Yes, it is true, and I am devastated. My beloved commuter of the past 4 months was spirited away from a suburban metro station on Tuesday. I can't tell you how much this hurts.

To answer some of the usual questions: He was locked, but only with a moderate price cable lock, not a super high security lock. He was in plain sight of the metro station entrance, along with 60?80? other bikes, locked through the wheels and frame, to an inverted U bolted to the concrete. Bike, lock and everything gone.

I'm likely only a few weeks from having to give up bicycle commuting because of a job change (and a 100+ mile daily round trip commute), but this is NOT the way I wanted to go.

I'm scanning craig's list and e-bay for my beloved Kona, but my hopes aren't going up. And now I'm afraid to park anything half decent at the metro at all.

Does anyone have any words of comfort?

Ouch. I'm so sorry. I'd be more upset at my bike being stolen than any of our cars.

Will insurance cover anything?

What station?

My first thought when I discovered the theft was "Why couldn't they steal one of the cars?" -- I'd be unhappy, but not emotionally connected.

My deductible is about the same as the cost of the bike when new, so I'm thinking not really. I may give them a call just to test the waters, but I don't really want to file a claim just to collect a hundred bucks or so.

East Falls Church.

sorry to hear that

Sorry to hear. That station seems to be especially problematic based on what I've seen.

My condolences, I hope there's a special place in hell for thieves.

Never give up! Do you have pictures of the bike? Put them up in every bike shop! Offer a reward; and if someone steps forward to claim it, check their story very carefully and be prepared to call the cops if they are at all fishy. And did you have any identifying numbers or marks on the bike? (I always write my name, phone number & eddress with a permanent marker on my bottom bracket spindles, under my seats, and on my seat posts.) Keep watching Craigslist! Never give up!

Thanks! I should probably do more of this. The only things that would make the bike stand out are the removable accessories, so any smart thief would just take them off. I was trying to decide whether to post one of the 'stolen bike' ads on CL -- I couldn't decide if that was more likely to work or drive the thief underground. I was hoping it would show up on CL within a day or two, but so far nada.

A little casual reconnoiter after the theft revealed that the bikes there tend to be older, and the few nicer/newer bikes are all well secured. So in retrospect, I guess I was 'asking for it'

When I asked the transit cops if East FC was particularly bad, they said "nah -- the bad ones are in DC -- theft about every day. They only hit East Falls Church once or twice a month." To me, that sounds bad enough. :-(

That sucks big time. I'd be depressed if any of my bikes were stolen.

Maybe its time to consider a bike locker rental at that station if one is available and you use it regularly?

When I was using the Market Street bus terminal daily here in Denver, I rented a locker right outside.

Sorry to hear that. Learn what you could do differently and try to move on as best you can.

I feel your pain, man. Condolences. Being a victim of theft sucks. I still remember that horrible sinking feeling when I found my bike missing.

But don't worry too much, there are plenty of fish in the sea. You'll find another. It's bitter to lose a bike, but it's sweet to get a new one.

Sorry to hear this.

BUT, N+1=

That's funny, because I was on the metro about a week ago with a transit cop that was riding a nice Cannondale police bike. He said Vienna is a hotbed for thieves and EFC was next in that area.

Damned near impossible to get in DC as they only put about 10 or so per station tops. Used to be $90 a year which was a bargain, but with the recent DC Metro fare increases they slid that price to $200 a year with no one complaining.

Sorry to hear it. I was crushed when my bike got lifted a couple months ago (and relieved that it wasn't taken far, cops found it in an hour or so)

sorry to hear that. hope it gets found and quick.

Ouch. I can get a bike locker here for $60 / 6 months which isn't bad. And there's usually one or two lockers available. Anywhere between 10 and 30 at a given station and our public transit gets used way less than DC's.

Someone's dropping the ball there.

sorry to hear about your bike. hope you find it or a better one soon .

Is it really N+1 if N is stolen?

I guess it's more of a N-1+1=N* kind of thing.

Look at it this way, it's an excuse to buy another bike.

Thanks for all your kind words. I rode one of my other bikes today (vintage Italian road bike) and I was incredibly nervous when I returned to the metro station after my day at work. But it was glorious to see her there waiting for me (I think the vintage Kryptonite U Lock helped to assure that she remained in place). Unfortunately, she isn't a great commuter as she is a bit large for me, she's a bit delicate for the rough road/path sections and her gearing is a bit tight, even with the more compact crank.

As it seems unlikely that I'll find my Kona, I think I will be searching out a new ride. I also got a reprieve from having to give up cycle commuting for the time being. I have my eye on a leftover Kona Dew Drop at my LBS as one option, but that's the subject of another post :-)