Shifty

It's the season to hit the road, please don't get hit by thieves!

Bike and equipment theft (panniers, trailers and contents) are a big target here in Eugene and Portland Oregon. Use extra caution and don't leave gear unattended.

Happy travels everyone!!

NoGaBiker

Ah, one of the advantages to living in bike-unfriendly Georgia... Very few people even know a used bike can be worth more than $50. They'll jack your Civic in a heartbeat, but your $10,000 Pinarello is safe sitting outside the QT unlocked.

badamsjr

Boy, it would sure be nice if that were true of ALL the states! California is a great place to live and ride, but I am always cautious about not leaving my ride unattended, just to be safe.

B. Carfree

I can sure tell the OP lives in Eugene. Before coming here, I had never lived anyplace where the natives consider cycling to be something that can only be done in fair weather. Even my friends and relatives in Alaska ride year-round. It's just pitiful. Also, the petty theft in Eugene is just unreal. People will literally steal anything here. The city even put dangerous blocks of concrete on the edge of the bike paths to cover the access to the cables that supply the lights because people were stealing the wiring to resell the copper. Eugene is really a town of extremes: left/right, educated/ignorant, fossil-foolish/car-free, thieves/wonderful people. Here's to the wonderful people, here and everywhere.

JimT

That's really sad to hear. I grew up in Eugene in the 50's and 60's and my parents grew up there in the 20's and 30's..........wasn't that way then.

Jim

bikegrrrl

I've heard of people touring without bike locks in order to cut down on weight. Makes sense since the lock I use at home weighs at least five pounds. Would a little lock be the best bet just to deter theft in the first place?

raybo

This is what I do. I figure that the bike thieves that are equipped to defeat major bike locks are in the populated areas, where I don't tour. Instead, I try to visit small towns where a simple locks will prevent "snatch and ride" thefts, the kind I'm most worried about.

I've written an article about my views on touring bike locks that explores my views and practices in detail.

I just finished a tour up the Atlantic Coast and rarely used my bike lock. Most of the time, I took the bike into the store or leaned it outside the restaurant so that I could see it.

Ray

Machka 

Theft can occur in ANY town ... even the little, quiet, peaceful-looking places where everyone you talk to the day after your bicycle has been stolen says, "That sort of thing NEVER happens here." The trust is gone.

JohnyW

Hi,

I still trust - I was only robbed once (countryside in Zimbabwe). I leave my bike quite often unattended, even for 12h day hikes. Never had a problem. Sometimes I lock it, but I can't lock the luggage (this is several thousand dollars worth). E.G. On the Icefield parkway I locked my only once - then I visited the glacier. In Heidelberg/Germany the bike stands 8 hours on the market square.

But in big cities like Portland my bike is stored in a locked room.

Thomas

mparker326

Post on my local craigslist (Knoxville, TN) about a guy who had his loaded LHT stolen while on tour a few days ago.

https://knoxville.craigslist.org/bik/1777950069.html

Shifty

Wow, that hurts, but it raises lot's of questions too. Like, why would he leave his bike and everything in the foyer of an apartment building unattended? Hope he gets it back.

B. Carfree

That sure is awful. The same thing has happened more than a few times locally. I met one of the victims along the Oregon coast a few days after most of his stuff was stolen and he had scraped together what he could to get back on the road, but was now nearly out of cash. A couple who were doing a bus/bike tour and documentary got themselves onto local television when they got everything stolen. The community responded by replacing nearly everything with donations. That was at least bittersweet, especially when they left town in a car.

stokell

I'm in Germany right now. Most people don't even lock their bikes in rural areas. I have a piece of Velro I use to fasten on the front brake, so I use this for quick little trips into a shop. Even in the cities I've noticed people lock their front wheels (with quick-releases) to a bike stand. I've not seen a skeleton attached to a pole the whole time I've been here.

Back home in Toronto, I have two locks, one for each wheel and frame and I only fasten to something immovable.

antokelly

one of the lads on the thorn forum had his top of the range eXp stolen at a camping weekend in Scotland ,
he had the bike locked but not to something solid like a tree what a bummer .
didn't shelden brown have pic's on his site showing how to lock up your bike properly at least i think he did?