Stolen bike. (long)

[steinspinne]

Long time lurker turned poster here. Just wanted to share my experience and perhaps get some advice.

About 6 months ago I bought a Dawes Lightening Sport. Not the greatest reputation, I know, but it was cheap and new, got me around town, and damn it was pretty. My first road bike, and a suitable replacement for my old Wal-Mart Schwinn. It was slowly starting to coax me away from my sedentary lifestyle and enjoy riding for the first time in ages. I had it decked out. Frame bag under the seats, LED head- and taillights, cyclometer, nifty water bottle cage, the works. All entry-level equipment, mind you, but it was mine. It was what made my bike unique.

Flash forward to yesterday morning. My boyfriend works on-campus at the college we go to. We wake up and he is almost late to work. I agree to take him (because parking is a nightmare) and we leave at 9:55. He forgot his cigarettes, so I dropped him off and planned on running upstairs to our apartment, grabbing his smokes and biking back to campus to deliver the goods. I pull into the parking lot, look up to our apartment, and there is a gaping hole where my precious bike had been only 45 minutes earlier. Just gone. I assumed that since I lived on the second floor and had the bike in front of my living room window secured to the balcony with a cable lock I would be fine. I was wrong.

It's a strange feeling. I am not experienced enough to consider myself a true "biker". I don't even own a pair of cycling shorts. And I'm not my usual firey self spitting and howling like a crazed cat out of anger. No, I just feel resigned to the fact that it is gone. My bike is gone. And it just makes me feel sort of hollow. Even now, my helmet and air pump are sitting in a lonely corner of my living room mocking me. The head unit of my cyclometer sitting uselessly on top of my training log, never to be reunited with the mount still attached to MY bike.

Sure, I filed a police report within the hour. Checked the local pawn shops and LBS's. But I don't really have much hope that it will be returned to me. I'm going to give it two weeks. If it's not back by then, I'll just consider it $350 down the drain and start fresh. I've even started looking at new bikes, because I don't want to be out of the saddle for too long.

I've pretty much decided on a Trek 7.2FX WSD. But a part of my is too afraid to leave it on a rack on campus while I'm in class. Which is why I'm also considering a folding bike like the Dahon Jack. Something relatively rugged that I can just fold up and lug around to class with me, thus eliminating the post-theft paranoia.

It is a 7 mile round trip from my apartment to the college, with a few patches of really rough asphalt (almost feels like riding on cobblestone) and one absolute monster of a hill that I still can't tackle without walking a bit. Has anyone ridden a folding bike under these conditions? I would also like to eventually increase my mileage and I don't know if a folding bike would be willing to grow with me.

...is it too soon?

[mimitabby]

I'm so sorry about your bike being stolen. I don't know about folding bikes, some of them are really heavy.
I do like your spirit and enthusiasm though. get yourself a new bike.
good luck

[margo49]

How distressing!
I had a bike stolen off my porch while I was lying down after a chemo treatment. It is exactly that - a feeling of resignedness, not even angry.
You will pick yourself up in a day or three and get a new bike.
Thinking of you in the meantime..

[steinspinne]

Thanks for the karma, guys. I'm going to bed. Early to rise tomorrow. You're right, though, I probably will break and fork over the credit card to the LBS before next week is out. No sense waiting on something that in all likelihood will never come home.

[DarcyInOregon]

Sorry about your loss. It hurts to lose a bike, like losing a pet.

Don't get a folding bike. You won't like it.

Try looking for a good used bike, that is quality, but doesn't look fancy to the untrained eye and thus not worthy of stealing. Maybe an old 10-speed until you are out of campus life and can afford better.

Darcy

[margo49]

Yeah, like Darcy said. You want something that doesn't attract attention. This is more to do with shinyness and paint job than quality. My bikes have all been unobtrusive and it has even worked a treat without locking sometimes.
If you have any pagan friends they can put an invisibility spell on it too!
I am really thinking of you, btw. It's a horrible feeling.

[Mr. Bloom]

I agree with Margo and Darcy.

There is a psychology to being robbed that can turn into an obsessive paranoia. Make sure that you get something that you will continue to be comfortable enough to:

• Chain it to a bike rack
• Go into class
• Concentrate on class and not on whether your bike is safe

Regardless of how you feel right now,I think that many on this forum can attest to the impact that being robbed had on them...and it can linger for quite a while. You're still in a campus environment where thefts are common.

I applaud you on how well you're handling this right now...but you've also proven that you are a "true biker"...get some shorts and we'll call you a "cyclist"

[Python]

I applaud you on how well you're handling this right now...but you've also proven that you are a "true biker"...get some shorts and we'll call you a "cyclist"

I'd say you are most definitely a "true biker". Doesn't matter if you wear cycling shorts or not. I wear shorts sometimes, but because of our yukky British weather, I more often than not wear 3/4 leggings from ASDA-Walmart at £3 ($6) a time.

It's funny how our bikes seem to become "living beings", part of the family and getting one stolen...

Keep an eye on the second-hand market (Craig's List?) I read about someone who had their bike stolen and they spotted it advertised in one of these lists. They set up a meeting, got their bike back and the thief got arrested by the police.

