I've always been quite watchful of my own bicycle when I park it... and worry someone will take it. One thing that has always puzzled me: Sometime when a thief grabs a bike they leave a part, a wheel or take the everything but the frame. But no one ever clears the pieces. Why don't the owners or police clear the pieces left? Susan

Interesting article, but bike five is a Giant Yukon. You've got the name the wrong way 'round, e.g. Camry Toyota or Corvette Chevrolet. And "gear changers" on bike seven are bar-end shifters. Trivial, maybe, but it looks as though your editor could've used a few more cups of java when reviewing the article.

My dearly loved Caloi was stolen out of my apartment in Portland, Oregon. Not two weeks later, I happened to look out my front window as the new owner wheeled it by. I have never seen another Caloi in the 10 years that I have owned this bike, so I instantly knew it was mine. I debated what to do for a few minutes and ultimately decided that dammit, I wanted MY bike back. I jumped in my car and tracked the bike down. Long story short - I got my bike back!

I had the joy of finding my friend Casey's chile red Salsa in a Santa Fe alley. I cannot fully express the pleasure of seeing the police haul the thief away, and seeing Casey back aboard. Thanks, Patrick, great story.

After having my bike (and my husband's) stolen from the hallway of our London flat, I, too, am obsessed with bike theft. Despite finally getting a new bike (locked in our apartment) I still look for my old bike wherever I go. Great article, despite the less-than-happy ending.

If you want to lock your bike up for a few hours without it going anywhere maybe it would help if you took the front wheel with you. It won't be ridden away that way. If you don't want to carry a dirty front wheel with you bring a $20 wheel bag with you and carry it in that. I'd be interested in knowing how many bikes without front wheels disappear within a few hours vs bikes ready to ride away. Maybe take the seat with you instead of the front wheel? Make the bike less attractive to steal than the next bike down the street.

Great article

When I bought my road bike I asked my dealer about locks. He told me I'd never lock up the bike. That bike, he said, will always be one of three places: In your house, in your car, or under your butt. And it is (much to the chagrin of my wife who thinks it belongs in the garage).

So there are huge open air markets dealing in felony -level stolen bikes, but cops are wasting their time trying to bust some homeless dude? Way to go, cops.

IRO frames are built in China, not Pennsylvania.

I had nice Giant Ranier stolen a few years back (which was infuriating) and since then I make sure that I use my second hand cheap commuter bike if I'm going to be locking the bike up in public. I do consider the GPS/Hi tech lock solution to be a dead end - if you really want to reduce bike theft, do something about the drug addicts, mentally ill and homeless people who are littering the streets. You'll never stop it, but you can reduce it.

I had nice Giant Ranier stolen a few years back (which was infuriating) and since then I make sure that I use my second hand cheap commuter bike if I'm going to be locking the bike up in public. I do consider the GPS/Hi tech lock solution to be a dead end - if you really want to reduce bike theft, do something about the drug addicts, mentally ill and homeless people who are littering the streets. You'll never stop it, but you can reduce it.

this article is terrible. you leave your bike locked up outside for a month and are surprised that someone takes the wheels and seat? america isn't Sesame Street. grow up.

My garage door decided to open on its own. Sometime during the day, my $2,000 bike vanished. Smart thieves; they left several other bikes and took the most expensive. Agree that a bike should be in only three places; under one's butt, in the car (out of sight) or in the house (out of sight and locked to something secure). My town bike cost $25 and looks like it. I think disabling it (removing the front wheel or seat) slightly reduces the chance it will get stolen. Interesting article but I long ago realized that once a bike is gone, the chances of recovery are non existent. It's odd but the damages are emotional too. Beside the anger, there's regret too.

I live in San Francisco and had a bike with a thick cable lock stolen in front of the Metreon. Since then, for the past 6 years I have been riding a $2800 Trek and use a lock called "Street Cuffs". They have kept my current bike from being stolen so far, but I did have my seat and seat post taken about a year ago, so now I have my seat post and wheels protected by an ingenious locking system made in Germany called "Pitlock" I would tell everyone who owns a bike to stay away from all cable locks as they offer about as much protection as a string.

