So Deanna's tthread got me to thinking... stolen bikes?

OK... I read Deanna's post about her DH bike and parts being stolen... SO glad to hear her DH found it and the police were able to catch the SOB!

So my question is have any of you etched your DL# into your frame? I know if my bike got stolen I'd have to seriously consider placing a homeowners claim to replace it... I'm actually looking to buy a "throwdown" bike to ride to the coffee shop... so if it gets stolen I'm not out big bucks... plus it would give me a "jeans and Tshirt" type ride for when I visit the nieces and nephew...

that being said, what IS the best way to protect your stuff? Anybody have any good suggestions???

I think I read this somewhere, but I've heard it recommended that you put your fingerprint permanently on the bike. On some spot not readily visible, get a good print on there somehow and then cover it with clear nail polish or the like. That way it's not readily apparent to a thief and you have a sure way of identifying it as yours. I think I could probably get a good print after one of my intensive chain cleanings!

I never leave my bikes alone anywhere, unless I'm on a ride and I leave it in front of a coffee shop or something, and even then I keep my eye on it, and if I need to, I undo the quick release on the back wheel. That way if anyone tries to hop on and ride away, they won’t get too far without serious problems.
I have a cheap bike that I ride around town; I got it at a garage sale for $150 and put a decent saddle on it. I would be devastated if one of my bikes ever got stolen so I take all the precautions and NEVER leave it alone.

It's been recommended to me that you put your business card or some other form of "This bike belongs to..." documentation IN your seat tube. Thieves who know what they are doing would have no qualms about rubbing out serial numbers or anything in the paint. They won't necessarily think to pull the seat off and look in there. I've heard of a few bikes being recovered through bike shops that were aware that the bike was stolen and that the owners name was there.

The scary development in my DH's bike story is that the guy who was selling it on eBay suspected it might be stolen and called the police to check the serial number. The person who took the call didn't even bother to check the stolen bike reports and told the poor man it wasn't reported.

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Originally Posted by Deanna

The scary development in my DH's bike story is that the guy who was selling it on eBay suspected it might be stolen and called the police to check the serial number. The person who took the call didn't even bother to check the stolen bike reports and told the poor man it wasn't reported.

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OMG! That absolutely stinks! I hope they are able to find out who the lazy cop was... sheesh... he needs to be held accountable for his LACK of action...

good tip on the business card in the seatpost... I will be putting my new saddle on soon and will do that!

my bike isn't painted (Litespeed so it's just silver titanium...no paint) but they probably would just scratch out any ID #'s... hmmm... maybe have it etched under the chainstays too...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yellow

I think I read this somewhere, but I've heard it recommended that you put your fingerprint permanently on the bike. On some spot not readily visible, get a good print on there somehow and then cover it with clear nail polish or the like. That way it's not readily apparent to a thief and you have a sure way of identifying it as yours. I think I could probably get a good print after one of my intensive chain cleanings!

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This is something we've done with our bikes only we used the clear lacquer to create the fingerprint.

Put the lacquer on an inconspicious spot - under the top tube - I have my print on the inside of the chain stays. Apply the lacquer (clear nail polish) and allow it to get tacky. Then put your thumb print on the polish and let dry.

Hopefully we'll never need to rely on the thumb print as identification but it's nice to know it's there.

wow! great ideas!

currently I don't leave my bike alone anywhere. in fact, when I ride to work, I park it behind my desk (draped in a lovely sarong that matches the decor in the NEW office. this does limit my to-work rides to dry days, but I don't mind that much.

we also have scads of insurance on them. we added a rider to our house insurance and it covers almost anything, with no deductible! for instance, if we accidentally drive into something with them on the roof rack, they're covered. as well, of course, as for theft, etc. it's not terribly expensive, but we do have a lot of bikes so it adds up.

not sure how the insurance rates in the states would be on this stuff...it's worth considering, tho.

Namaste,
~T~