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Saw this on Race Street and had to take a picture. I can think of ways this isn't a bike being stolen from around the wheel... but that's probably what's happened. I think I'm going to print a few copies and have one with me and post a few here and there. Attachment 18126
Link to blog post w/ bigger pic https://bicycleuc.wordpress.com/2016/08/21/more-pics/
Yeah, better ways to lock a bike. If it was left from a theft not u-locking at least around the rim made the wheel easier to take by just cutting a couple of spokes too.
Skewer and seat post locks help to ease my mind in L.A.
Nice bike rack though!!!
Being the optimist I am, I'm hoping someone just wanted to lock up a wheel. :) Naw, no way, though.
When I lived and commuted in Chicago (sometimes called the bike theft capitol of the world), it was bad. I was lucky in that my boss allowed me to keep my bike inside, at work. Otherwise, I would have done what a lot of folks I knew would do and that is buy a cheap bike for commuting and leave the good stuff at home. Another option was to buy an old bike, upgrade with good components, but make sure it didn't look like it was in good shape, even if you had to screw up the paint job, cover labels and so on. Crazy stuff, for sure, but pro bike thieves in the area traveled around in vans and with high tech saws and cutters and could beat any lock or chain in minutes.
Best advice I can give is lock up your bike when going into a store or work, as close to the entrance as you can, where it is in plain sight with a lot of shoppers/employees coming and going. If you can lock up your bike so it is visible through a store/business window, all the better. A bike parked off to the side, somewhere, and out of plain sight makes it easy for a thief.
Believe it or not, some stores and shops where I was a regular customer and folks knew me as the "bike lady" would allow me to bring my bike inside the store. If you're in area with a thriving bike culture, this is not unusual.
If you're in an area of ... oh, "small town" culture then it happens, too. A beer & wine store told me to just bring my bike in.
Another possibility would be somebody who lost their key, and so took away the parts of their bike that they could. That's *possible* since the wheel is... still there. I suspect it's left there as a lesson, though.