I don't know where you got the info about the City of (?) Alameda's flea market being the "hot spot" to fence a stolen bike. When my Peugeot UO-18 mixte was stolen from our Alameda apartment, no one suggested looking at the Alameda Point antiques fair, but everyone suggested the flea markets at the Oakland Coliseum, Laney College in Oakland, and the Ashby BART station in Berkeley, where I picked up the bike's trail two weeks after its theft. The bike was seen in Emeryville, where a fellow cyclist recognized it and tailed the bike and 12-year-old rider back to north Oakland, where the Oakland Police Department recovered the bike for me. I was lucky this time--since 1970, I had lost five other bikes to thieves and they had all disappeared without a trace. Today I lock the Peugeot with a Kryptonite New York U-lock that is registered with Kryptonite so the insurance might cover my loss.

I used to take the saddle off my bike when I locked it up, only to find one day when I returned to it that someone had stolen the seat-pin. Firtunately there was a bike should close by where I was able to buy a new one. From the number of front wheels I've seen left locked to bike racks, railings etc over the years I don't think taking the front wheel off is that much of a deterrent.

I can attest to keeping my latest ride, a 1995 Gary Fisher Kaitai, from the clutches of the undeserving by keeping it within sight at all times and inside my abode. Prior to this, I had routinely lost bikes to them everywhere I'd lived--Puerto Rico and Brazil being the worst. I'm charmed by the GPS idea. Only, I'd add a baseball bat full of nails to the stew...... Hey, a fella can dream, can't he???

I had a bike stolen during a weekend whilst I was away. I reported it to the police, after which I went to the Post Office. On leaving the PO I saw a guy cycle by on my bike! Long story short he got dragged off it just dragged - no violence!). A passing cop car pulled over and arrested him. Happy days!

Check out the TiGr locks http://tigrlock.com/pages/ - light, convenient, elegant, and the strongest thing going. The article is riddled with minor errors (and off-the-mark attempts at knowing remarks), as others have pointed out. Gee, you are even incompetent at trying to get a bike stolen, or staying focused when you have a bait bike sitting out

Hey Get A Life, get a clue, and get some reading comprehension skills while you're at it. He left them unlocked because he wanted to see if he could catch a bike thief. That was the whole point of the exercise.

Hey Get A Life, get a clue, and get some reading comprehension skills while you're at it. He left them unlocked because he wanted to see if he could catch a bike thief. That was the whole point of the exercise.

My suggestion for a sting would be this - go the Candid Camera route. Put out a bait bike in which every possible joint and connection has litlle more strengh than a toothpick. Any bike shop would love the challenge. Thief gets on, thief falls on his ass surrounded by a hundred disntegrated parts. If ever there was a Youtube hit in the making, this would be it.

Had my bicycle and a friends stolen right out of our house in broad daylight while I was asleep upstairs. Thinking that placing it in the house upon the wall would be safe at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon two kids from the projects nearby walked into my house and stole both bikes. My neighbor saw them come out of the house and called the police. I was told it happens all the time and they'd try to look for them. Never a follow up from the cops. What a world. Oh, by the way, that was in 1978 not much has changed.

Had my bicycle and a friends stolen right out of our house in broad daylight while I was asleep upstairs. Thinking that placing it in the house upon the wall would be safe at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon two kids from the projects nearby walked into my house and stole both bikes. My neighbor saw them come out of the house and called the police. I was told it happens all the time and they'd try to look for them. Never a follow up from the cops. What a world. Oh, by the way, that was in 1978 not much has changed.

Or ... as an alternative which could very easily be used again and again - make replicas of some frame parts, such as the front forks, from silicon rubber. Not hard to do. Won't ease the pain of a theft, but would be sweet revenge.

Great article. Makes me miss the 6 bikes i've had stolen from various college campuses. Inlcuding UCDavis, the bike capitol of the world.... I'm going to pick up my beater from the local bike shop, as we speak.

