Why yes I do. That doesn't make me a thief though. ;)

I'd be more likely to steal the bike in front of a bunch of people who don't give a **** than the one that i didn't see from the street.

Wow, you are even thicker than I thought.

Okay kid, have a good day, and don't forget your summer reading list!

ok i got started...now where is the one with the make/model? how often in the real world? pretty damn often ...have you checked your local CL?

Will do. A little reading comprehension work wouldn't kill you either.

BTW putting ":rolleyes:" or "..." at the end of your argument doesn't make it any stronger.

hmm the reason why they wouldnt steal infront of a crowd is because they dont know if the owner is around.

Unfortunately, the guy is correct. It has lbeen proven that it is easier to commit certain crimes in populated places during the daytime. In groups, people tend to distribute responsibility or to fall into groupthink, assuming that a given behavior is normal. I have seen it posted before on bikeforums, and as well in another place, that a common trick is to bring a buddy who stands there nonchalantly to "wait with you" while you get "your bike" free from a trouble lock. Someone on BF mentioned that the buddy would sip a cup of coffee for added disarming effect.

People generally say nothing.

In the past, I have walked right up to people if something seems strange. Recently, I saw a 10-12 year old KID on a 60-62cm single speed with a $1K wheelset, and with the seat WAY up. He was straddling the bike, talking with some other kids and a couple of men near the subway. Instantly it all looked wrong. So I pulled my car up and bluffed and said "i know that bike". One of the other men looked at me and said, "don't look at me, I aint on it!". I got out of the car and the everyone bolted.

I felt for the ower. Some shthead brat is riding somene's transpo/dream.

but why is Union Square in Manhattan one of the Bermuda Triangles of bicycles?

Geez this thread meanders all over the place. Facts are facts, unknowns are unknowns. If there was nothing left behind then there is no way to know how or even if the lock was defeated. And I've read quite a few accounts of bikes being stolen and the locks not being left behind for all sorts of assumed reasons. Some say the thieves take the defeated locks so that people don't learn how the locks were defeated. I don't know for certain. But if my bike were stolen, and if I knew I had it locked securely(sp?), then I'd check a few dumpsters and trash cans nearby to see if my locks could be easily found, but I wouldn't expect to find the broken locks nearby. My assumption is that the locks are dumped someplace else, or chucked into the river someplace.

I've also read a variety of reports from people who have had a hassle getting paid under the "lock insurance" program due to not having the defeated lock handy. I've also read of some people doing various things after the fact to play the claim game.

We have no proof that 11201ny locked his bike securely, we also have no proof that he didn't, but he said he did so that satisfies me and I'll assume that either the lock was defeated or that the post it was locked to was defeated or manipulated and replaced. With no other evidence then I'll assume the lock was defeated by some means. I like locking to trees, yes they're easy to cut, but tend to leave a mess behind and also some sort of proof that there was an intact tree there at some point. It won't get me paid by the lock company insurance, but it will help to get me paid by my homeowner's/renter's insurance, and it will give an officer something to write down in his/her report. Anything too big or heavy to lift out of the ground will work to lock my bike to.

I'm about to buy a fahgettaboudit lock and will read the paperwork that comes with it to see how a claim has to be processed. Doesn't help 11201ny to get his bike back or to recover any claims on it, but maybe it will help me. But one thing I have taken away from this thread is the idea to throw a lock onto a bike that I think is stolen if I have a real real really good belief that it is stolen, then will call the cops. Or perhaps a better course of action would be to call the cops and not use my own lock since if I use my own lock the cops might tag me as the thief with that "possession is 9/10th of the law" deal. Danged if I do, danged if I don't. Don't really know what I'd do, guess I'll have to wait until it happens and then decide.

It's good to know how the bike was locked to help all of us to learn how to better lock up our bikes, but not knowing how it was locked doesn't give us claim to pass judgement upon the owner's locking skills.

To 11201ny,
I don't know you, I don't live in NY, I don't live in NYC, but I do hope you get your bike back. And sorry for the flame fest on the site here. I'm going to go check out that other site someone referred to a few pages back in the thread, sounds like an interesting site.

To everyone else,
if you see his bike then let him know, it's the nice thing to do.

panasonic sucks.
sony for life!

not so much.

i have 3 locks, a kryptonite chain, a NY U, and a mini U. i like locks. i like to keep my bike, i would be angry if it were stolen. i tend to believe that high-end locks are rarely defeated. whenever i hear of a theft, i like to ask how it happened in order to prevent it happening to me. most times, whenever a bike i hear about its stolen, it was due to incompetence on the part of the user. so i ask, i want to know, is it common that angle grinders are going to work in the middle of the city? are thieves using battery powered power saws in manhattan? i asked because i still believe that high end locks are rarely defeated. i dont think one was defeated here either, because the OP was so shady about the circumstances.

the OP wanted us new yorkers to keep an eye out for his bike, but it was like pulling teeth to get an answer abou tthe circumstances of his theft. if you are not willing to offer a little information i might find useful, then i will be less motivated to keep my eyes open for your bike.

old scratch,
i'll tell you anything you need to know, so long as it already hasn't been answered previously in this post. i have been asked many questions that have already been previously answered here.

anyway, this post isn't about you, it's about me asking the NYC / Brooklyn community to keep an eye out. someone asks me the same & would do it without the game of 21 questions. lock security is not the basis of this thread.

here you go buddy, your very own thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=444508

its ok, i know you got drunk and left your bike at the front of the bodega when you went in to buy rolling papers. carry on.

haha, 20 pages

old scratch, you can post that in you're new thread!

if i want a new thread i will make one. good luck finding your bike.

thanks man, i've got a lot of people on the lookout. enjoy your new thread!

i understand your point of view, but it came off kinda like pestering. I think the OP looks at it like this: "crap. my bike has been stolen. hey, all of you, if you see my bike, let me know. thanks."

it didn't seem much like OP was in the mood for details. maybe OP screwed up, maybe not. it's all moot. the bike is gone and the OP's looking to increase odds of recovery.

in any case, you have a very nice collection of bike security.

..and his very own thread to talk about it and maybe show pics of his locks and stuff.
Maybe posing with them and junk.

dude, keep comments about my wonderful locks in my thread please. this thread is for us to help the OP find his bike that was properly locked.

Boo hoo. He doesn't want to talk about it. Yet he keeps responding to the thread ad nuseaum. He locked it. Locked it with one lock or two, a red lock or blue. He's been vague and really not forthcoming with details.

Sure he wants us all to be on the lookout. He could reciprocate by giving us some details.

i agree...i dont get what the big deal is...if he messed up he messed up. But atleast let others know if the locks he used worked or not...he can prevent others from getting their bike stolen but if his panasonic is the only bike that matters then i get it.

That doesn't not mean that hidden bikes would be safer. We don't all live jaded cities like NY. (Yes, I've spent plenty of time there.)