Classtime 

At least two weeks it’s been sitting here. Lost the saddle and seat post right away. Someone loved it at one point: Retrofriction shifters, and maybe an upgrade to 600 brakes? HUGE cable lock. It bums me out when nice bikes are abandoned and scavengers scrape what they can off them. Eventually, this trek will be a mangled mess of 5-3-1 and a rim.

I always wanted one☹️

Jeff Neese

What would it take to cut that lock or cable? And if you did it out in broad daylight, do you think anyone would try to stop you? That frame is worth saving.

Lascauxcaveman 

Steal This Book Bike.

How long has been there, again?

SurferRosa

I would caption this photo, "shark attack."

Classtime 

I’m hoping the dad will soon say, “Hey son, where is my bike.”

Kabuki12

I see this from time to time here in Ventura. Usually it’s a mountain bike or spray painted cruiser. It still bothers me . “Shark Attack” is the perfect description. Piece by piece it fades away…this one is gut wrenching, way too nice .

Mr. 66

Put a note on it, with your contact info asking if they would like to sell, and let it go at that. Anything more would be improper.

Spaghetti Legs 

Hmmm, I’d suggest a little experiment. Note the angle of the crank and wheel valve stems in the pic and then next time you’re by there see if they’ve moved. Seems a little weird to me that someone would go through the trouble of stealing a bolted in seat post and not take anything else, like the rear wheel.

Pretty nice bike though. I’d leave a note on it but otherwise would just make a point of riding all my bikes by it at some point so they could see how good they got it with a roof over their saddles.

smd4

Are people really advocating stealing this bike?

SMH...

rustystrings61 

I am firmly in the camp of leave a note on it. Maybe even put it in a clear sandwich bag and tape it on.

smd4

And rubber band another bag over the open seat tube.

How do we know the owner didn't take the seat with him?

Road Fan

Yep, my thoughts exactly! It's a Trek - there are more of those out in the world! I might go find a rubber stopper (hardware stores or hobby shops) to plug into the seat post to limit the BB damage already enabled.

Darth Lefty 

Speculating is fine. Fun, even. Leave it alone. Forgive everyone involved.

tkamd73 

A battery powered angle grinder from a big box store, you could always return it after you’re done. It’s LA no one would even notice. Nice bike, you could also leave a note for the owner, telling them you’re interested, so the actual thief would know where to flip it.
Tim

Bianchi84

I agree.
Sometimes people are hospitalized, taken away for serious other reasons, etc. and their bike is least-most on their minds. The owner valued it or it wouldn't have been locked. Maybe put yourself in the owners shoes. Do you really need to steal the bike?

Jeff Neese

It's a bit unethical to return a tool after you've used it once, but I'd be willing to buy one just to get that frame. An angle grinder is probably a very useful tool to have anyway, so it wouldn't be a one-time use. Especially cordless - I can see that being useful for all sorts of things.

I'd pull up in front of the bike and do it as publicly as possible, just so I wouldn't be mistaken for a thief. I'd probably bring my wife along. If a police officer asked me, I'd explain that I was rescuing a valuable but abandoned bicycle from the ravages of the elements. I'd offer my contact information and explain that I'll be happy to give the bike back if the owner comes forward. I'd like to believe they wouldn't stop me.

Jeff Neese

And then you'll get a call from the guy that DID cut the lock, offering to sell it to you.

smd4

No, you don't have to make that assumption. If it was my bike, and I put it there, as is MY RIGHT TO DO SO, with MY PRIVATE PROPERTY, you have ZERO RIGHT to steal it.
You consider it "unethical" to return a used tool, but bike theft is perfectly OK. Oh, and you wouldn't be "mistaken" for a thief. YOU WOULD BE ONE.

Jeff Neese

Nah. You can't just leave your private property sitting in a public place indefinitely, without knowing that at some point it will be considered abandoned. He said it's been sitting there for two weeks.

madpogue 

What's that decal on the top tube, just aft of the head tube? Registration? Parking permit? Might be a clue.

EDP

My speculation is perhaps this bike was donated along with the lock, to a group that distributes them to homeless and other needy individuals. The seat was then stolen and the recipient couldn't ride it any more, so it sits there. I only say that as I recently donated a bike to a group in Nashua, NH that refurbrishes bikes for low income individuals who either need them for commuting to work or as bikes for their kids. I saw some high quality bikes at the donation warehouse- Trek, Gary Fisher, Cannondale, etc... Models were 10-20 years old but still usable.

kunsunoke 

You're better off forgetting about this Trek, particularly if you have ethics. If the bike is anywhere within the Los Angeles metro area, it means the owner is going to be a pain in the neck to find. And even if you find them, they might accuse you of stealing the seat-post or seat.

Forget about calling the police. LAPD has enough trouble as it is.

The bike is going to be stolen soon anyway - spray-painted and transmogrified into someone's DUI transportation - then casually forgotten about after the "owner" goes to rehab. I'm black-pilled, I know, but I watched it happen many times in Philadelphia when my son was at school in that city.

Classtime 

I stopped at the local cop shop and told them my story -- "How I hate to see abandoned bikes like this ravaged by "the elements"". They said to call this number ###-###-#### and tell them where it is. Then they will come by, remove the bike, and take it to some undisclosed location until someone calls that LEO shop and asks about their missing TREK. Same difference in my opinion. Just as well leave it there.

The decal just says that the bike is registered with some unidentified entity. ???

SurferRosa

You know, God said to Abraham, "kill me a son." What if he instead asked him to merely save a blessed, but abandoned Trek with divinely magnificent Campagnolo Victory? What would modern religion look like then? And how much better off would humanity be?

Jeff Neese

[QUOTE=Classtime;23000334]I stopped at the local cop shop and told them my story -- "How I hate to see abandoned bikes like this ravaged by "the elements"". They said to call this number ###-###-#### and tell them where it is. Then they will come by, remove the bike, and take it to some undisclosed location until someone calls that LEO shop and asks about their missing TREK...../QUOTE]

So it will end up in a police auction then. You'd have the chance to buy it, if you can find out when the auction will be. How long do they keep it?