I retrieved my wife's stolen bike from the Oakland Flea Market. Timing was everything. I stood near the locked bike with a flat tire and a taillight missing, trying to convince security that it truly was my wife's bike. I eventually had the serial number texted to me, whereupon security agreed it belonged back at our home. A little Mexican father- like figure approached the bike. Within seconds security was all over him. He stated that the bike was not his and basically handed it over to me. I loaded up the bike in my car, drove it home, and was gleefully met by my wife at the front door. Happy ending to a stressful morning.

Did anyone edit this piece? It's one of the clunkiest, worse worded things I've ever read.

Hey Patrick, that Huffy didn't cost $140 when it was new. Why overpay for a bike you suspect was stolen? But ask yourself, why would anyone who hates bike thieves ever buy a bike they thought was stolen? Don't buy stolen bikes bro.

So when you park the bike where cops say it's likely to be stolen it isn't. hmmm hmmm hmmmm try parking where the cops don't recommend.

So, everyone feels the need to complain about a story that they're to lazy to research and write on their own? I think the piece is very well written, I loved it from beginning to end!

I'm surprised your editor and your publisher didn't kill this story. In fact, it's not a story. It's long winded tale of the misadventures of nothing. You're not even a cyclist, are impressed with an IRO and think a $1500 Trek tri bike is expensive. Garmin got their product placement in. What else? I want 10 minutes of my life back.

I want the 3.4 seconds it took to read Buddy's whiny post back.

There's a strong element of urban culture at work here. My story is a beloved car ('81 RX-7 w/ 240,000 miles) being jumped on by BMXers within weeks of it being repainted. It took me about a year to bring the culprits to small-claims court justice, which owed to much surveillance, a digital camera, web-research (MySpace and Facebook pages) and the tire tracks left behind on its freshly-painted hood and headlight louvers. Built a tight case.

When I moved from Austin in August of 2011, I was thinking of bringing my Jamis with me to Beijing. However, I didn't. And, when I arrived, I was told that the half-life of a good bicycle on Beijing streets is very, very brief. Anyhow, at our nearby supermarket, I picked up a perfectly good commuter bike, the kind that everyone seems to ride, for about $65.00. After 5 months it's still with me, still chugging along. There is an untapped market for such bicycles in the States, especially urban areas, as this article points out.

Awesome story. I had my bike stolen back in 09 at gun point. I loved my bike but I wasnt in no hurry to die for it. I say I would of rather seen it stolen from a place I locked it than to have gone through that.

Just another (and not very high) on the list of reasons I would never ride a bike. They're for kids who can't drive yet.

I have little sympathy for the author because he keeps buying stolen bikes! He is just as much a part of the problem as the drug addicted crazy people. DON'T BUY STOLEN BIKES!

i'm w/ Jeefpo & the Costaricaño. haven't had bike stolen in decades. i'm fortunate and i live in the boonies.

I had a road bike stollen or of my car (technically grand theft auto) found the bike at a pawn shop who had a copy of the theifs drivers license. Turn out he was on parole. The Tampa police department never did a thing and we never got the bike back. Most police could care less.

Am i the only one creeped out by the part where the father-in-law's ashes are left in an unattended car while the author is buying a stolen bike in a seedy part of town? Sheesh - show some respect.

Want to see high end bikes sold for a song in Los Angles? Go to Olivera Street or Mac Arthur Park. I have often taken the train to the Los Angeles Grand Central Station and hopped off either at Olivera Street or Mac Arthur Park. Each time, I have been approached by fellows wanting to sell bicycles or have seen bicycles sold off for pennies on the dollar. Of course the police do not question this racket that is being peddled in broad day light. Why would they? Olivera Street is where you can get a passable California's Driver's License or Social Security numbers.

Had my Fuji hybrid stolen out of my house years ago along with a jar of pennies and some gatorade. Only description I could give the cop was "It's dark blue with a purple bicycle bell" on the handle bars. Unbelievably, they found it because the thief left the bell on it (and little else). I was glad to get my bike back, but sad that the thief was only 13 and this was his second breaking and entering act. Theft won't stop with stronger chains or different strategies.

