jbandt

So today at work I take my morning break to find my bike has been stolen. What is odd is that I lock it up to an iron fence and it is largely obstructed from view. It stays under some redwood trees behind some bushes. The here are two small private business complexes divided by a row of hedges and the iron fence seperates the complexes from the residential neighborhood behind them. There is even hedges along the fence that hide the bike from view of the houses. Yet today, the bike is gone. What's worse is the rack, speedometer, hand pump, bottle cage as well as the two brand new tires and tubes I had just put on are now all gone too. All that was left was the cut lock which was one of the heavy duty cable locks. I believe it s 5/8" thick and apparently it wasn't enough. Given the location I know it had to be somebody around that sees the bike locked up during the day which limits it to someone in the neighboring complex or somebody from the houses behind the businesses. Thankfully this was a used bike I picked up off CL that I didn't have a ton invested in, but its still maddening.

Just needed to vent. Thankfully the walk home isn't too long!!

chefisaac

That sucks man. Did you lock it to the fence?

chefisaac

Keep an eye on craigslist for it.

treadtread

Which part of the world are you in? If you put up some pictures of the bike here and on craigslist stating where it was stolen, people will help keep an eye out. I know I would, and I check cragislist quite often. A few months ago there was a guy who bought an obviously stolen Surly LHT for $100 at a BART station, then advertised on craigslist asking the actual owner to come forward and identify the bike - he checked up on identification marks and returned it to the owner.

apollored

Thats so heartbreaking especially if you were looking forward to your break and then this, nightmare.

Hope you manage to get it back then you have good reason to speak to Management about maybe keeping it inside the building if possible.

no1mad 

If you have a picture or provide more detailed info about the bike, then contact the mods about posting this here.

voj112

I used to lock my bike with a cable lock just like yours, but it eventually got cut but a simple pair of garden shears one night. It's just a bunch of thin wires. The thief much have been pretty glad you locked it up in such a well hidden area, where nobody can bother him/her.

Jaye

As was eluded to by voj112 you probably did yourself a huge disservice by hiding your bike. Better for it to be right out front where nobody has a chance to work on stealing it without a ton of witnesses.

Hope you get it back though.

jbandt

Yeah I thought about the fact that hiding it makes it easier for someone's to take it without being seen, but figured it'd be safe since only a small number of people can even see it, but I was wrong. The next bike will definitely be locked in my line of sight. I don't even have pictures of it so that I could give a heads up to folks, but I will be watching CL closely. I'm also filing a police report for good measure.

Ns1

after having 3 bikes stolen my bike never leaves my sight. if this current bike gets stolen, my next bike will be a folding bike!

CenturionIM

so sorry OP. On another note, did you register the bike with the lock company? some of them provide insurance for stolen bikes. The thief was "kind" enough to leave you the broken lock, so that route might actually work...

mikemartin

I was just about to post a thread about bike security. Sorry about your lost. I been watching a youtube channel called LondonCycling where he talks extensively about bike security. And cable locks are one of the biggest things he recommends against. I know it doesn't help you now but next time around. I would get one or two thick D locks. Most of the reputable companies also offer Anti theft protection, sometimes up to $4000 if someone steals your bike using their locks. Kryptonite"s website:
^This is after meeting certain requirements, none of which are unreasonable.
I hope everything works out for you, sorry for your loss.

https://www.kryptonitelock.com/Docume...CONDITIONS.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPDHPpnXPv8

jbandt

No I didn't. it was a cable lock made by master lock. I may have to see if they offer something like that.

Notso_fastLane

Reading this thread (sorry about your bike), something just occurred to me. When I bought my motorcycle, the dealer included free Microdot security dots with the registration. I don't see a price on the website, but I might look into this for my bicycle, and thought I would make others aware of this product.

I'll post back when I find the cost. The nice thing about the microdot system is that you apply some to every part of the bike, which lets them be found. The downside is that if you replace major components, you'd have to get more microdots.

K'Tesh

Sorry to hear about the loss of your ride. I've had three stolen over the years (two I got back), I know how it feels. I hope you are reunited with your bike.

One thing that I do with all my bikes now is I take a photograph of the serial number, then post it to flickr (private setting). If I'm the victim again, I can access my serial number anywhere I can access flickr at any time.


This bike was destroyed, so I have no problem sharing the serial number for it.

I also purchase a Bike ID Kit (like this from REI) to aid in recovering my bike.

acidfast7

in Denmark, more than 50% of stolen bikes are recovered.

ChrisM2097

I know this is too little, too late, but invest in a good U-Lock. Cable locks are very easily defeatable.

I lost the keys to one of my cable locks, and decided to experiment. I simply used a pair of needle-nose pliers (the cutter portion, of course), and was able to cut through the cable in less than 8 seconds. Of course, using a tool that better designed for this purpose will certainly cut through faster.

U-Locks are far from perfect, and are certainly not theft-proof, but the average thief probably won't bother if the bike is locked up correctly.

Years ago, I too had a bike stolen from work...locked to the post of a chain-link fence in the secured parking garage (most employees don't even have access).

neil

Always remember there's no such thing as "heavy duty cable." All cable locks are quick & easy to clip, and even the thick ones. U-locks are certainly not unbeatable, but a decent one will at least slow a thief down.

I had a less expensive, but equally frustrating run-in with thieves this week. The small bracket that hooks my headlight onto my bike went missing. Replacement value: $2.20. But I ended up taking the bus that day ($2.10 x 2) and having to buy new batteries for my AAA powered light ($8) in order to use it instead. So all in, it cost me about $15 and a missed ride for a little piece that's completely worthless to anyone but me.

zonatandem

Sort of hard that you could pay more for a couple super-duty locks than the bike is worth!

psy

my bike was stolen about a month and a half ago -so i feel your pain.i had alot of commuting gadgets on it at the time too.i turned the negative into a positive and got a better bike based on what i learned from building up the first.i love my new bike

good luck with the next one