Just An Ordinary Bike Thief
 

On one very rare day, I actually drove to San Francisco (that's not something one should do, due to its superior ticketing efficiency). I found a place to park in one of its suburban districts and caught the MUNI to San Francisco's Civic Center main public library.

After my library research, I decided to return to my vehicle. While waiting at the bus stop, I noticed a middle-aged Asian-looking gentleman, very conservatively dressed in a suit and tie, waiting for the bus as well. He asked me if I had an extra smoke. I gladly informed him that I did not smoke and then quickly complimented him on his very unique and beautifully designed silk tie. He thanked me for the compliment and then we began talking small talk. Most of our conversation revolved around the economy and unemployment.

Finally, he intimated to me that he was an unemployed dot.com guy from silicon valley. He admited that he had fallen on bad times and was currently looking for employment. I asked if he was just coming from an interview. He responded by saying that he was just dressed that way, not to draw attention to himself. I thought..." Dressed this way, how could he NOT draw attention to himself!" He then went further into telling me that he was a bike thief. He then began to tell me about the many different types of bike thieves and how organized they all are. He also pointed out a fellow bike thief, as the thief walked across Larkin street. They mutually nodded at one another, to confirm familiarity. In the middle of the conversation, he asked if I could spare any change. I told him that I would have to get change. I then asked him if he would accompany me to the nearby Burger King for change. He gladly agreed and we were on our way, walking. He continued his revelation all about bicycle theft. I treated him to lunch at Burger King. All the while he continues chatting about his second career.

At one point, another one of his bicycle friends enters into the Burger King. He joins into the conversation. This new guy, then tells me that he's from Portland and he too eventually admits that he is also a bike thief and a recovering heroin addict, as well. He then tells me that he used to support his $400 per day addiction, by stealing bikes. They both then begin to tell me how different bike thieves steal bikes and how all the locks can be compromised.

What really amazed me was the fact that some bike thieves always operate alone. Some bike thieves only operate with assistance and are usually in a gang. Also, some bike thieves do both. Whenever they don't have assistance, they go it alone!
Different bike gangs sometimes swap parts with one another.

Also...some gangs steal bikes, sometimes...and bike gangs, steal bikes all the time!

When this guy finished talking to me, I felt like perhaps I would be lucky to get out of there alive, with all of the dark information he had just revealed to me. However, he was friendly, mannerable, and educated. Also, he was this well-dressed, distinguished-looking, Asian guy!

Who would ever suspect him of being just an ordinary bicycle thief!

Well that just goes to show..."You can't judge a book by its cover"!

- Slim :)

I have uncharitable feelings towards bike thieves.

I might have punched them both in the *insert favorite slang term for male genitalia HERE* after lunch in order to express my true feelings toward their "profession".

I am confident that my Kryptonite NY U-lock will stop 95% of thieves in my city. I am able to pick many locks (hobby of mine) but I'm unable to pick my U-lock. Of course, the pros use those angle grinders or chain saws to cut through the lock. If I was a bike thief I would dress just like that guy. You can fit into the downtown area M-F 9AM-5PM very easily. Did you happen to ask him what bikes they target and what locks are the hardest to get through?

I was waiting for the punchline...

I guess you're already familiar with all of this kind of stuff!

Oh well...sorry!

- Slim :)

Gee, maybe you could have faked a phone call, turned on the recording on your phone. After they incriminated themselves, then go to the restroom and call the police to arrest them.

What a bunch of jerks.

J.

Glad you're ok Slim. I wonder if he would have struck a conversation had you had been sporting bib shorts and a Giro helmet? Possibly he's a scout in fancy clothes looking for the next unsuspecting victim. Makes me want to wretch big time.

Invite a bicycle thief to lunch? 50 demerits.

I rode by the metrorail (train) station today and was shocked at how many frames where U-locked to the rack with all components having been stripped off them. My theory on why the owner does not remove the frame is that they see their components stripped off and leave the ulocked frame on the rack out of sheer disgust.

