badaotang

hi guys, i'm new here. i'm from China and now is a grad student in New York City. i plan to start riding mtb in the city and some areas probably around it. bike stealing is a problem in China. my question is: is bike stealing a problem in the US? what about NYC? if i went to school riding it and locked it outside by the street will it be stolen?

by any chance if there are NYC bikers reading this, do you know any NYC bike forum whose users are very active daily?

thanks!

zacster

Yes, bikes do get stolen in NYC. Get a good lock and use it every time. Lock down the parts that are easily removed, such as quick release wheels and seatposts. Don't leave any accessories on the bike, such as lights or tool bags.

That said, a lot of bikes are locked up around NYC and it doesn't look like people are too concerned.

This forum and the NYCC.org forum are the only ones that I know that are active at all. The NYCC forum is very centered on the club activities and rides though.

FattyArbuckle

Here are some locking dos and don'ts: https://www.streetfilms.org/hal-grade...final-warning/

and here is an active twitter feed: #bikenyc
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23bikenyc&src=typd

badaotang

That's very helpful. Thank you very much!

badaotang

#bikenyc is interesting. and the article is ... god, thieves in the US are more like experts. they steal parts! they do know bikes i'll give them that.

vol

I would have expected someone's bike having been stolen before they found this forum.

youngbeginner

Especially in NYC. It depends on what neighborhood you are in and what borough, but you can basically deem any nyc street dangerous for thieves. I live 30 minutes outside the city and we hardly ever have problems up here. What school (or what area) is it in?

badaotang

especially? wow. looks like it's a global problem. my school is near Washington Square Park. i don't think i can park my bike in the building so the street outside is the only option. but i don't have to ride bike to school if it's not safe, i'm just considering the probability...

youngbeginner

Well it is a problem everywhere, but some places I've been to in the city have a lot more thefts than around where I am. Lets just say in Urban areas. I have really only been in NYC with a bike, so...

Tel0004

It can be safe if you do it right.

And old story "two guys were backpacking in the woods, getting ready to go to bed. One guy is putting on running shoes, and his friend ask him why? He says "there have been a lot of bears in the woods around here." His friend laughs and says "you can't outrun a bear". He replies "I don't need to out run the bear, I just need to out run you".

When it comes to locking a bike up in a big city, I take the same philosophy. You could use 2 u locks, and a thief could steel it if they wanted to, but if your bike is not worth a lot, then they are likely to steal the bike right next to yours with only a cable lock. A good lock, on a cheap bike, secure the seat (and old bike chain works for this, and you can wrap it to avoid scratching the bike, and you should be fine.

Badger6

No truer words have ever been spoken.

jon c. 

I live in a rural community where kids leave their bikes on the lawn without issue. But 15 miles away at the university, theft is rampant. Even in smaller, relatively safer cities, universities are always magnets for bike theft.

badaotang

i think no real thief is interested in kids' bikes.

badaotang

my bike is a $570 entry level hardtail mtb, is it accounted a cheap bike? there are lots of expensive bikes and mine is entry level but it's worth something i think. i don't know if thieves can guess its true cost just by a glimpse at it...

badaotang

I know what you mean. I'll look out for it. thanks for the info!

Solare

Watching the video, I have never thought about securing my seat to the bike. The video was very informative, I will have to pass it onto my Niece.

hamster

$570 is the prime stealing category. Cheaper bikes are worth less to the thief, and more expensive bikes are rarely locked outside where they can be stolen.