Lowest of the low...bike thieves

[DarcyInOregon]

Sorry about your losses. It is painful to lose a bike.

You asked if anyone ever recovered their bike. There was a story on the local television news this week. A cyclist in Portland, Oregon, had his bike stolen. He found his stolen bike advertised on Craigs List and he and his friends set up a sting operation to catch the thief. It was a successful sting operation, and that is why there was a news story about it.

Darcy

[Trek420]

Adventure Gal where are you?

She recovered her bike. I should let her tell it but as it was told to me her beloved customized MTB was stolen. AG is my height or shorter, she's small but mighty ).

She didn't give up. Her DH who does some manner of construction I think kept receipts, descriptions in his truck.

She went on to love other bikes but as I hear it one day AG DH was driving around when he sees it! Teeny Tiny MTB being perilously ridden by full size guy. Note to bike thieves don't do this again because AG reverses her brakes the rear brake is not the one you think it is

AG DH collared the thief, got the bike and .... had all the papers too.

There really is a special place in he}} for bike theives.

If I ever found the jerk who stole my Trek right outa the house ..... there's no internet access in jail, right? Darn, no TE. Then I guess I could not do what I would want to do to him.

My bikes are usually locked even INSIDE my home.

[northstar]

We'll be watching Craig's List and going to the Mpls Police Bike Auctions coming up. Not only to watch for our bikes, but probably to buy commuter type bikes.

This might cause some distracted driving. I still examine every red looking clunky bike I pass. Even wonder if it's my cruiser, repainted sometimes. Now to keep my eyes peeled for our other bikes, wow...

[mimitabby]

I am terribly freaked out about getting my bike stolen esp. after my son's was stolen a month ago or so.
When i helped him buy a new one, i bought him a 50 dollar lock.
I also just bought myself a very thick combination cable. I do not leave
my bike unlocked out of my sight anywhere.

I'm sorry about your bike. A lock (HEAVY ONE) is a good investment.

[mary9761]

I'm really sorry to hear about your bikes.. There's a gentleman on Bikejournal who had a nice roadie stolen a while back and he's from Alberta, Canada. He never thought he'd see it again. Strangely he DID get the bike back and if I remember correctly (some of the gals on both forums can correct me if I'm wrong) it actually showed up at the Police Dept left outdoor of the precinct I believe.

Years ago my son had a bike stolen, he had left it on the front porch of our apartment for 2 minutes (if that) and went straight back outside and it was missing. We walked around the apartment complex and found it. I had someone go call 911 while I stood watching the bike then they came back while I went to get the paperwork with the serial number etc on it while we waited for the sherriff. The person who stole it had already broken pieces OFF the bike in the few minutes they had it (trying to make it look different I'm guessing) and had hidden it behind several other bikes on their back patio (probably also stolen) When the police arrived, I showed them my paperwork proving that I owned the bike and the thief had the nerve to try to say 1st that I'd broken into their apt to take the bike in the first place, then that when I showed the paperwork with the serial number to the sherriff they had the nerve to say I broke into their apartment to get the paperwork WTF???? They were people who unfortunately had been caught stealing other items in the neighborhood and that was why I wasn't surprised to see it hidden on their back porch, but when I wanted to press charges when they'd literally been caught red handed with a stolen bike the police officer told me lady, just be happy you got the bike back. Whatever, we did get the bike back but it was damaged and I think we ended up having to get another bike eventually but, sometimes you get it back sometimes not and even when you catch the thief in a bold faced lie, it doesn't mean the police are going to do anything about it.

[northstar]

Yeah...I had just been at an LBS the other day to buy a lock for my road bike. The guy wanted to sell me a mini-U lock for $60, and I said no thanks. I'm now realizing that I can more easily afford a $60 lock than a whole new bike. So much for cable locks.

DH said the bikes were locked up, in what he perceived to be a safe spot...yikes. I guess if people are determined to take, they will.

[DarcyInOregon]

Actually I have a story about getting my stolen bike back.

I was in high school, in 10th grade. I had purchased a ladies' Raleigh 5-speed with my own money, in a beautiful blue. This was a lot of years ago because I am 53 now. I commuted to school and everywhere else on that bike. At school, I locked the bike to a chain fence on the school property. One day I found the cable cut, and no bike.

I had the bike licensed with the police department. A few months later the police called me and told me my bike was recovered; the license was glued to the frame and the thieves never removed it. However it was the frame only. The thieves were two drop-out boys from the high school, and they had stripped the bike and sold everything on it, including the wheels and the bike bell.

Because the thieves were juveniles, I took the parents to small claims court to get the money to fix my bike to where it was. I got an estimate from the bike shop and the cost would be about $150. It turns out each boy was from a single parent family. Thief number one had an aging prostitute alcoholic mother. Thief number two had a widowed father who worked as a janitor. The judge found against the father because he was the only one with an income. The father came up to me after the judge's decision and asked me if he could pay me $10 a month. My father was with me, and I asked my dad if I could borrow the money from him to fix the bike, and in return I would pass on the monthly money from the judgement. My dad said yes, and my parents were quite poor, so that was a significant yes. So I told the thief's dad it was ok. My dad gave me the money to fix my bike, which I did, and over the next 15 months the janitor paid $10 a month and I handed each check to my dad when it came in.

Funny thing is I can't remember what happened to that bike. I eventually got a 10-speed road bike, and I can't remember what happened to the Raleigh. Can't remember what happened to that 10-speed either.

Darcy

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Buy heavy duty locks, and if possible don't leave your bike locked up where there aren't any people hanging around.

[Triskeliongirl]

I am sorry for your loss. I had my beloved bike friday pocket rocket pro stolen locked securely to a bike rack near a security guard booth at work. I used a combo cable lock, and I learned after the fact how easy it is to break BOTH combo and cable locks. I purchased a NYC kryptonite lock for nearly $100 that weighs 5 lbs, and keep it permanently on the bike rack, but no more bike thefts! I have a second one that I use if I go downtown and want to leave it. You could consider a used touring bike, you can put a rack on with shopping panniers for errands, and also have it for road riding and even touring which can be a lot of fun.