Down with bike thieves
on February 16, 2010
Did anyone see this story in the L.A. Times? In L.A., a group of 20 guys on bicycles surrounded two alleged bike thieves, stripped them down to their boxers and sent them on their way. Pretty funny. The L.A. Police Department says bike theft is on the rise there—up 29% last year, with almost 2000 bikes reported stolen.
Yes, it’s L.A., not Oakland, but it seems like bike theft is on the rise here too. Two weeks ago a friend of mine brought a shiny vintage Schwinn from Manifesto, happily rode it to lunch—only to have it stolen while she was eating. She thinks her lock may have been faulty. Also, recently, when I was out riding with a friend, we locked up and came back to his handlebars, gears and cables stripped off his bike. Seeing his denuded bike without handlebars was a sorry sight.
Apparently, L.A. thieves are sawing gaps in bike racks and covering them with stickers, so when people lock up the thieves can just slip the lock through the gap. I guess the take-away is, be sure your lock works, always lock properly and beware of stickers.
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Locking up my bike is something I almost always think twice about. I had a locked bike stolen 19 years ago, and still have not gotten over it. I have heard that many components are being stolen these days. I recently installed “pin head” locks on my hubs and seat post, which provides me some peace of mind.