mike

My bikes were in my garage. My favorite bike (Benotto) was locked with a cable lock. The others were not.

I got a call from my neighbor who lived behind me. He said that he saw some kids running past his house. One kid jumped on a bike and fell off pretty hard. That kid ditched the bike, but the others took off.

I managed to retreive my favorite Benotto because it had the lock and the kid could not ride it.

I also found the Le Tour while walking home past the local high school. There it was by the football field. I waited until the kid came off the field and reported him to the football coatch who said he wasn't going to get involved. I didn't have a cell phone or I would have called the police.

Bike thieves are losers. Who wants to guess that those teen bike thieves are losers to this day...

pedalMonger

There was a post before my last post that was removed. My comment was mostly a reply to the one removed, which questioned U-locks. The author must have deleted it for some reason?

pedalMonger

I generally agree that thieves are losers, it wouldn't require much more effort, probably even less, to make an honest living.

I wonder though, if any of the really good thieves who are "professional caliber" have ever end up helping to design locks Kind of like how casino cheats and card counters end up working for casino security sometimes. I think I read long ago, about a car thief who turned into an auto security professional.

wheel

I had a cheap department bike, Locked it around a tree with big chain and a master padlock.

Located next to my house on the side by of it overnight.

The day before a big bike sale.

gbcb

Theft #1 - Early 90s Trek kid's MTB
Stolen from the Tokyo American Club along with my mom's Norco MTB. Police officer helpfully said "Well, of course they got stolen -- there are Americans there" . It was probably some 13-year old punk with too much time on his hands. Bikes were unlocked. Lessons: Lock your bike, and beware of punks with too much time on their hands.

Theft #2 - Bright red GT MTB
Stolen from front porch of friend's house in Toronto. Had a Kryptonite U-lock and a massive cable lock. Thief cut through the wooden railing on the porch to which it was locked. Lessons: Your bike is only as secure as its least secure point, and flashy red bikes are asking for trouble in Toronto.

Theft #3 (sorta) - Cannondale Bad Boy
They didn't actually get the bike, which was parked outside a library at the University of Toronto. Just took the seat (quick release), helpfully leaving behind the mudguard that was attached to the seatpost. Lesson: quick release anything is asking for trouble in Toronto, and thieves will steal ANYTHING.

Theft #4 - Crummy Chinese road bike
Had a crummy bike with an equally crummy lock. Locked it as the Beijing locals did -- to itself only -- in the stairwell outside my apartment. Thief stole it in the night and left the (relocked) lock behind. Lesson: I should have known better.

geo8rge

I used to email people who had their bikes stolen, here is my database. BTW, I think requiring employees to chain their bikes outside is a reasonable thing to do, and I am not convinced it is safer indoors.

Each entry is at least one theft.
x3 = times 3, 3 thefts of this type.
* = my own personal theft.

Locked Bicycles (main lock failed):
- One wheel securely locked to pole. Bicycle frame (and other wheel) stolen (not locking frame was usually unintentional) * x2
- Bicycle Cable Lock cut (probably with bolt/cable cutter). * x5
- Lock/locking mechanism Cut (chain or cable)
- Cheaper U lock forced open. *
- Hack saw with titanium blade goes through Kryptonite chain's lock in about 20 min. *
- Bike locked with Master Lock Street Cuffs for motorcycles stolen.

Locked Bicycles (main lock did not fail):
- Locked bike lifted over pole and stolen.
- Bike, with wheel immobilized by lock, stored in communal hallway of apartment stolen.
- "Ring Posts" use to lock bikes to in Toronto broken with 2x4s.
- Bike locked to construction scaffolding stolen when scaffolding was dismantled by thief. x2
- Bike chained to parking meter. Bicyclist thought the chain was tight enough but a thief was able to loosen it, lift the bike over the meter, and walk away with the bike.
- Front wheel (with unique key locking skewers) locked to pole. Locking skewers defeated, bike stolen with front wheel left locked to pole.

Locked Bicycles (Performance of lock unkown):
- Mysterious disappearance of bike and kryptonite lock. (no parts of lock or chain found) x4

Unlocked Bicycles:
- Unlocked bicycle stolen from apartment with unlocked front door.
- Bicycle left unlocked near cashier of grocery store stolen while owner shopped.
- Bicycle left unlocked in front of restaurant while patron made "quick" (30 second) purchase.
- Bicycle stolen from open unlocked garage.
- Bicycle left outside unlocked
- Bicycle stolen off the racks at a local bicycle store (shoplifting).

