culberts@hplabsb.UUCP (01/23/85)
The bicycles listed below were stolen from my house in the
middle of December. Should you discover one of them, please
alert your local police and contact me. Avoid buying them!
Pogliaghi #3522(?) gold 56 cm. Small dent in top tube.
Trek 400 #404409454 red 24 inch
Since I was robbed, I have learned that bicycle theft rings
are extremely well organized and efficient. The police told
me that the bikes were probably fenced within an hour of being
removed from my house. Tens of thousands of bicycles are
stolen each year. (Where do they all go? Who buys them?)
We, the victims of bicycle thefts, are of course not well
organized. I suggest the following rules to protect yourself
and others.
1. Require absolute proof of ownership before buying a used
bike. It is probably safe to say that most used bikes
which are for sale are stolen.
2. Never buy a bike which has had its serial number removed.
It is probably safe to say that all such bikes are stolen!
3. Fancy bikes are more easily traced than cheap ones. For
this reason, their components are usually removed and sold
on other, often cheaper, frames. Consequently, you should
be particularly suspicious of used components and bicycles
with components which are better than their frames warrant.
Unfortunately, thieves often destroy fancy frames.
4. Urge your local newspaper to accept only bike ads which
include serial numbers.
Do you have other ideas? Please share them. Thanks.
Tom Harper (415)856-8375
Bruce Culbertson CULBERTSON@HP-LABS
290 Chestnut Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306sasaki@harvard.ARPA (Marty Sasaki) (01/24/85)
When my bicycle was stolen the police told me about a theft ring that
stole bicycles from the Los Angeles area, trucked them up to the Bay
Area, sold them, stole bicycles from the Bay area, trucked them to
the Los Angeles area, etc.
From that point on, I always locked my bicycle with a good lock, and
tried to put it next to a more expensive bicycle. I've also removed
the Reynolds decals to make my bike look less interesting.
--
Marty Sasaki
Havard University Science Center
sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp}
617-495-1270vanam@pttesac.UUCP (Marnix van Ammers) (01/25/85)
I just bought my first bike since childhood. I never expected to pay $500 for a bike and accessories but I did. It scares the hell out of me to think it might get stolen. I also hate the thought of being afraid to leave the bike anywhere, therefore being afraid to take it out, therefore not making much use of it. Are there any anti theft devices/schemes? Will my bike be safe with just a chain and combination lock? Should I deface my bike and make it look less atractive? Any thoughts?
pwl@ucbcad.UUCP (01/28/85)
> When my bicycle was stolen the police told me about a theft ring that > stole bicycles from the Los Angeles area, trucked them up to the Bay > Area, sold them, stole bicycles from the Bay area, trucked them to > the Los Angeles area, etc. > > sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp} Are the bikes stripped and sold in little pieces? Does stolen stuff get into bike shops, with the shops' knowledge? On a different subject, I just crashed my Centurion Comp TA. Should I replace the frame? All the components (600EX) and the wheels are fine. I thought the bike handled really well, maybe due to the sorta steep angles. for a 23" frame, the Comp TA looks like this: top tube length:570 mm wheel base : 991 mm chain stays : 410 mm bottom bracket clearance : 68 mm seat angle : 73 head angle : 73 All the tubes were double butted Champion #2. The whole bike weighed about 24lbs, and now retails for about $420. pwl@ucbcad
lat@stcvax.UUCP (Larry Tepper) (01/30/85)
This story is sad but true. Some long time ago on the TV news I
heard about a bike thief in Cleveland, Ohio. He walked up to
two policemen and explained to them that he had forgotten the
key to his lock. He asked them if they could help him by cutting
through his chain because he HAD to get home. They obliged. A
few minutes later the real owner came buy, asking the cops if
they had seen anyone fooling with his bike.
Oops!
--
I'm not afraid of heights. I'm afraid of widths.
{ihnp4 hao ucbvax!nbires}!stcvax!lat Larry Tepper
Storage Technology, MD-3T, Louisville, CO 80028 +1 303 673 5435kfl@hoxna.UUCP (Kenton Lee) (02/08/85)
xxx
The two best suggestions are:
(1) get a good U-lock, like Citadel or Kryptonite. Use these to
lock your bike to a sturdy support, like a parking meter.
(2) park your bike in an area with alot of pedestrian traffic (like
a shopping mall, or outside a store or restaurant. This is only
really useful in conjunction with (1) above.
Some other ideas are:
(3) remove some critical part of your bike when you leave it. Some
suggestions are wheels, saddle, handlebars.
(4) add a sloppy coat of paint. This won't fool a real pro bike
thief, though.
Many employers and schools are now installing high-security bike
racks. Several manufacturers make them. The most popular type
seems to be a locker that completely encloses the bike, thus
protecting from people and weather. You might try getting you boss
to buy one.tli@uscvax.UUCP (Tony Li) (02/09/85)
> Are there any anti theft devices/schemes? Yes. There is one that is guaranteed. Don't own a bike. ;-) > Will my bike be safe with just a chain and combination > lock? Should I deface my bike and make it look less > atractive? Don't bother defacing it. They will take anything. Get yourself a Kryptonite at the very least, and add to it a chain and PADLOCK if you like. I have yet to see a combo that can't be cut. (Hard voice of experience here folks). From the bike-theft capital of the world, USC, -- Tony Li ;-) Usc Computer Science Uucp: {sdcrdcf,randvax}!uscvax!tli Csnet: tli@usc-cse.csnet Arpa: tli@usc-ecl
scroggs@uiucdcs.UUCP (02/09/85)
If you are really worried about your bicycle getting ripped off, purchase insurance. There are two general types. One is renter's insurance from your local agent. The other possiblity that I know of is to join Bikecentennial, a tour oriented nonprofit organization. They sell insurance for theft/vandalism/natural disaser/accident which will cover the bicycle, but not you. There is no completely safe way to lock a bicycle (see my response to the pro-kriptonite lock note). I too use the kriptonite lock, and feel that it is one of the best around. There are other techniques to prevention of theft. Some people remove the front wheel and carry it whith them. Others make the bike dangerous by doing something to the seat post/quick release on the wheel/brake. The best thing is to never let this much prized posession out of your sight, but this is not a very viable alternative.