Caution bike/moped/scooter owners!

[Furner]

I have had three well-locked bikes stolen from my parking garage in the past two weeks. Others in the same building have had bikes and a scooter stolen. I also lost a third bike that was well-locked in the downtown area.

My other bike is locked with a u-lock, and so far it has not been touched. But it could be a matter of time before that changes.

[fotoman311]

I have had three well-locked bikes stolen from my parking garage in the past two weeks. Others in the same building have had bikes and a scooter stolen. I also lost a third bike that was well-locked in the downtown area.

My other bike is locked with a u-lock, and so far it has not been touched. But it could be a matter of time before that changes.

[GRDadof3]

Which parking garage have these thefts come from?

You can post the thefts to the Bicycle Incident Report Database. It's an unofficial thing, but it could be useful for trending and targeting of where thefts and other incidents are occurring. http://www.g-rad.org/bird/

Also, be sure to report the thefts to the police. Someone in the Rapid Wheelmen bicycle club had her bicycle stolen. She filed a police report, and posted to the club's yahoo group about the theft.

The next week at Blues on the Mall, my wife spotted a man on a bike that she thought looked too fancy for him (it was a nice road bike with clip in pedals, but he was not wearing special shoes or nice clothing). Then she looked again and realized it was our friend's missing bike. She told some nearby police officers about it. They didn't do anything, so she again went and pleaded with them. They called in the description and indeed it matched the report that was filed and our friend got her bicycle back after they confronted the guy and confiscated it. The didn't think he was the actual thief.

And finally...don't forget to lock your bicycle properly: http://www.kryptonitelock.com/TechLab/HowToSecure.aspx

Obviously, not all of these lock tips are possible at all times, but it can pay to be careful. No deterrent is going to stop a well equipped thief if he's given enough time alone with the lock.

[mgreven]

So we bought bikes for our anniversary and since we were staying overnight at the AGP, we thought we'd drop off the luggage and then ride our bikes there for some fun and save a couple (or $16) bucks. We locked them in the parking garage (right by the little pay guys) and figured they should be fine since they were kind of "inside". Then in a moment of downtime, I checked UP and read this thread. Suddenly, we got very paranoid since we just spent a small fortune on these new bikes. We asked the valet guy what he thought and they were so nice and offered to store them inside the hotel for us. Even offered to go get them. Since they were locked, we just got them, but we were all dressed up for a night out. We (especially my wife in a dress and heels) looked quite funny walking those across the street. One older gentlemen waiting for his car commented on our bikes, we told them that we just got them and he said, "Now you should invest in some riding apparel!" =)

Anyway, our bikes might have been OK, but thanks to UP for sharing and making sure we didn't lose our gifts! (that would have been a bad end to a good couple days!)

[zenstyle]

Here's what boggles my mind, especially when it comes to heavier thefts (e.g., motorscooters.) It takes TIME and probably two people to load one up into the back of a pickup truck. How is it that NO ONE SEES THIS HAPPENING? Surely, these thefts don't all occur in the dead of night.

[fotoman311]

Here's what boggles my mind, especially when it comes to heavier thefts (e.g., motorscooters.) It takes TIME and probably two people to load one up into the back of a pickup truck. How is it that NO ONE SEES THIS HAPPENING? Surely, these thefts don't all occur in the dead of night.

[Allison Slater]

This is why I don't really concern myself with upgrading away from my $15 garage sale bike. For one, it isn't going to be a high target. For two, if it DOES get stolen, a $15 loss is greater than a $100 loss.

[AlexPKeaton]

If I had a bike I were parking on the street I'd also agree with tSlater. Fortunately, when I commute via bike I can bring the bike up to my office and not worry about it. If I start riding elsewhere I may have to get a beater.