[Noisebridge-discuss] my bike was stolen

Robert Fletcher lobatifricha at gmail.com
Mon Feb 25 04:57:28 UTC 2013


That really sucks.  My bike was stolen back in May from near Market and 3rd
Street in San Francisco.  I had it locked up at one of the bike racks and
came back a couple of hours later to find only the U lock laying busted on
the ground.  Looked like they hit it pretty hard with something as it was
bent out of shape.

What I learned from this experience:

1) Get a really good lock. And keep in mind that even a U lock can be
busted if they're big enough to get some leverage on. I lug around 2 of
these suckers now:
www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-Fahgettaboutit-Bicycle-U-Lock-6-Inch/dp/B000OZ9VLU/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1338792730&sr=1-2


2) Register your bike at bikeshepherd.org!  The process is really easy and
they give you one of those stickers that's damn near impossible to get
off.  It's got a QR code on it, so you put it on your bike so people can
scan it to see if it's stolen, and hopefully thieves will think twice about
nabbing a bike that is tagged.

3) Register your bike lock!  Most manufacturers have some sort of insurance
policy against theft, especially if it involves breaking their lock.

4) Get renters insurance!  Most policies should cover bike theft.

5) Be mindful of where you lock your bike!  I had the mistaken impression
that locking up my bike with a U lock and cable was sufficient deterrent,
but clearly it wasn't.  These guys grabbed my bike off a busy street in
broad daylight.  If the place you're going has some sort of interior bike
storage put it there, and still lock it!
6) If you're concerned about seat theft (which you should be) you can get a
little cable for cheap, or most bike shops should be happy to use a bit of
bike chain to secure it to the frame for you.

7) Last, consider plastering your bike with stickers and/or duct tape.
Anything to make it a little less attractive to thieves.

Sorry about your loss. Getting your bike stolen feels awful. It happens *a
lot* and the authorities don't seem to care too much about it, nor do
passers by<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGttmR2DTY8&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL08BFA86B85B7B165>.
I talked to a cop who was standing nearby and he just kind of shrugged his
shoulders.


On Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 3:28 PM, Lee Sonko <lee at lee.org> wrote:

> I hope you get your bike back too!
>
>
>
> On Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 2:36 AM, Ever Falling <everfalling at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> "It was locked with a pretty serious cable lock, which they cut pretty
>> cleanly somehow"
>>
>> cable locks are generally ranked as the lowest form of lock you can
>> buy. I've seen videos of people clipping through even thick ones with $20
>> bolt cutters in a few seconds.
>>
>>
> +1
>
> It has taken me <30 seconds to cut through a mid-range bike cable with tin
> snips. And tin snips are the wrong tool for the job.
>
> I'm very happy with Pinhead locks and u-lock I have, securing my wheels
> and seat with a uniquely keyed lock. This does away with having to use a
> low security and high bother cable lock on the wheels and seat. If you get
> a Pinhead lock, be sure to get them with the free POG security washers<http://www.pinheadlocks.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=15&Itemid=60&lang=en&vmcchk=1&Itemid=60> that
> they started using a year ago. Without them, a thief can use Gator Grip
> pliers to easily remove the lock.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.noisebridge.net/pipermail/noisebridge-discuss/attachments/20130224/b156f935/attachment.html>


More information about the Noisebridge-discuss mailing list