Bike locks damaged:
- Kryptonite Combination U lock jammed shut by hammer attack. Bike not stolen. x2 *

Vandalism/Stolen parts:
- Keys left in bike lock, only lock and chain stolen.
- Kryptonite chain stolen
- Locking mechanism for folding frame stolen * x2
- Bicycle frame pump forgotten on bike stolen *
- Bungee cord left on bike (who would steel that) was stolen *
- inexpensive seatpost/saddle stolen
- Bike stripped of parts (gears and handle bars included), U locked frame left in place.

As seen on TV show about bicycle thefts:
- Cable cut by NYC bike messenger using cable cutter.
- In Chicago: Pole fastened to base by bolt. Bolt removed so the pole, not the bike, can be lifted and the bike stolen.

Lessons:

Always lock your bike, even if you think you will be quick.

Anticipate a thief lifting a locked bike over the pole the bike is chained to.

Cable locks, even thick heavy steel ones, are easily defeated (even by hand tools).

A smaller sledge hammer is a common tool, if your bike just has a U lock there are dudes that will take a shot at it, possibly jamming the lock.

It is possible to pry open the cheaper U locks.

A U+Cable lock requires thief to have 2 attacks to be successful.

With 2 locking methods it is unlikely you will fail to properly deploy both leaving your bike unlocked.

Kryptonite chains are a thing of value, and are a target; Perhaps even more valuable than the bike. Theives may be taking both the lock and chain as they are required to make a claim to Kryptonite. By taking the chain and lock, even if damaged, they reduce the chance of you filing a police report; Which you would have to do to claim the insurance payment from Kryptonite.

I have read about cases where reporting a stolen bike to police and posting on craigslist actually resulted in a recovered bike.

Identifying a stolen bike and confirming your ownership to police can be difficult. You should definitely place a sticker or note (preferably water proof) with your name on it on the seat post or other place. Registering with police is also a good idea. Etching your name and tel# on parts is more permanent, and will make selling it as a used bike harder both for a thief and you. Record and email yourself with all serial numbers, and a picture of the bike.

Other ideas:

- Remove parts from the bike. Skewers, seat posts, QR pedals (MKS brand for example) are all easy to remove from the bike and make the bike difficult to ride and sell, and less valuable. Extremists could even remove the chain if it had a QR link installed.

- Allen or locking skewers (pitlock, On Guard) may help. Or may not I have seen no evidence either way. I feel enough hits with a sledge hammer, or just pulling on the frame, will dislodge the skewer from the dropouts. Expensive locking skewers might be a tip off to thieves that your bike has expensive parts. Allen skewers are inexpensive and weigh less but will cause you grief if you have to fix a flat and do not have an allen key.

- Lubricate the lock. Oil into shackle and key hole.

As usual see SheldonBrown.com for ideas.

QR = quick release

JeanCoutu

Let's see, I left my rusty very much beater (rat bike, really) outside college dorm, leaning on guardrail for months at a time. No one touched it, sometimes my buddies used it to go to the store faster, and such. It had a very rusty flimsy chain and rusty combination lock, wrapped around the rusty crooked handlebar... So at some point it vanished, someone had taken it to travel about 700m just past the grocery store, and dumped it in a snowbank near an apartment building. I'm thinking some drunkard did it. Took it and set it back in it's place, still unlocked... Happily ever after until I moved away from there.

RideLikeAGirl

My husband and I live in a tiny condo but keep our beloved bikes (four of them) in our little front room & dining room. We move them into the garage when we have company only

Artkansas 

Bianchi Eros stolen from inside a locked garage. Don't buy a bike I can't afford to lose.

American Eagle/Nishiki stolen by a roommate while I was moving. Don't trust said roommate. Bicycle recovered, minus some pieces.

Pegasus 10 speed, locked with chain. parked at intersection with 4 cops at the corner. Chain was bolt cuttered. Cops are no protection

Centurion Pro Tour stolen while I was riding it, by two gangs. One was pursuing me on bicycles. I wasn't too worried as I knew I could out ride them, but then another gang pulled up in a '64 Chevy Impala and pinched me to the curb with their fender, and I was blocked in by the gang behind me on bikes. I walked to the police station two blocks away and cops didn't even want to take a report until a witness who could identify one of the gang members called to report the event. Then, with grand theft, vehicular assault and a witness, they swung into action and took a report. Cops are no protection.

Royce Union 10 Speed. Left outside a store for just a moment. Always lock your bike.

Fleetwing kids bike. Parked at school, unlocked like every other bike there. A bike can look like crap and still be stolen. I guess the thieves wanted my hi rise handle bars.

stevo9er

I haven't had any bikes stolen, but I was out running last night and 6 kids were going around campus sawing all of the bikes with those really thin wire locks. I stopped to ask what they were doing and they blurted out that they were stealing unclaimed bikes. So I called the police and kept jogging.