When you get your new bike, consider getting a small CCTV camera and train it on your bike. At least if someone tries to steal it, you can give the tape to the police. The chances are it would be someone already known to the police. These cameras are very inexpensive and hook into a normal video recorder or a computer. We've had CCTV's on our house for years. Our little colour camera is the size of a golfball and gives really clear pictures - even at night so long as it has some light. It also has extremely good "ears" so if there are a couple of thieves, it could also record names. Ours can see and hear right to the other side of our street quite clearly - about 200 yards. Ours cost us under £30 ($60). Well worth it. You could sit it just inside your window in a discrete place.

Also get a shackle type lock as these are harder to break. Cable locks are easily cut with bolt-cutters. Shackle locks would need an angle-grinder especially the good quality ones.

Good luck. I hope you get your bike back or get a nice replacement.

[uforgot]

I have to agree with the others here. Buy used. You'd be amazed at how many Raleighs and Specialized bikes from the 80s and 90s are on Craigslist. No suspension, but you don't need it for a commuter. I'd shoot for under $100. I certainly wouldn't chain a brand spankin' new bike to a bike rack, and what a pain it would be to fold one up everytime you went to class. Maybe invest in a really good lock.

[onimity]

Sorry to hear about your stolen bike! I had a bike stolen and I was slow to replace it; it cost me a lot of good years of riding. I still wonder where that bike is and what happened to it.

I have seen a lot of locks that guarantee your bike up to a certain amount depending on the quality of the lock. I don't know how good they are about honoring that guarantee, but maybe others here know? Regardless I agree with the others that a good lock and a bike that is a bit older are ways to protect yourself. Also, securing your bike with two locks of different types (u-lock + chain lock) is a good idea, thieves have to be able to break both. If you don't want to carry a U-lock around you can just leave your U-lock attached to the place where the bike gets locked up overnight. Another idea is to vary the places where you lock your bike up so that thieves don't recognize a pattern.

I hope that the thief gets caught but am glad to see that you are so willing to hop right back in the saddle. Good luck!

Anne

[makbike]

Don't be afraid to take your bike into lecture halls. I would often park my at the back of the classroom/hall before class started. I never felt comfortable leaving it locked outside, all by its lonely self. I never had a professor question my bike or my intentions.

[Python]

I'm very lucky that I can park my bike next to my desk at work. In town we have a lot of bike stands. The safest place to leave your bike is the one which is watched by manned CCTV cameras - always the most popular bike stand in town. My bike's older so less of a risk of being stolen (although age doesn't put some thieving little gits off). When I get the new bike next month, I won't be leaving her anywhere out of my sight.

I think if I caught anyone trying to steal my bike, I'd thump them!

Another way to help protect your bike, or at least if it becomes stolen/recovered is to mark it in various places with an ultra-violet pen - the type that fluoresces under a UV light. You can get these pens from the police. Here in Britain they give them away free. You put your house number and postcode (zip code) on various places on the bike. Once the ink dries you can't see it. These have been invaluable in reuniting people with their stolen goods. You can use them to mark TVs, videos etc. Also take a note of the serial number although some thieves will file off the number, many don't.

[farrellcollie]

I use a twenty inch folder (we have both a dahon speed8 and a downtube Viii) to commute 5 miles to the city campus where I teach. It is no problem at all to use on the horrible city streets of st. louis. I have used the folders on rides as far as twenty plus miles without incident. Check out both the full sized folders (the jack for example) and the twenty inch - the smaller fold may work better for carrying in to class. I take mine into my office and have had to carry it up stairs a few times when the elevator was out - I was very happy to have the smaller bike then. There is a student who also has a 20 inch folder that is left in the bike racks outside the building I am in. He has no trouble using it as the urban commute bike either (we talked about it one day as we met riding in).
Folding the bike is not a big deal - it takes about thirty seconds once you get used to it - but to carry it into a class - you might need a bag - they do get dirty, chain rubs on you etc. and they can be awkward to carry. I find that folding the bike takes me less time than when I try to chain it some place with my onguard mini thing. Locking it takes me forever. I probably have more practice in folding than I do in locking it to a rack. I really like mine and am glad I have them. There is an entire folding bike forum at bikeforums.net if you want more info on them.
Having a bike stolen really sucks.

[Blueberry]

Sorry about your loss. It hurts to lose a bike, like losing a pet.

Don't get a folding bike. You won't like it.

Try looking for a good used bike, that is quality, but doesn't look fancy to the untrained eye and thus not worthy of stealing. Maybe an old 10-speed until you are out of campus life and can afford better.

Darcy

I have to disagree with the statement that someone universally won't like a folding bike. She might. I love my Bike Friday - had a few issues getting it just right after it came (mostly assembly related), but now it rides great.

I would say it's worth looking at folders. Mine doesn't take a hit in ride quality, but it's also not in the same price range. Some take more of a hit in quality. Some can be found used for very reasonable prices. The peace of mind might be worth it.

Hugs to you, and good luck finding a new bike! They really are almost family members...

[Grog]

Thanks for the karma, guys. I'm going to bed. Early to rise tomorrow. You're right, though, I probably will break and fork over the credit card to the LBS before next week is out. No sense waiting on something that in all likelihood will never come home.

If you paid for the other one with a credit card it might be covered by some insurance. It's not a very well known clause of credit card policies, so few people use it, but it's worth looking into...

So sorry your bike was stolen, it really sucks. Check Craigslist too, if that's of any relevance in your area. (I bet it is if you have a university nearby...)