I can't say that I sympathize with bike thieves no matter how bad the economy is. I mean you have panhandlers, and while they make some people feel uncomfortable, they never force anyone to give them money. Bike thieves cause people financial hardship as bikes are not generally insured.

Hello there Cyclomania!

At the time of the conversation, I felt somewhat amazed, captivated, intrigued, and totally enthralled, by what I was hearing. I also felt almost privileged, to be in such a unique situation, where I could hear about all the real juice, the actual nuclear data, and the genuine essence, of bicycle theft. Since when does anybody have such an opportunity? Besides, this guy was explaining it so eloquently. Momentarily, you would have thought he was a professional narrator for MSNBC, National Geographic, Sixty Minutes, or something.

Somewhere near the end of the conversation, the spellbound period, terminated. I began to feel vulnerable to, suspicious, and ambivalent about these two guys. Here I was laughing and talking with them just like I was one of them, simply because they were both intelligent and personable people. While all the time, I was acting completely oblivious about the actual content of the topic.

These guys are actually the very bane of my existence! However, part of me wanted to help this guy find a decent job so that he could start doing something positive in his life, again. Part of me wanted to help the Portland guy completely recover from his drug addiction ( he was slightly trembling for most of the conversation). Part of me wanted to kick the both of them square in their keisters!

At the point of making my exit, I just stood up and stated that I had to go to the restroom across the street, at the library. As I walked towards the door, I told them both that I was late for my appointment and that I'd see them later. For an instant, I felt like running to the police...I don't know where that thought came from...What would I tell them?

Once I got back into my car, I collapsed...Reclined my seat and just sat there absorbing all the information I had just been privy to...That took just about an hour!

-Slim :)

interesting story, I was just there and I think I know which Burger King you're talking about. There seemed to be a lot of homeless people hanging out there. Incidentally, SF has some of the friendliest, most helpful bums I've ever met. They knew were everything was. Anyways, I wouldn't have bought the bastard a burger. He very well could have been targeting my bike! Now I know why I didn't see nicer bikes in the city. Too risky!

Civic Center in the city is scary. One time I was leaving the BART station and had this punk ask for change, put out his arm against a wall and prevent me from passing. I had to wrestle my way past. Last time I ever exited the Civic Center BART station period!

I used to work at a shoe store downtown near the Powell St cable car turnaround. One morning I was sweeping the front when a "street person" came up to a disheveled individual and says, "Joe, wow... you sure look the part, you'll make a lot of money today!" Another instance when I was walking up the street on a rainy day and low and behold all these panhandlers with open umbrellas. They come prepared, I thought to myself as I opened the front gate.
Anyway, I think as the economy continues in a nose dive formation, we as cyclists will be some of its victims. I read that the likelihood of a new cyclist continuing to cycle after getting his bike stolen is slim. I wish we had secure parking for bicycles everywhere, as in Japan!

Dear Lord, a little adventure for you! I thought you were luring them to Burger King in order to have them arrested. Should have put some bike lube in the burgers for them. :D Was the second guy also a well-dressed Asian? Apparently you looked like a trustworthy guy to them.

Did they tell you how they compromise various locks, esp. U-locks? If so, please share with us. :D

Wow, Cyclomania!

That was really really cool...

Loved it! :love:

Why can't the Bay Area do something like that!?! :bang:

- Slim :)

That's a cool system, but if you dig 17 feet deep here you're going to hit ocean. Maybe we can use 'bike trees' instead. We do have storage lockers available at the metrorail stations. Cost is pretty reasonable, but I ride the metro only once in a while so it's not worth it for me.

However, I will admit that I'm considering using a hardened steel chain in conjunction with my Ulock, despite the huge weight penalty. It's kind of crazy that my locks alone would weigh more than a bike used in the Tour de France.

I'm glad I'm in DC. I've only had three bikes stolen in over 25 years! :thumb:

I would have pissed on his burger and walked out. :mad:

Part of me hopes one of them gets "offed" for stealing the wrong person's bike, and part of me hopes the other one accidently gets and air bubble in his next syringe. I cant stand thieves.