I really wish I had ran up and smashed each one in the face instead . I want to buy these bikes later once they go into property control dammit!

mtnwalker

The only bike I ever had stolen did not belong to me. It was my uncles. A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I went to a video rental store and left the bike leaning on the glass wall, unlocked. I can see it, it is safe(have I mentioned my naivete when I was a kid? No?). Then I saw a guy move it from one end to another. I figure, no big deal. He just needed to move it. When I got out the bike was gone. I ended up walking the 4 miles to my house and I had to give my bike to my uncle as a replacement. Then I watched the movie I rented. Sigh, I still miss my single speed.

baskinrobbin

Miele road bike and a cheap store bike. Stored inside the house in a bad neighborhood of San Antonio. We came home and chased the a-holes down the street, but no luck as they had taken the bikes earlier and they drove off in their car. Hard to chase them with the RV we were driving!

squeakywheel

I've never had a bike stolen, but my brother in law had a bike taken right out of his garage. Door open, no lock. Not even that nice of a bike. They walked in and rode it away.

TreeUnit

Garage Door Accidentally left open a few years ago. Garage had 7 Bikes in it at the time, including 3 road bikes, one mountain bike, one kids bike and two SS road bikes. All were locked with chain to studs on the garage wall except the kids bikes and one of the SS's. Both of those were stolen.

On a public rack, always use two locks. Yes, a thief can break through both, but he will probably prefer to go after another bike with only one lock. At work I Use two grey-level kryptonite U's: a little one and a normal sized one.

One more thing. I'm planning to get some Pop-Off Pedals designed for Folding bikes (about halfway down this page) Get off my bike, lock it up, take off the pedals. Would love to see a thief try to ride away on that

ollo_ollo

Never had any of mine stolen but know of 2 that were: Back in the 80s we lived in Portland, OR & my 13 year old left his Schwinn Continental laying down unlocked near our front door when he got home from school. At bedtime, I asked if he remembered to lock his bike in the back yard shed? It was gone when he went out to take care of it. At work in Downtown Portland, we locked our bikes in the building's basement near where restaurant food was stored. A thief stole a co-worker's expensive Cannondale Tourer by sawing through the wood slats of the cage it was U-locked to & left my Raleigh Sports which was nearby, locked to a steampipe with a cheap cable lock. Don

shortbus901

Never had one stolen but both my good bikes and my fiance's MTB reside in our guest bedroom. I don't believe we have a high population of tweakers in the area I live (most are one county over in FL's meth capitol) but if I do wake up to someone in the house (dog will make sure I do) getting away with a bike is going to be the least of their worries.

levity

locked my Dahon Speed P8 to a public bike rack, outside my office on 18th st and 5th ave in Manhattan, with a medium-sized Kryptonite U-lock before going into work. at the end of the day, i found nothing but the bottom of the U-lock sitting on the ground, one hole warped outward, which suggests to me that it was bashed off.

it's a pretty busy street in the daytime. i get pissed imagining the people walking by, not reacting to someone whaling on a bike lock with a sledgehammer.

beat.tk

Educational lesson: Don't lock your bike in gang areas
I'm a girl.
I was like 19.
I u-locked (cheap lock) my Bridgestone Hybrid bike (precious to me, but worth about $60) to a bike rack a while ago.
This is Pomona California, outside of a 7-11 at around 9 pm on a Saturday.
I biked there from my college campus to get some stouffers pizza and sorbet.
The bike was in a dark corner, and apparently I only locked the frame.
So I go in, I'm shopping, and then these young guys come in.
They've got blood on their shirts, but seem alright besides that.
I buy my stouffers and go to the bike to find the wheels missing.
Quick release wheels, so I'm not entirely surprised, but really? The wheels? These wheels are worthless. It takes two seconds more to break the cheap u-lock and get the slightly valuable frame.
Whatever...so these dudes, they're the only ones around.
Except, their girlfriends are in their car, waiting.
So I ask the ladies if they saw my wheels get nabbed.
They're all, don't ask us, we're dumb and date gangsters cuz we have low self esteem.
So I go inside and confront the dudes, I'm like, can I have my wheels back?
They're all, why are you asking us, can't you tell from looking at us that not only are we dumb, but we've had a rough night?
So I go to the payphone to call for a ride home.
I'm talking to somebody, when all at once, 3 LAPD cop cars rush the 7-11 parking lot and these cops jump out of the car and do that police stance with their guns pointing at me, shouting "put yr hands in the air!"
I put my hands in the air.
Next thing, these cops run toward me, then past me, and wrestle this dude to the ground.
There was a dude in the corner near me that I didn't even see cuz the streetlight next to the store was busted, because this is Pomona, California.
Right next to me, they smash his face into the pavement and arrest him.
I mean they rubbed his face into the concrete like someone who's rubbing a towel into a carpet trying to get out a stain.
He wasn't even resisting or anything.
So I had to stick around as a witness for a while.
Apparently, these guys were on some gang violence spree and were being tracked down by LAPD.
A while later, the cops found my wheels in the suspects' car, so I guess it worked out okay.

jrn

How was the stouffers?

alicestrong

I left my Trek unlocked in my "safe" 'hood on the driveway in front of my front door hidden from view by my car (I thought...I guess a sliver of the rear wheel was detectable from the street)

9pm a guy walked up to my front porch hopped on and rode away.

