Sorry for your loss. I agree with everyone who says keep it inside. I only lock mine outside if I’m riding to a store or something, and I use a Krypton New York Lock, OnGuard security skewers, and a Kryptonite cable on my seat. Even this level of security is no guarantee.
Edited almost immediately for clarity
Do you personally have proof of ownership for you bicycle? I know I don’t have for mine.
About a year ago, I had my approx. $1200 Specialized Allez road bike stolen while I was at university writing my last final exam of the year. I had that bike for almost 6 years and I bought it with my own money while in high school. Although it wasn’t work too much compared to other high end road bikes, it had great sentimental value because it was the bike that I used to learn how to race and get into cycling.
It’s bright red with black wheels. If you see someone riding this bike, break his/her legs! I reported the incident to campus security and the police, but they were of little help. I never found out what they did to try to search for it.
My bike was locked up in a very public place and I thought it would be safe with all the people around. I was wrong. I learned the value of a beater bike that day.
My new bike now stays inside the house.
The only solution is to be a vigilante. The police don’t care. Bike locks are useless , at best they will only give you 5 minutes of protection. If you see a guy with your bike, give him a flying kick to the nuts.
This comment brought some much-needed levity to this thread. I think it should be on bumper stickers (or bike helmets) across the nation. 
Wow. That video was amazing. I mean, I always knew that it was possible to cut through chains and everything, but I am stunned that a guy donning safety equipment and attacking a bike lock with an angle grinder would not even warrant a second glance during rush hour in NYC. I mean, New Yorkers are a weird bunch, but for the only person to take notice, a messenger, and who actually helped steal the bike… :eek:
What do you do? Even with 2 or 3 locks, that still only delays the thief… I’m not really interested in a beater bike, I want my effing 1952 Schwinn with chrome fenders!
I’ll obviously have to keep it inside, but now I’m paranoid about taking it anywhere…
I seem to have mislaid my insurance papers, but as a rider on my house insurance I pay somewhere around $60/year to insure both my 6 year old Specialized mountain bike ($1200 new) and my new Kikapu (like, $3000 or something insane). I get full replacement value for anything, including (I asked for some reason) if I accidentally back over it in the driveway.
I still keep it locked up in the basement, but it gives me great peace of mind nonetheless. OTOH, I’d pay at least an extra 40 on top of that to have the deluxe Chasing Dreams “we’ll find the cock jocky that swiped your wheels and kick them in the nuts” package.
In fact, now that I think about it, I’d pay more for property, car insurance, or even pay a yearly charge on a credit card if the companies in question didn’t just recompense me for loss, but went fucking mental on thieves and crooks.
That’s why it’s called “receiving stolen goods” and not theft. It’s their business to know whether the goods are stolen. If they do not request proof of ownership, they put themselves at risk. Any cop who tells you that you have to buy your own property from someone who purchased it illegally is a dumbass, or just doesn’t care about his job.
Whatever you do, don’t waste your time searching all over the city for the dismantled parts of the bicycle, then accuse a random dude of stealing it when you have no evidence, then eventually steal a bike yourself to replace it.
You will surely meet a tragic end if you do that. Believe me, I saw it in some movie.
And that’s why most smart pawn shop owners are quick to hand over anything that turns out to be stolen. They know this is a risk, and basically, so do the cops, and the cops aren’t going to shut them down or arrest them if they hand things over immediately. Really, how do I prove I own anything unless there was some sort of title that came with it when I purchased it? If the item has a serial number and I remembered to write it down before it got stolen, I can certainly prove it’s mine when I spot it at the pawn shop. But the serial number doesn’t prove anything when I’m trying to pawn one of my guitars.
Also, I think a lot, if not most, pawn shops now are tied into a network that lets them look things up when somebody brings something in, to see if it’s been reported stolen.
Bike locks are not useless. All that video shows is that someone with power tools in NYC can steal a locked bike. I rode a pretty expensive Mt. Bike to school everyday for three years and locked it to a bike stand each time. It was never stolen. I feel confident that if I had just leaned it against a tree It would have been gone the first day. The only reason I still have the bike is the lock. I found it to be extremely useful.
Kryptonite offers a $4500.00 anti theft guarantee on its New York lock.
I had a bike stolen, too, and when I went to report it, they said most bikes where the lock had been cut were stolen by professionals who only wanted bicycle parts. And this meant they most probably had dismantled my bike, took the parts and threw away the identifiable parts (i.e. the frame). This was what really pissed me off - I loved my bike. I had paid for it with hard-earned money, I had cleaned it meticulously and cared for it, and now it was dead and gone because somebody decided they wanted its tires. A pox on all bicycle thieves!