I was hoping they had revealed a bit more about how they get rid of the stolen bikes. Maybe that's already well known?

I'm curious because I don't see many suspicious bikes on the local CL. Maybe I don't know what I'm looking for ... also, that's the only place I ever see/notice used bikes, so there may be other "outlets" available. Pawn shops seem to take some risk as well if they are handling stolen goods.

Given the number of bike thefts they must be going somewhere!

PS. I'm not looking for a hot bike, just curious :)

Trust me when I tell you. Most of the time, I felt as though I was in the Twilight Zone on some spaceship, that had been launched from some unknown planet, and I was just there for the ride...I was completely spellbound!

- Slim:)

So what did they reveal to you? I mean, you had this hour-long conversation with two professional bike thieves. What did you glean from this? What makes one bike more of a target than the next one in the rack?

There are three Flea Market here that has bike for sale on the weekend. There's been many stories told about most bike sold are hot.

When I am not riding, I have been approached by folks driving a pickup truck offering to sell me a bike. I bet those bike were stolen within the hour.

I'm an older guy who dresses slightly conservatively yet I always try to have a youthful spin on my presentation.
For some reason, most people see me as I am, friendly and innocuous. My ears have been completely bent out of shape by more mentally distraught housewifes, the suicidal, the victims of discrimination, the unemployed, etc..
-And most of these people spilled their guts to me in private, yet in public places.

Anyway, with this guy, it started out being quite private. However, while in Burger King, the conversation became quite lively at one point and the Portland guy became shamelessly boisterous! Even I felt embarrassed, and wasn't a thief!

Well, to answer your question- The consensus seemed to be that most people use such lousy locks that regular bolt cutters get most jobs done. The average bike thief carries both bolt cutter and wire cutters. They try to carry bags that will cloak their bolt cutters, because they would prefer to carry the largest ones that they can, without bringing too much unwanted attention to themselves. They told me that still many people will spend $500-$700 on a bicycle, and then use a thin $10.00 cable lock to secure their bike. They really thought that was funny as they each broke out into uncontrollable laughter. Also they told me that no U-lock can escape a hacksaw with the proper blade, the right location, and adequate time. The portable angle saw remains the top solution for most tough locks. These guys had even a better tool for expensive bikes locked in highly populated areas. They use liquid nitrogen, a small sledge hammer, a chisel, a van, and a small "work crew". The black guy from Portland, was already wearing some type of a really bright multi-colored apron that you sometimes see construction workers wear.

- Slim :)

Bike messengers in DC buy stolen bikes from a guy who shows up periodically riding one.

These guys stated that they look for the most expensive bike with the crappiest lock. They usually try to quickly peruse the bikes so as not to bring attention to themselves. They then walk around the block on their cell phones and discuss the proper "mark", or bike to be selected. They then grab the proper tool from the van and return to the mark. They waste no time in going directly at the lock. In most cases a small bolt cutter will work. They then quickly ride the bike back to the van. Sometimes, the van waits while the cutter cuts for fast and easy loading of the stolen bike.

If they work alone, they usually carry a backpack that houses the bolt-cutter. They drive to various areas where there are many bikes to choose from, they park a block or two away from the bike. They then walk to the bike area and select a bike. They then immediately go to work on the lock. Once the lock has been compromised, they ride the bike to their parked vehicle and place the bike inside.

They usually sell their bikes to flea-markets, college students, and to certain people who run "blackmarket" bicycle and/or pawn shops. Apparently they have no problem unloading their mobile booty to many bar patrons, as well. They told me one story where a college student bought a bike back from them that they had originally stole from him. They just told him that they bought the bike from some guy on campus for ten bucks, and they just wanted to make a profit by selling it for seventy bucks. They ended up making this guy spend fifty bucks, just to get his own bike back.

Also, these guys stated that they do use Craigslist, but they do it in a way that you can't detect them. I asked about it, but they wouldn't divulge that information.

Slim :)