bike security

[logdiva32]

i m from bflo. they will steal your bike in 1 min, literally..
http://www.gothamist.com/archives/20..._the_da_27.php

[Xrayted]

and

[Grog]

Fabulous! Next time I hear someone say it's best to lock your bike in a busy place, I know I'll be right to laugh.

There's NOTHING to be done against bike thieves.

[DarcyInOregon]

I like the last scene, where the one person who took notice gave him advice on how to steal the bike better, while a police car was sitting right there.

All of the pedestrians, none of them were cyclists. If I saw anyone messing with a bike like that, I would call 911, or start screaming at the top of my lungs, or maybe bop him a big one. Cyclists are attentive to other bicycles. People who don't bicycle, well the bicycles are like the lamp posts, they don't see the bikes, becaue the bikes are just part of the urban clutter. Only cyclists and thieves see bicycles.

I was walking down a street in Paris last year. There was a bicycle wheel with a super thick chain, and the chain was wrapped around a lamp post. That was all there was, the wheel and the chain. I felt so bad. Somebody's precious bike was gutted, and only the wheel was left behind. It was a sad sight.

Darcy

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If I saw anyone messing with a bike like that, I would call 911, or start screaming at the top of my lungs, or maybe bop him a big one.

In NYC, you don't start screaming at someone stealing stuff- they might shoot you or knife you! Likewise bopping them one- do you want to get knifed over something like that? Calling 911 won't get you anywhere either- they will not respond to burgleries, etc, they'll tell you to call the police. By the time the police send in a request and get there, the thief will be LONG gone with bike. Your only chance would be if you can flag down a passing cop who can snag the guy before he sees the approaching cop and simply runs off. Altogether, not very good odds.

[pooks]

I still maintain that one reason the guy as able to do that is because he didn't act sneaky or surreptitiously.

When somebody carries a huge cutter and strolls up to a bike and cuts the chain, I'm going to be thinking, "That MUST be his bike, because surely no thief would be that brazen."

I would love to see them do the experiment and have the thief look like they're trying not to be notice or caught.

[mimitabby]

Most thieves are not looking around wildly when they are doing their deed, are they? (you've all seen surveillance camera footage)

When DH cut through a cable we had in public, we noticed that people didn't look at what he was doing. It was kind of dark, but i'm sure if he was stealing he would have gotten away with it. Now that's not to say that SOME people
will confront suspicious people, whether or not it's dangerous. But counting on those folks to be there...

So what CAN we use to keep our bikes from getting stolen?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I still maintain that one reason the guy as able to do that is because he didn't act sneaky or surreptitiously.

Real thieves don't act that way- they act casual, just like the guy in the video. Having grown up in NYC, I can assure you that few people would confront or even NOTICE someone cutting a bike chain off. If the crime does not involve someone being hurt, most people in large cities will choose not to get involved or put themselves at risk.

[Grog]

Real thieves don't act that way- they act casual, just like the guy in the video.

Which makes me say that the best way to break into a house is through the front door or even by a front window, using a ladder to climb in. (Wearing tradesperson-style overalls probably would help.)

I'm sure it would even work in a small town. Now maybe there would be more chance that there are witnesses around in a small town (not that they would do anything). In a big city, nobody will remember.

[Kitsune06]

You can get away with amazing stuff acting casually. Even if you get caught, you can usually make it really seem like you *should* be there if you're good.Besides. Security guards are way over worked, way, way underpaid, and unless whatever you're doing is outrageously obvious and suspicious, they're just as willing to let it happen .
*they* would really rather not do the paperwork on you, either.

[7rider]

"The secret to crashing a party is to look like you belong."
I don't know where I read that line, but I was thinking of this when I watched that vid.
Who's to say that's not his bike and he didn't just lose his key or have the key stolen? Hmmmm????

[pooks]

That's my thought, too, Regina.

Also, if he had been a minority, would people have been more aware of what he was doing?

[LadyinWhite]

In NYC, you don't start screaming at someone stealing stuff- they might shoot you or knife you! Likewise bopping them one- do you want to get knifed over something like that? Calling 911 won't get you anywhere either- they will not respond to burgleries, etc, they'll tell you to call the police. By the time the police send in a request and get there, the thief will be LONG gone with bike. Your only chance would be if you can flag down a passing cop who can snag the guy before he sees the approaching cop and simply runs off. Altogether, not very good odds.

Agreed. Exactly true. Hell, even if you see someone being physically hurt and do call 911 it may be minutes before you even get through. Add traffic into the mix and more minutes have gone by before the police/ambulance arrive. NYC is the absolute last place on earth you should have a heart attack because the ambulance literally cannot get to you in time.

I will say this, the chain used to lock the bike doesn't look at all like the chains I usually see locking bikes in the city. It is a fraction of the size. A bike thief is bound to go for a lighter weight chain like that. Not to say the heavier chain is a sure thing, heavens no, but at least the thief would need some SERIOUS cutters or longer than 6 min to cut through it.

[Grog]

That's my thought, too, Regina.

Also, if he had been a minority, would people have been more aware of what he was doing?

oh that would be an awesome study to make.

Let's do those videos again with a black guy (wearing the same clothes).

You raise a very good point.

[logdiva32]

I am from NYC raised in Bufflo. i am also black and hispanic. I don't think it would matter. I visit NYC and BFLO often, I think whoever said, best bet is to wave down a beat cop is right, anything else is in vain. I know I would be PO'd. I called my insurance and my bike is covered but with a $500 deductible!!! I keep my bike with me as much as possible, even here in WA state. I argue with the gym staff weekly to bring it inside. I cannot afford a new bike (by choice of profession) and I couldn't find a replacement like mine if I tried.