I feel crappy about a bike theft...
#26
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It's my belief that in high crime areas, your best bet (if it's practical) is to take EVERYTHING inside with you and leave the car doors unlocked. Then the thieves won't break your window to get in. They can open a door, browse through the console and glove box, and go away empty handed. Oh wait, your stereo might get pinched. Or the whole car. Never mind.
Guy on the radio the other day gave an interesting but useless bit of trivia: there is a town in northern Canada or Alaska, don't remember exactly, where it's illegal to lock the doors of your parked car. The reason: someone might need to hop inside at any time to escape a bear attack.
Guy on the radio the other day gave an interesting but useless bit of trivia: there is a town in northern Canada or Alaska, don't remember exactly, where it's illegal to lock the doors of your parked car. The reason: someone might need to hop inside at any time to escape a bear attack.
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Sorry, but if someone can't be bothered to lock their bike, it's not my job to put myself at risk to maybe save their bike.
IMO,there's way too many ways for your intervention to go south on you for you to feel bad about it, and the fact that the bike was unlocked made it a whole lot less clear that the bike was being taken without ownership.
When I was younger, I pony rode a few bikes that I owned. By itself, I wouldn't find that especially suspicious.
IMO,there's way too many ways for your intervention to go south on you for you to feel bad about it, and the fact that the bike was unlocked made it a whole lot less clear that the bike was being taken without ownership.
When I was younger, I pony rode a few bikes that I owned. By itself, I wouldn't find that especially suspicious.
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I used to never lock my car, because (i) it's a rusty slow-as-balls 20-year-old Subaru, (ii) it's a stick-shift, and (iii) I never left anything worth stealing in it - hell, the stock stereo still has a cassette slot. Once in a blue moon, someone would go through it when it was street-parked overnight, but nothing broken, nothing taken - so what, right? A few months ago, someone went through it while it was parked for ~15 min outside the supermarket. I returned to find the contents of the center console - bits of paper and a few disposable masks - dumped out on the ground. That was the final straw for me - I'm not worried about the car or its contents being stolen, I've decided that I'm done with randos sitting in my seat and going through my car.
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Have a similar memory that has plagued me for the last 35 years. Was following a friend driving through a redwood forest in Northern CA We were miles in with not a soul around to be seen, nor their vehicles. In the midst sitting in an empty parking lot was a black lab looking out at the road. I drove by trying to keep up with my fast friend. Have regretted to this day not going back and rescuing that poor dog.
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40+ years ago a HS football teammate of mine observed a man walk into his neighbor's garage and steal (ride off) with his neighbor's bike.
My friend sprinted after him and tackled the thief onto the pavement and landed on him breaking the thief's femur.
Sometimes Good Samaritans do not get harmed in these instances.
My friend sprinted after him and tackled the thief onto the pavement and landed on him breaking the thief's femur.
Sometimes Good Samaritans do not get harmed in these instances.
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I Guy on the radio the other day gave an interesting but useless bit of trivia: there is a town in northern Canada or Alaska, don't remember exactly, where it's illegal to lock the doors of your parked car. The reason: someone might need to hop inside at any time to escape a bear attack.
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I've stopped to use a public restroom, and just rolled my bike inside with me.
Note to self: in the future, remember to turn off the GoPro.
Note to self: in the future, remember to turn off the GoPro.
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#35
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I wouldn't feel bad about it. In another country maybe. In America you never know when some lunatic will shoot you in the face with no warning.
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You didn't actually know the third bike was stolen. Yes it looked suspicious, and indeed it turned out to be the case, but you didn't know. Riding a crappy bike, being poor, ghost riding a bike... these are not crimes. Heck, I've probably ghost ridden a nicer bike while riding a crappy bike, whilst poor. No thievery or drug use was involved.
From another perspective, there's no way in hell I'd want someone to put themselves in danger, to protect a bicycle I've chosen to leave outside.
From another perspective, there's no way in hell I'd want someone to put themselves in danger, to protect a bicycle I've chosen to leave outside.
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That has happened to me twice. Once at a gas station and once a mcdees. I have probably brought my bike in at least 100 other places though. I ride with flat pedals so I don't have the road/mtb bike shoes that clip/scratch the floor. Maybe that helps?
