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bike stolen?! — Brooklynian

bike stolen?!

maryk
maryk
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights

Hi,

I locked my bike up for 2 days to a big light pole on St. Johns and now it is missing. It was a beater of a bike, so I almost consider it a blessing, but I'm just wondering if maybe it was removed by the city b/c of locking it up to a light pole (which I usually don't do).

If so, might I be able to retrieve it somewhere?

I use a thick wire cord(?) and heavy duty lock as a lock, as opposed to a kryptonite kind of lock. Was it only a matter of time before this happened? i.e. what is the best kind of lock to use, that's not super expensive.

Thanks for any tips!

Comments

  • newguy88
    newguy88

    Hey Mary,

    I'm very sorry to hear about your bike! I can only imagine how much this must suck! I have never heard of the city removing a bike from a light post. The only city agency that removes bikes is the MTA. MY guess would be someone stole it.

    Do you have any pictures of your bike that you can post? Try posting them to some bike forums as well. The National Bike Registry allows you to put out a stolen bike alert for 99¢. Also try checking Craiglist some people have actually gotten their bikes back when the thief posted an ad.

    If your wire lock looks something like this http://assets0.webkite.com/datas/457512.best/original/232388.jpg?1329155079 Then yes it can be very easily cut. The only brand of lock I trust is Kryptonite. This is the lock I use. http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/ProductInformation.aspx?PNumber=999348 I also use a very cheap chain lock for the front wheel and my helmet.

    That being said why did you lock your bike outside for two days? :? The only safe place for your bike to be overnight is your apartment. Locking your bike outside overnight is ensuring it will at best get vandalized or stripped for parts or stolen eventually.

    But I'm very sorry that this happened to you!

  • goldemi
    goldemi

    Newguy88 is right. When I was a bit more naive, I locked my bike, middle of the day on 7th Ave (park slope) in front of a coffee shop for 10 min. using a 1" thick cable, and it was stolen. Clearly people saw as there's lots of foot traffic there (it was a nice bike too). The employees at R&A cycles had advice I heeded....only use the thickest heaviest kryptonite lock you can lug around, because it doesnt matter what kind of bike you have, people will steal it anytime, anyplace. And leaving it out overnight is bound to tempt vandals.

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    I wonder how many of the citibikes are going to be stolen or vandalized.

    Being that renters are not responsible for them after they check them back in (dock them) I suspect they will be very popular for people who live in 4th floor walk ups, and/or don't have a space in the their apt for a bike.

  • newguy88
    newguy88

    whynot_31 said:

    I wonder how many of the citibikes are going to be stolen or vandalized.

    I suspect few citibikes will get stolen. I think this is because of the three groups of people who tend to steal bikes.

    1. Druggies looking to trade them for a quick hit.

    2. Professional thieves looking to resell them on Craigslist, on the street, to pawn shops, bike stores and restaurants.

    3. Delivery people and bike messengers looking for parts or needing to replace a stolen bike on the cheap. I'm not entirely sure how common this one is. But my former bike mechanic swears it's very common.

    A citibike is well marked and very obvious. If you see one for sale on Craigslist you know its stolen. It's my understanding that Citibike has learned a lot from Paris which initially suffered horribly from theft and vandalism.

    As for vandalism. I know people are claiming it won't be a problem here but we shall see.

  • inpixels
    inpixels

    You would have to be a fool (or a hipster) to steal a CitiBike

    "Bike share bikes are made with special parts that have no independent resale value, and bikes and stations cannot be disassembled without special proprietary tools. New York’s bikes will also have GPS units on board, allowing for location of missing bikes."

    http://a841-tfpweb.nyc.gov/bikeshare/faq/

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    I like the GPS feature.

    We are going to get lots of data from these things. People will make pretty maps of commuting patterns, and the like.

  • newguy88
    newguy88

    Hmm, I hope they release the GPS data. I'd love to compare my biking to the average citibiker.

    Mary any updates on your cycle?

  • ehgee
    ehgee

    GPS maps? Yep.

    The bike is probably lost and gone forever, unfortunately. Cable locks get cut quickly in NYC, and rarely by the city. The Department of Sanitation has the job of removing abandoned bikes, and will only do so when the bike is obviously derelict, with rust and major parts missing.

    Here's a series of videos about how to lock a bike properly in NYC:





    In summary: always use a sturdy U-lock or hardened steel square link chain to secure the frame to a thick piece of metal planted into concrete, and fill up that U-lock with enough bike parts that a thief can't get a lever like a 2x4 in it; also secure both wheels with an accessory cable, security skewers, or another U-lock; also secure your seat, and consider further mechanisms like security bolts or supergluing/soldering bolts if your bike has particularly nice parts or lives outside.

  • newguy88
    newguy88

    Eghee thanks for posting Hal's videos! :) When I first got my bike I used these as a guide on how to lock my bike. And one full year later I still have it! :D

  • inpixels
    inpixels

    [video]

  • newguy88
    newguy88

    I've seen this video before and I really don't like it. I think one he is so obvious about it that must people assume he is legit. While, from what I know most, bike thieves quickly cut, snap or pop cheap or damaged locks and zoom off. But then again http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RefugeInAudacity.

  • maryk
    maryk

    Hi all,

    Thanks for all the tips and sympathy.

    I guess my bike was stolen b/c IT COULD BE (i.e. b/c of my lame lock, as opposed to much junkier bikes on the block with krypto... lesson learned).

    No big loss - I think maybe I was hoping the old thing would get stolen - but now I am bike-less and miss it!

    I wish I had pictures of it! There is a bike on Craigslist that looks the same, but there's a waterbottle cage and some pedal straps on there which I didn't have, but an easy enough improvement to make, and it's selling for $375! (I would have hoped to get $35 for it). Not sure I want to go check it out on a hunch with no proofs?!?!

    We do have video camera's on my building, and I think my bike might have been just off camera, so I will look at the footage to see if I can make out any activity off camera. I will report back.

    Mary

  • maryk
    maryk

    By the by, here's the ad for "my" bike on CL:

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/3792047955.html

    It's the same model, but I don't know if it's the same bike?!?!

    Hard tellin, not knowin

  • tsarina
    tsarina

    they are not going to add clips and a water bottle cage to it and then sell it.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    i chase my own bike thief many moons ago :/. but bastard was on my bike faster than me i could run after him. kinda sad i wish i could have something to throw at that asshole. I lock it with a cheap lock and went inside to get water and came out saw some dude young "teen" on my bike. i started to run. he saw and high tail out of there.

    I have many bike thieves on camera many times over the years. they never do get caught, its normally owners catch them. it is one of the lowest on the police to do things.

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    I doubt that bike will sell for $375.

    ...I think such bikes go for around $100 on craigslist.

    I've been offered them for as low as $50, from guys on the street.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    alot of times bike thieves horde them. I had a building full of stolen bikes, when i brought the crack house in prospect heights. the ex tenant stole tons of bikes. I try to give them away and at the end i gave it free to scrap metal guys.

    I read one news article about a bike thief with a similar tale lol. his apt was full of stolen bikes.

    stolen bikes don't sell that well.

  • ehgee
    ehgee

    The Specialized Rockhopper is a pretty common bike, and that one looks like it has all stock parts. The picture also looks like it's on a fancy roof deck in Carroll Gardens, which isn't so likely to be a bike thief haunt.

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