rachel120

I had left it a couple of days at work, the rain has been coming down a lot. Instead of the usual space I had parked it in a flower bed under a tree near other employees' bikes.

I thought I had secured it, but apparently I didn't wrap the cable around the frame like I thought I had. Because I didn't wrap the cable right, by law a crime did not take place when the guy took it.

I am so angry and so sick feeling. It was a cheap crappy bike, but it was my crappy bike, and because I wasn't careful about the lock the a****** gets away with theft.

Does anyone know if renter's insurance covers loss of items that were not lost in the apartment?

Patriot1

rachel120

The grin is so very appropriate on this thread right now. Thanks.....not.

Milton Keynes

It's still a theft, which is against the law. Doesn't matter if it's properly locked up or sitting unlocked in the middle of the yard.

CliffordK

If he thief say left the wheel on the rack, and took the rest of the bike... then it was locked.

If you simply tossed a chain over it and "fake locked" it, then it wasn't locked.

Many insurance policies have a deductible, so if the bike is worth less than
$200 or so, it is probably not worth reporting. But, it never hurts to ask.

The insurance company may also require a police report, and if the police refuse to do a report, then you probably have nothing.

I never like to leave my bike locked overnight anywhere. If you have to leave it at work, perhaps see if you can clean it up and sit it next to your desk.

jonnybike

Did you ever see the YouTube video of the guys that leave the booby trapped bike out for theives? I'm not recommending doing it but watching the vid might give you a little solace. Stinks to have stuff stolen. I hate thieves. Lowest kinda person.

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Gresp15C

Sorry to hear your bike got stolen. As others have said, theft is theft. But your policy may say things about what you can claim.

Probably the most important thing to look up is your deductible. This will tell you if it's worth making a claim.

rachel120

There is a police report, and the officer said they would look for the bike. Since I left it overnight and it wasn't locked properly it is legally considered abandoned and can be taken. My lock coils so I guess I looped over the frame instead of around it like I thought I did. I work retail so bringing it in is not an option.

So angry, partially at myself for not being careful about the lock.

CliffordK

One thing.

It may not hurt to contact the facilities management.

They may have moved a bike that they thought had been abandoned, although they normally would wait longer than a couple of days unless they thought it was inappropriately parked.

Cyclist0108

Exactly. We get that from English Common Law.

rachel120

I knocked on loss prevention's door the moment I saw it was gone. They have it on camera, the police have already viewed it too. It confirms that nothing was actually holding the bike to the tree, nothing impeded the man from grabbing it and leaving.

fishboat

Well..rain falls in everyone's life occasionally. Sorry for your loss. Be thankful something more drastic didn't happen to you. I'm guessing you learned something..CL is chocked full of crappy bikes, or check around for a local bike co-op, grab one, and move on.

veganbikes

Bike theft sucks but when you allow your bike to get stolen it is even worse. Cables offer little to no protection and even less when they aren't even secured. Trees are poor places to lock because they are easily cut. Also bikes sitting on their lonesome for several days in the same spot are a perfect target for thieves because it looks abandoned and easy to take.

Always always always use a good lock like a U-lock or a good chain or folding lock from a company like ABUS, Kryptonite or OnGuard and potentially wheel and accessory locks like those from Pinhead or Pitlock especially in higher theft areas. Lock it with other bikes and use as much of your lock as possible so a thief cannot pry it open or use leverage attacks. However don't lock it near subway stations or places where people typically leave bikes for long periods of time unattended with new crops of people coming by regularly as those are perfect theft zones. Make your bike less attractive to thieves by putting stickers on it and placing your name on the bike (maybe using permanent markers and tape). If you do need to lock up your bike outside for a longer period ideally DON'T DO IT but if you really must and there is no other option move it around each day, find different spots (still always practicing good locking techniques). Also make sure the place you are locking is not easy for a thief to just lift the bike over and take or cut with simple tools or something like that (so street signs, trees unbolted bike racks chain link fencing...) Register your bike on places like: https://bikeindex.org/ and also file a police report with that info and maybe talk with your local shops and see if they might see it and give them the bikeindex link as well as the police report info so we can action upon it if it comes in our shop. No police report means nothing we can really do.

Here are some useful guides (many of them saying similar things but to drive the point home):
https://www.kryptonitelock.com/en/pr...k-up-bike.html
Also keep in mind the Kyptonite theft program requires you to have a piece of the lock to prove it was their lock being defeated and not the place you locked it to.

https://www.bicycling.com/repair/a20.../locking-tips/

https://www.outsideonline.com/202698...r-being-stolen

https://momentummag.com/bike-curious...ock-your-bike/

You can also go down to your local shop and ask them and listen to them because they probably hear it all the time. I know I do, alot that is why I do my best to give you the knowledge so it doesn't happen again.

