Thieves $uck, Part Dieux

[Xrayted]

That does suck. Sorry someone did that to you. One of my coworkers had hers stolen but the thief put their old, nasty one on instead. They took around $200 seat/post and left a $14 malwart one. At least she could sit on the way home though. The post wasn't quite the right size so it kept slipping but she made it home. People suck.

[Trek420]

I kind of like the electric shock idea ...

I vote for booby trapped saddles like banks do to the bag o' dough thieves get. Should be easy for DebW to design a device where the saddle explodes in a cloud of red dye if your seat is more than 20' away from your bike.

As the thief rides away on his bike POOF.

or ... how hard would it be to put GPS in a saddle?

[teigyr]

RUDE. I am going to have to websearch for Alarmed Lock.

Thieves really get to me. I guess I don't understand why they think they are entitled to something you worked for. There are only a few things that make me really angry and that is one of them.

Pigs ARE lovely creatures Thieves, on the other hand, need their kneecaps broken.

[shootingstar]

Yea, I had my saddle stolen while I was in a restaurant. I walked my bike home..it was only over 1 km. away, but I was a bit pissed off.

Bought a terry seat and immediately had mechanic change it from quick release to bolt. I like the look of a quick release..but not realistic. So had that changed too my next bike also.

My partner automatically locks up with 2 locks and 1 one of them is a cable lock so his sleek, but worn out Italia saddle doesn't get lifted.

[PinkBike]

well we put together parts from the assortment of bikes/parts we have around and ordered replacements from ebay. actually we found a better bianchi seat bag and official bianchi seat post (the other was brand x). and a kinda nasty looking replacement seat, but dh Must Have the specialized alias 143 and we got it cheap.

i really like the idea of special skewers (like locking lug nuts) and i really-really like the alarmed locks. i am so going to look into that.

thanks all for commiserating in our time of loss.

[Jiffer]

Our house was burglarized a few months ago. We thought for sure the bikes would be gone, but they weren't. Lots of other stuff, including my car, but the bikes were safely hanging where they go, next to a cupboard door that had been ripped off its hinges, so it's not like they didn't see the bikes.

Yay for us for that, but we did experience the loss of a lot of other things and the feeling of invasion that comes with any theft. Not fun! I feel for you.

[Trek420]

i really like the idea of special skewers (like locking lug nuts) and i really-really like the alarmed locks. i am so going to look into that.

thanks all for commiserating in our time of loss.

www.peterwhitecycles.com/pitlock.asp

These are a cool idea but ....

There's beauty to a QR. A nice QR lever is a beautiful thing like a classic Campy or the neato keen cool black ones on my Mavic rims. Seeing a rider with the QR adjusted just so fore and aft says "she knows her bike, or at least goes to a shop that does "

I hate it that we have to consider locking devices not only for our bikes but for individual parts Bike thieves suck and should be keel hauled from a fixie.

[NbyNW]

Very annoying. I don't understand why people feel like it's okay to rip stuff off people's bikes. Or to rip off entire bikes, for that matter.

Glad you were able to find suitable replacements.

My Dahon is ALL about quick releases, and it would be a pain to replace the seat & seatpost, since it's a wide-diameter post with SDG I-Beam system. If I ever have to lock that bike up outside, I either take the seat with me or run a cable through the seat to my U-lock.

[Flur]

I seem to remember a mini cable lock just for seat posts, back in the early 90s. Are those still around? I know they won't prevent real theft, but they do deter crimes of convenience and jokesters.

[PscyclePath]

That U-lock should also go around the seat tube or that bike is gone with a snip of the cable (sans the rear wheel).

That U-lock is applied a la Sheldon Brown (http://sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html), where the shackle goes around the rear wheel, inside the rear triangle; and you usually can't get the rear wheel out with the lock on it. Probably the biggest drawback to a U-lock (other than the weight, if you go with the more resistant ones) is finding something to lock up to that will let you fit frame, wheels, and something immovable inside the U.

U-Lock + cable, as shown, is mo betta.

Tom

[Triskeliongirl]

Hmmm, it looks to me like they get the bike quickly with a snip of the cable. Then at their convenience they can remove the U-lock and wheel, perhaps with liquid nitrogen if all else fails.

I use the kryptonie NYC chain + U-lock, but it is very heavy so I leave it on the bike rack at work.

That U-lock is applied a la Sheldon Brown (http://sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html), where the shackle goes around the rear wheel, inside the rear triangle; and you usually can't get the rear wheel out with the lock on it. Probably the biggest drawback to a U-lock (other than the weight, if you go with the more resistant ones) is finding something to lock up to that will let you fit frame, wheels, and something immovable inside the U.

U-Lock + cable, as shown, is mo betta.

Tom

[beccaB]

Didn't mean to make disparaging comments about pigs. They are very cute and make nice pets. I stayed in a campground once that had a baby pot bellied pig that had it's run of the place. It fell asleep on my foot. Anyway, though it hasn't happened here,people should be careful about the terms they use. Some seem innocent but are disparaging to certain ethnic groups of people, one of them being MY ethnic group, and I get all bent out of shape when people us it.

[lovelylibrarian]

My seat and seat post was stolen off my commuter last week too. I was so annoyed. I had been parking my bike in the same place for over a year. It was just the stock seat and post but they both had shock absorbing qualities. I hate the new one I got so now I'm going to try something else. VERY annoying.

I will get a locking seat post clamp now though instead of the easy release one.

I feel your pain. Mine wasn't expensive so I can only imagine how annoyed you are.

[OakLeaf]

how hard would it be to put GPS in a saddle?

Just about as hard as it would be for the thief to take it off.

Even if you installed a tracer inside the seat tube where a thief would be unlikely to look for it, you still have the issue of power. Auto/motorcycle LoJack devices are powered off the vehicle's battery. Add a battery onto a bicycle, and it could weigh more than the U-Lock, plus you have to find a place to put it where the thieves still won't see it.

Pink, I'm sorry that happened to you. Thieves DO s*ck.

[Lifesgreat]

This was posted on another board as a How to Lock Your Bike demo.

The cable lock starts on the front wheel, winds up and through the seat rails, goes down and connects to a U-lock that is on the rear wheel and bike rack. Might not deter someone really intent on ripping you off, but for the random "steal the seat for fun" twerps it should work.

Snap,

I am not smart enough to remember that spiffy way to lock a bike. sigh.