Originally Posted by
smasha
1- "Professional" thieves don't steal dozens/hundreds or bikes so they can have dozens/hundreds of bikes; they steal bikes to sell them. What's the resale value of a nice bike that looks like hell? How does that compare to the resale value of a nice bike that looks like a nice bike? Why would a "professional" bike thief put in the effort to break a good lock, for a bike with minimal resale value, when bikes with higher resale value are abundant and easier to steal?
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The value would be in the components. I’d venture to say that high-end bikes that get stolen are more likely to be broken up for parts than less expensive models.
just because the paint job looks like hell, if it’s sitting on Ultegra or SRAM Red with nice wheels, it’s worth it to steal it and strip it, and since components are far more fungible than frames/complete bikes, less risk, too.
Think of it this way; the owner of a $2000+ bike would be more likely to have registered the serial numbers, or installed a tracking device like an AirTag, and will be much more likely to try to track it down on the resale market, than the owner of a $500 hybrid.