Good luck in the future but if you practice good locking each and every time and use the right equipment you are much much less likely to have these problems.

TimothyH

What city is this?

I find it difficult to believe that someone walking away with a bike which doesn't belong to them isn't stealing.


-Tim-

Colnago Mixte

Well, the Chinese word for "crisis" and "opportunity" are said to be the same. And as Confucius say, "Drunken man with 1000 yen who look at used bikes on Craigslist at night . . . wake up with garage full of clunkers."

What I don't understand is why it matters if the cable was locked or not. If I see a car with the keys in it, and I take it, I still stole it. Or is it an insurance requirement? Sounds like nothing more than a bad excuse not to reimburse you, you were still the victim of a theft. Insurance companies are always coming up with lame excuses like that not to do the very thing you pay them to do.

CliffordK

If the bike was locked when the thief carried it off, then it was stolen. Go back to the PD and talk to someone else.

Perhaps it was stupid not to lock it to a solid immovable object and leave it overnight, but it was still stolen.

There are times when we all have nothing to lock our bike to, and lock it up and lean it against a store front. Or, we might have a U-Lock that will snag the frame and wheels, but not a wooden post or tree.

Ask the police officer if he considers a car stolen if it wasn't chained to a tree.

CliffordK

Oh, and talk to your employer. Chaining a bike to a tree isn't appropriate.

They need bike racks. Preferably a locked cage with bike racks and a cover.

Teamprovicycle

Try getting over the loss of abike you built part by part from a frame set and wheels !

but in my legal opinion police have no clue what the law is they are like McDonalds workers only they can shoot you , but in general law speak you have to be able to prove ownership , like a recipt or registrations. If you cant prove ownership legaly than you cant claim your property was stolen , which is the biggest downside to used bikes , a bill of sale would be a start with the frame number and full list of parts or accessories ...

dedhed

If police refused to do a report, I'd be barking up the food chain. We as citizens pay their salary and expect to get service when needed. You would likely have to go to the station or online to file a report.

dedhed

I find this hard to believe to be legal fact. So if your car is parked in public parking for a couple days they consider it abandoned and if stolen too bad?

CliffordK

A few things about locking bikes.

No lock is theft proof.

Cables are a pain to cut with standard wire cutters or a hacksaw. However, they can be cut in seconds with a cable cutter.

Standard padlocks (like old Master Locks) can be cut with bolt cutters, or perhaps defeated with a soda can.

Cheap round chains can also be cut with bolt cutters.

U-Locks may be able to be cracked open in a couple of ways, often also damaging the bike, but they typically are cut with an angle grinder. There are battery operated grinders now, but it still may take a couple of minutes to grind through them. Some of the better locks require two cuts.

Security Chain is heavy, but it presents a flat face to bolt cutters, and is harder to cut. Make sure you get quality security chain.

If locking my bike for an hour or so during daylight, I like to snag a solid object (bike rack or post), plus a wheel, plus the frame with my U-Lock.

If locking for an extended period of time, then I like to snag the frame and both wheels with my lock. In younger years when I first got a U-Lock, I'd pop my front wheel off, and lock the rear wheel through the rear triangle, and snag the front wheel plus a bike rack.

I'd probably go with a chain or cable to do it today without removing the front wheel.

There are people who also steal components like seats, wheels, or etc.

In this case, had you locked your lock around the tree, and through both wheels, then it generally automatically snags the rear triangle, and the thief would have had to cut the lock to get the bike. Plus, if a wheel is locked with a U-Lock, it still would not have been rideable until the U-Lock is also cut.

Of course, lock rims + tires, not spokes.

CliffordK

How isolated is your business campus?

I'd ask to see the full 3 days of video footage. Ideally the software would allow you to define an area of interest and fast forward looking for changes in that area of interest.

I'd bet there was someone that took an interest in your bike during the day while you were at work, then came back later and finished it off.

Not everybody that looks at it will be a thief, but someone was.

ColonelSanders

Sorry to hear you had your bike stolen.


Stories like these are why I am so security conscious with my bike, as it isn't just a matter of how much a bike costs to replace, but the inconvenience of it all and the terrible feelings.

CoogansBluff

Don't be too hard on yourself. We all have stories of regret like that. We're human. I've had somebody take money out of my car because I didn't lock it. I've had a lawnmower stolen from my driveway. Not only makes you angry, but makes you hurt that somebody would do that to you. Bikes are personal. Very sorry it happened.

Kedosto