nvr

Well it happened again. The first time it happened I walked outside after work to find my wheel stolen. Being an impatient dummy I left the front wheel unlocked. Lesson learned, never repeated since. Today I'm unlocking my bike after work (which is at a rack right next to the guard shack), and I go to put my bottle in it's cage, but the cage is missing...??? I ride a Trek 2300 to commute and it's got nuts holding the cage on so someone out there was walking around with an 8mm socket. The lowlife didn't even have the decency to drop the nuts on the ground so now I have to go buy some more. I gave the bike a quick once over to make sure nothing else was missing, or loose, and just stuck the bottle in my jersey pocket. I guess I'll have to run a cable through the cage too from now on. Just a little pissed and venting...

jmichaeldesign

Look at it this way, a stolen cage is far easier to replace than it is to repair the scratch someone puts in your car while it's parked outside of work.

GodsBassist

That sucks, but you can't lock everything I guess. If theft of that kind of stuff is common in the area you park, you might look at bolts with different than standard holes. Some are even one of a kind, requiring a specific tool that only you have... might be a little over the top for your water bottle cage, but that's up to you.

xenologer

Wtf? who steals a bottle cage? was it carbon fiber or gold plated or something ridiculous?

You can try putting the new on one with two different kinds of nut, maybe one normal and one allen nut.
This might cut down on casual scrapmetal theft.. then again maybe your thief is going around with a toolbox..

JoeyBike

Two allen bolts and some Bondo to fill the holes. If you ever need to remove the cages you can dig out the Bondo but it will take ten to fifteen minutes per bolt. NYC messengers Bondo everything - crank bolts, stem bolts, seat bolt, you name it. That's why many of them ride fixed. Not much to steal on a fixie.

Yan 

A ballbearing and superglue works too. You can use superglue solvent to get it out.

USAZorro

Leave something made of conductive metal in a grounded spot on the bike - connected to a capacitor. The thief comes by to swipe it and - zap! Wet skivvies.

nvr

It was only a cheap $3 wire cage. I just didn't understand why they'd take that of all things. I wish I could use the allen bolt and ball bearing or bondo idea, but this is a 92 carbon/aluminum frame and it has bolts epoxied on so I need nuts. Maybe I'll just install a new cage and grind the corners off the nuts. If need be, I can cut a notch and use a screwdriver if I ever have to remove them. I park right next to the guard shack so this had to have happened between 4 (no guard) and 4:30 (when I come out). Could have been worse, they could have just taken my skewers (note to self...get locking skewers).

JoeyBike

Awesome!

AEO

pair of pliers defeats filling in the head.

CliftonGK1

Not on round head bolts. Nothing to grab onto.

Bondo and the BB/superglue tricks are good. So is filling the head with solder. Takes a flux remover to get it back out, but that's a 2 minute job and cheaper than pinned allen bolts.

AEO

for dome heads yeah, but the cylinder style is so easy to just grab with pliers.

I hear you can also do candle wax as well. just heat it to let the wax melt when you need to tighten it.

xenologer

https://www.jerseycycles.com/images/zzz4.jpg

JinbaIttai

Maybe one allen and one torx head.

thompsonpost

All torx. You beat me to it. Actually, torx can be used in a lot of applications. They are very hard metal as well.

macdonwald

Personally, I would chalk this one up to fluke, replace the cage, and go about my business.

bizzz111

Sounds like someone is building up a bike one piece at a time. So far he has a front wheel and a bottle cage. That's pretty much 99% of the way there, right?

Fast Cloud

That's what I'm screamin'...There isn't a bottle cage made that would be worth getting your ass kicked for messing with someones bike.

Neil_B

The bottle cage theft sounds like a co-worker is playing a joke on you. Or worse.

daxr

Reminds me of a line from Silence of the Lambs: "Tell me, Clarice, what do people covet?" and the answer - they covet what they see every day.

Maybe its some guy that walks by where you park the bike every night, which would explain why he'd have the right tool to snag your cage. He may have been planning that for days. I'd find another place to park it, or even better bring it inside with you (my road bike lives in my bedroom) - your bar tape could be next.

rumrunn6

Can you lock it someplace else? Did you say it was near a guard station? What's up witht hat? Where's the guard? Maybe the guard knows the person? Why not talk to the guards and tell them what's been happening.

gholt

You could put another bottle cage and then coat it with that ink they sometimes use to put on coins to see who steals it. Then after the thief takes it his hands turn blue.

It iwll take him some time to get it off next time, but you will then have to add another bottle cage that you only use.

MWPdx

Your wheel and bottle cage are in the guard station! :-P