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You didn't actually know the third bike was stolen. Yes it looked suspicious, and indeed it turned out to be the case, but you didn't know. Riding a crappy bike, being poor, ghost riding a bike... these are not crimes. Heck, I've probably ghost ridden a nicer bike while riding a crappy bike, whilst poor. No thievery or drug use was involved.
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And yet around here, people walk in the same types of stores that ask you to leave your bike outside with dogs.
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I wouldn't confront them either; it's just not worth the risk and a bike is replaceable (and hopefully insured).
If I'd seen something that suspicious, then I'd probably have phoned the police from the car to give them a heads up and a recorded description, and maybe waited in the car to see what way they went.
If I'd seen something that suspicious, then I'd probably have phoned the police from the car to give them a heads up and a recorded description, and maybe waited in the car to see what way they went.
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reminds me when I first moved to Boston, in my early 20s, was out walking w/ my girlfriend for dinner & such, we were down around the Fanuel Hall area when I saw a young well dressed, college age kid, ripping a radio & wires out of a BMW. I shouted & gave chase. I wasn't much older than him so I was able to give a good chase but he was faster. chased him all over Fanuel Hall in & out of buildings & alleys even shouting at a cop on a scooter to help, w/o any luck. the kid lost me. I believe in hindsight, I had a realization that it could have gone very wrong, for me. I was naive I guess
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If I take the risk of leaving my bike unattended, I would NEVER expect another cyclists to put his life on the line to prevent the theft of my lousy albeit expensive machine. That would be on me.
I stay out of cities. Of the 4 times a knife has been pulled on me, it was always in a city. Avoidance is the best defense.
I stay out of cities. Of the 4 times a knife has been pulled on me, it was always in a city. Avoidance is the best defense.
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these stores I'm referring to don't have wooden floors. The stores just take kind to our types...
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#45
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40+ years ago a HS football teammate of mine observed a man walk into his neighbor's garage and steal (ride off) with his neighbor's bike.
My friend sprinted after him and tackled the thief onto the pavement and landed on him breaking the thief's femur.
Sometimes Good Samaritans do not get harmed in these instances.
My friend sprinted after him and tackled the thief onto the pavement and landed on him breaking the thief's femur.
Sometimes Good Samaritans do not get harmed in these instances.
Doesn't mean that it was a good idea, that story could easily have had a really bad outcome. If it were my bike, I wouldn't want your friend to put himself at risk like that.
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Taking a photo would likely be seen, by thieves, as "confronting them." And it would be utterly useless, since all the cops do in those situations is write a report and move on. It's not like they're going to put the thieves' pictures on milk cartons, or run facial recognition software, for a relatively trivial crime.
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It's my belief that in high crime areas, your best bet (if it's practical) is to take EVERYTHING inside with you and leave the car doors unlocked. Then the thieves won't break your window to get in. They can open a door, browse through the console and glove box, and go away empty handed. Oh wait, your stereo might get pinched. Or the whole car. Never mind.
Guy on the radio the other day gave an interesting but useless bit of trivia: there is a town in northern Canada or Alaska, don't remember exactly, where it's illegal to lock the doors of your parked car. The reason: someone might need to hop inside at any time to escape a bear attack.
Guy on the radio the other day gave an interesting but useless bit of trivia: there is a town in northern Canada or Alaska, don't remember exactly, where it's illegal to lock the doors of your parked car. The reason: someone might need to hop inside at any time to escape a bear attack.
When I bought my Forester in 2016 it as only my second vehicle and the first with electronic locks. Early on I forgot to lock the doors with the key thingy. Someone stole the winter floor mats out of the back. WTH? What sort of resale market could there possibly be for them? I would imagine some shady guy standing on the corner in a trench coat. He opens one side of the coat, revealing the stolen good, and says "Who needs winter floor mats for a 2016 Forester? I got some winter floor mats here, cheap."
And the town you are thinking of is Churchill, Manitoba, Canada:
7 Things You Didn't Know About Canada · Kenton de Jong Travel
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And the town you are thinking of is Churchill, Manitoba, Canada:
7 Things You Didn't Know About Canada · Kenton de Jong Travel
7 Things You Didn't Know About Canada · Kenton de Jong Travel
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