Bu Bye

Now I always lock my bikes...two faves live in my living room.

ECDkeys

It's really awful that bike theft is an eventuality for many people. I hate having to assume that my bikes are going to be targets, but that's just the way it has to be. Yesterday, the heat was blistering and the humidity was ridiculous, and as I was riding home, I passed a movie theater and thought to myself, hey, why not catch a matinee, escape the heat and humidity for awhile? So I looked for the bike rack and found it around the corner, behind some bushes and completely out of sight of anyone in the building. The rack was visible from the road however. I spent a minute considering the situation: a lone bike locked to a rack clearly visible from the road but not visible from the building, my combination of cable and U-lock defeatable in the amount of time it takes to watch a movie, a lack of interest amongst passers-by who might see a thief going at it.

I biked home instead.

gaudentius

That is effed up and somehow . . .heartwarming at the same time.

Anyway . . .

Location: Auto-parts-zone
Time: 2pm-ish (1989)
Lock: Krytonite Lock (1989 Brand-Spanking new $50 lock)
Item: Just restored 1960-something Metallic-British-Racing-Green Schwinn Cruiser

I had just finished restoring the bike the previous week and I was out on a nice summer day applying for a summer job (I was 17) at the parts store that my friend had told me about. When I was locking it some Joe-Schmo praised the cool looking bike and I said thanks! And I told him about all the work I did to get it so flippin' cherry. He's says "cool" and walks on his merry way.

I walk inside and grab my application and a clipboard and go outside to fill it out. I walk to the bike rack and the bike is gone. The lock is intact, locked to the bike rack. Someone must have known about the Bic trick back then because I can think of no other way the lock could have been opened so easily without the key. I still had the key in my pocket!

I locked the bike the Sheldon-Brown way, because that's the way my dad had shown me how to lock the bike. Of course I called it my-dads' way then because he's the one that showed me how to do it. It must be old school bicyclist logic. Their brains work different.

To this day, I wonder if the guy that was asking about the bike was the one who stole it. I'll never know, because I NEVER saw that bike again. I've never seen a british racing green cruiser here in the city.

I never bought a Krytonite lock ever again.

GD

M_S

This is an interesting one...

In 8th grade, I rode my prized possesion, a 300 dolar hybrid (gosh, can't even remember if it was trek or gary fischer now...funny how that goes) to school and locked it up outside. Over the course of the day, I somehow managed to misplace my helmet. Now, my parents had so engrained in my mind that I was not to ride without head protection, that I left the bike there and took the bus home, with the plan to retrieve it the next day.

The next day, of course, it was gone. It was locked, but I don't remember how good the lock was. I never leave my bikes out overnight now, locked or not (especially at a school).

jrn

I had misplaced my $50 kryptonite for a few weeks so had to use some piece of crap cable lock on my Pro F.R.O. that I rode to school everyday. Everyday I locked it up I totally knew in my gut that it was a reallllllly bad idea. Sho'nuf it got jacked one day and my crappy cable lock was dangling there when I went to check on it before wrestling practice. Wow, that really sucked.

smoothvirus

Location: The bike room in the basement of my new apartment building
Lock: Some cheap cable lock I had bought at Sears back when I was 16 or 17
Bike: A brand new Specialized Rockhopper FSR. I had it for a month.

I had just moved from my hometown to the "big city" - in this case, Arlington Virginia. This was back in June of 2000. I had just moved in to my apartment and had been living there for two days. I was worried about my expensive bike - it was locked up in the locked up bike room downstairs, but I had decided that I wasn't comfortable leaving it in the communal storage room. I had not taken it up to my apartment since there was no elevator and my place was on the top floor, up six flights of stairs.
So one morning before work, I decide I'm going to go downstairs, get my bike, and keep it in my livingroom. I get to the basement to find that the outer door has been kicked in, the door to the bike room has also been kicked in, and my bike is gone. They cut the lock. There must have been 30 bikes in there (about half of them weren't even locked up) but the only one that was stolen was mine. Someone must have seen me move in and decided that they wanted my bike, bad.
I almost cried. I still miss that bike. A year later I got laid off in the dot com bust and due to a much reduced income I wasn't able to replace it - literally until yesterday when I got a new Gary Fisher. Which, after reading this thread, I might just get it out of the basement (I live in a house now) and put it in the livingroom!