Posted: 5/4/2025 6:32:13 PM EDT
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A shiny red Marin Bikes Bolinas Ridge. He had it just over a month, got it for his 15th birthday. Had to move him up to an XL frame because he's growing like a tree. He went out with some friends on the SMART rail up to Santa Rosa, came back and it was gone where he chained it up. Wife and I are kicking ourselves that we didn't airtag it. We made a police report but we'll probably never see that bike again.  What do y'all use for bike anti-theft measures? |
Joined:
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CA, USA
| It now belongs to a homeless guy. It amazes me the high end bikes the local homeless ride. And not a single cop stops them and checks to see it it's stolen. Oh wait, we don't arrest thieves in California. How silly of me. |
"Go low, go slow and preferrably in the dark", the old Sarge.
"Every man needs at least one good rifle and know how to use it," Dad.
"Every man needs at least one good rifle and know how to use it," Dad.
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With the advent of smaller bolt cutters and battery powered angle grinders, no bicycle lock is secure against bike theft. Armed with either of those devices, it takes a few seconds to remove your lock. You should not expect anyone to intervene to prevent the theft, either. A good samaritan might call the police, but police response times are in the tens of minutes, more than enough for the thief to leave with the bike. Check the bicycles for sale in your local Craig's List. If it was nice, you may find someone trying to sell it. If so, buy it back. It may be repainted, so check for distinguishing marks on the components. Do you have the serial number on the frame? Without that, there's no proof any bike is yours. If someone stole my bike, I'd be devastated. I've had this particular bike for fifty years and do actually ride it all the time. Thieves suck! |
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Originally Posted By Trollslayer: With the advent of smaller bolt cutters and battery powered angle grinders, no bicycle lock is secure against bike theft. Armed with either of those devices, it takes a few seconds to remove your lock. You should not expect anyone to intervene to prevent the theft, either. A good samaritan might call the police, but police response times are in the tens of minutes, more than enough for the thief to leave with the bike. Check the bicycles for sale in your local Craig's List. If it was nice, you may find someone trying to sell it. If so, buy it back. It may be repainted, so check for distinguishing marks on the components. Do you have the serial number on the frame? Without that, there's no proof any bike is yours. If someone stole my bike, I'd be devastated. I've had this particular bike for fifty years and do actually ride it all the time. Thieves suck! We got the serial, and a local detective is allegedly keeping tabs, was very polite and understanding on the phone. Homeowner's insurance got us for now, still sucks though. Thanks for the replies, y'all. |
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Originally Posted By jeepnik: It now belongs to a homeless guy. It amazes me the high end bikes the local homeless ride. And not a single cop stops them and checks to see it it's stolen. Oh wait, we don't arrest thieves in California. How silly of me. I never understood why some of the hihgh end stuff is not titled. Some of these run more than a motorcycle or used car. A VIN would go a long way towards recovery and mybe a slight detterent. Then again a lot of places vehicle recovery is if the find it in a pile after a chase. |
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I air tag everything with wheels or a motor. It gives you a couple of days to find the thing before the AirTag's anti-stalking feature starts warning the person there's a tag traveling with them. |
Truth, Justice, and the American Way
I honestly feel sorry for people who suffer derangement syndrome.
I honestly feel sorry for people who suffer derangement syndrome.
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Anti theft measures will only slightly protect against rank amateurs, and do practically nothing against the pros who come with their tools and skills. The folks who steal hundreds of bikes a month around here, know what AirTags and trackers are and how to defeat them. They bring the kinds of tools to cut thought chains and cables fast, and they roll around in vans to transport their haul. On the rare event they get intercepted by the law, they abandon it all and run knowing the odds are they will get away. When I sent my last daughter through the school system (UCR, UCLA, UCSB, and then Keck-USC), her first bike was stolen in short order on campus while in class from a bike parking area that was clearly visible in a busy spot. From then on, we only used bikes that didn't attract attention. I could make a beater bike run smooth without making it attractive to the thieves. She only lost that first one. So my advice is.... if the bike will not be where he can literally watch/touch it within arms reach, then it needs to be a functional beater that you won't cry over when/if they steal that too. The good one is for riding, the beater is for being parked in public. I have even had two attempts on my dual sport Honda 230L while down in Hermosa Beach. Both times I stopped them from hauling the MC into a van after they cut the cable with the public watching. I don't park it where I can't lock it and I watch it real close. |