It’s funny you mention it. I was wandering my neighborhood last night, hoping the asshole that stole it would be stupid enough to leave it somewhere outside his house so that I could see it, and actually thought I’d found it. Upon closer inspection I saw that it was a different color and the fenders were different, so it was obviously not mine. But then I was pissed that this person still had their bike, just around the corner from where mine got stolen, and equally risky to steal in terms of proximity to the house and view from the road. So why did they still have theirs? In a fit of anger at this person who had not been victimized, I briefly considered stealing their bike- shit, that video made it look easy! Of course I would never do that, I wouldn’t want someone else to feel as shitty as I do. But damnit, I want my bike!
What pisses me off most is that my bike was relatively unique. I mean, if I had a nice new mountain bike or racing bike I’d still be pissed that it got stolen, but when I had the money I’d be able to go to Sports Authority or some other bike shop and get the same one. My bike was hard to come by, and I’m going to have a hard time getting a similar one. The things I liked about it (the bigger frame, the longer fenders, really everything that made it heavy as hell) are different on the 60s models I mostly see in bike shops. I’m thinking about the green 64 Schwinn (sparkly green hand grips!) but it’s still not the same.
I wondered about that… but ISTM that a classic bike would be more valuable all together. I mean, who’s gonna want to put funky old handlebars or fenders on a new mountain bike?
I’m going out searching again today, there’s a bike shop I just noticed last night I haven’t checked. Pawn shops are useless though. I’m leaving my name/number/description of the bike at the bike shops, but the pawn shops don’t even seem to care. I almost get the feeling they’re laughing at me when I leave. One place told me to keep checking back because they had a ton of bikes in the back (still in hock) but wouldn’t go look when I asked “because that’s people’s stuff they still have in pawn.” Well, it could be MY stuff SOMEONE ELSE has pawned, I’m not asking for a description of every bike, or the names and numbers of the people who pawned it, I’m just asking you to check and see if there’s an old blue Schwinn with chrome fenders back there. Bitch.
Did you file a police report? In some states pawn shops are required to report to the police if the get inventory in that might fit the description of stolen goods… I hope you do get your beloved bicycle back somehow, in good shape! ETA: Some states treat bicycle theft pretty seriously too! I think New York might be one of them, but I am uncertain. Good luck, in any case.
I filed a police report, but got the impression that they are totally useless unless I a) see the person riding my bike around the neighborhood or b) find it in a pawn/bike shop.
I’ve pretty much given up hope of finding it, but I’m going to hit up a few more stores first. Maybe I should just call all the pawn shops in the phone book.
I’m trying to look at it as an opportunity to get an even cooler bike. The shop I went to today had a 63 Schwinn that was white and pink with little pink flowers on the forks and tassles on the handlebars. Adorable! But he was asking $500, which it is totally worth since it’s expertly restored, but I don’t have that kind of money and probably won’t for a while.
Maybe bringing a copy of the police report with you as you talk to the pawnshops will help? It might in some cases at least.
Bring some hit men with you. :eek:
I don’t even have a copy of the police report (though I’m sure I could get one if I tried) because an officer didn’t even come to my house, he just took my info over the phone. Hit men would probably be helpful, although my sister might be good too. She is normally very loud, bossy, and bitchy, and not afraid of yelling to get what she wants. And now she’s 6 months pregnant, so she’s even crazier than normal.
Seeing a 6 months pregnant chick give a bicycle thief and/or unhelpful pawn shop guy a flying kick to the nuts would make me piss my pants.
Well, I just found my bike lock (looks like it was cut with bolt cutters) in a garbarge can in my neighborhood. Judging from what I can see through the window, this guy’s house looks like a junk shop. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the one that stole it.
But do the cops care? No, they’ll have an “investigator” call me back.
The location of this house makes me think it wasn’t a random dump as the theif(ves) fled- it’s a dead end alley and if they wanted a quick getaway, traveling the opposite direction down that alley would be the quickest route. Besides, I think the garbage has been picked up since then. I’ve gotta double check, with Easter it might not have been. Like it matters. Even if I could prove it, the cops won’t show up unless I actually see this guy with my bike. I understand probable cause and all, but come on. You could dust the lock for prints and run them through the system!
Do you think if I made a big enough stink they would?
See what you can see, without being seen yourself is what I would do. Good luck.