with bicycles, but, depending on where you live, even if they do come across the bike, they may not make the connection based on a description, but, if the serial number is intact, that would be an easy match to make. How likely that is depends on a lot of factors, but I know how likely they are to make a serial number match if you don't give it to them ...

I lost a cheap cruiser once... it was my transportation to work at the time too. I had locked it in full public yet no one seemed to have seen it disappear. Bikes as well as cyclists seem to be invisible.

It's a long shot but report the serial number anyway. If your bike shows up at some point at least you'll get it back. Also if you find it on sale somewhere (yes thieves are often that idiotically brazen) then having the police report on file and your bill of sale will settle the argument.

It was obviously a habitual crook that took it. Opportunistic folks don't walk around with heavy duty cable cutters.

It's sad that some people seem to think that it's OK to harvest their income from the rest of us by stealing our stuff.

That's how I (and many other people) lock bikes also. Damn those bolt cutters!

Those cable locks are only good for stopping casual or opportunistic thefts. I'm aware of bike clamps that are made of more substantial metal. However, I don't know if these clamps would hold up against (large) bolt cutters?

Realistically, really determined thieves will usually find a way to steal bikes regardless of how bikes are locked up, unfortunately!

Anyway, I sincerely hope you'll get your bike back!!

Definitely give them the serial number. It can't hurt.

What I do is to take a picture of the bike. Go into Photoshop, Gimp, Microsoft Paint etc and put the serial number, make model, year and my name and contact info over the pic. That way if my bike gets stolen, I already have all the info that they need, in printed and digital form.

Serial numbers aren't that easily removed when they are imprinted in the frame, they would have to weld over them and then file the weld smooth, and then repaint. It's likely they won't even bother removing the serial numbers, because there are thousands of bikes out there that look the same. They just won't likely bike past the spot they stole it from. Definitely file a police report and give them the serial number. Also check with your tenant insurance/home owner insurance policy, it may be covered.

I've seen some bikes in the last few years where the s/n was simply put on a sticker stuck to the frame. Not sure if the s/n is stamped or imprinted into the frame in a more concealed location.

This is the case on my hardtail, but I got that bike in 1988. Hardly a new practice, unfortunately.

Yes definitely report the theft and the serial number. It won't be a priority but if the police happen to recover stolen bikes during an investigation they will know who to call. I know people that have gotten calls from the police recovering a stolen bike a year or more later.

Sorry to hear about your bike :(

I had my bike stolen from my shed back in 2001. I had all the details written down and I had a postcode stamped on the bottom bracket. I reported the theft to the police. Six months later I got a phone call from them - they had my bike! I was so chuffed.

They'd arrested some kids who were causing havoc in Market Square (Nottingham, England) and checked out the bikes on the computer as a matter of routine. So definitely report it.

For next time, get a serious high end u-lock, and use that through the rear triangle, plus the cable through the front. Also, lock it next to a more expensive bike with worse locks. A determined criminal can get through anything, but if yours is not the most inviting target.....

I lost the key to my u-lock, and tried to break it with a hydraulic jack, and to cut it with a hacksaw, to no avail (I did inform the police first!). In the end, I had to buy a cordless angle grinder, and even that took several minutes. I have a pair of bolt-croppers I bought for $6 which would drop into my cargo pants pockets, and go through a cable lock in one bite. If your bike, and mine were side by side, yours, sadly, would be the one to go. It's a terrible thing to have happen, I hope you find a good replacement.

Sad but true, cable locks are easily defeated, and should be sold with a disclaimer. I use two big, honkin' U-locks.

The Trek 4300 serial number is imprinted, not a sticker (to my knowledge) so it should be ok.

I hope your bike comes home soon.

Best of luck!

quarters - Would You Mind !!!!
 

Telling us what cable lock system you had, so I may not buy one.

How thick was it and was it rated?

Thank you very much.


wll

That's too bad.

I hope that you will find her.

What thickness of cable was it and what brand. Also, if you know how was it rated?

Thank you very much as I have a couple of very heavy duty cable locks, but if these were the the same as the one they cut on your bike I will toss them.

Thank you,


Wll