Good article. I had my mountain bike ripped off in SF a few months back. I too was on a mission to find it. It wasn't the money, it was my custom ride, full of good memories. I scoured the area flea markets (Alameda County: Colesium and Laney College), MIssion District (15th St & Mission), Solano County drive-in, and SF Civic Center (careful here!). But, to no avail. Since these places openly deal in hot bikes, it would be good if the community flea market shoppers would post photos of the obviously stolen merchandise somewhere, ie: a stolen bike blog, police department website? That might dampen the ease with which these thieves and brokers operate. Also, check and post your stolen ride to craigslist, and record your serial number. Good advice from the comments, take your seat or wheel, learn how to lock properly, don't leave it in public too long. I like the buy it cheap comment too, it won't hurt as much when it gets ripped next time. Good luck.

Similar stories, When I was just a little girl someone came on to my back porch and stole my 10 speed mountain bike my step dad boug me for Christmas. A month later the thief rode the bike past my mother while she picked me up from school. We got the bike back but it still angers me that there is truly nothing that the.police will do to stop this from happening.

Several years ago my Giant road bike and my Trek mountain bike were both stolen at the same time out of my underground garage. I lived in a place with a garage attached to my town home which was underground in a larger garage complex. Both had locked gates and doors. It was 6:20 am and I opened my garage to take a early morning ride. Forgot my water bottle so walked upstairs for 30 seconds to get my bottle. Came downstairs and both bikes were gone. I started yelling because I knew the culprit couldn't be far. I ran up the stairs to the outside gate and saw my road bike up against a tree trunk. The thief was riding off on my mountain bike. It was a yellow bike and I still keep an eye out for it.

Was that Saudi Arabia where thieves get a hand cut off? That seems like a good theft deterrent. And it makes it harder for them to ride off in the future.

So far, I've had surprisingly good luck locking up in major cities with a Kryptonite NY standard u-lock and a two metre length of their cable. I left a nice touring bike locked up in front of the train station in Ghent, Belgium for a week, locked up just outside of Regent's Park in London for four days, and multiple overnight lockups in Manhattan and Brooklyn. I'm fortunate that at home I can keep my bikes indoors.

How to lock a bike securely 101: A. Use two different locks B. Park it with other bikes Thieves generally only come equipped to break one kind of lock. Using two means they have to carry twice as many tools as well as work twice as long. This is where part B comes in - they'll nick the bike next to yours that only has one lock on, even if it is a cheaper model.

Still looking for my old Schwinn DeLux American stolen from behind my Ohio high school in 1968.

Males 13 to 30 years old in the entitlement will steal any thing not firmly affixed even it has no value.

I stole MY OWN bike once!! When I was about 17 I had grown out of my "22 Calton Rapide. It was insured. I gave the frame to a friend, claimed insurance $ and bought a brand new "24 TEAM Raleigh frame for my expanded frame and built it into the bike I would train on and race for the next 5 years. In my early 20s (still had the Raleigh) after I had become a Christian I told a bike racing friend who was in his 40s (not a Christian). He said "Well you're a Christian now, you should tell the insurance co. about it and pay the $ back". He was right. I looked up the insurance co. but they no longer existed - to my relief! Paul ;-)

For a guy that has such detest for stolen bikes, the author sure does a lot to support bike thieves by buying stolen bikes.

I think the reason your bikes were striped for parts was because you left them them for 2 months. I think If I saw an unwanted bike abandoned I would recycle the parts too.

I'm sorry, but the Steel Bridge is not "ugly".

Great bike security system is buy lots of cheap bikes. Then it doesn't matter when they are stolen.

so, nyc, east village. i'm on bike 7. kriptonite lock. cheap bike off flea market. nothing to strip (beach cruiser, no brakes, no speeds). have been away traveling for 18 mths. it's still there, intact, my neighbors tell me. this isn't the first time i do it. i wised up with bike 5. had it for less than 12hrs and saw it on the local flea market 2days later.

I had 3 bikes stolen from my garage in 1996. I had the extreme pleasure of chasing thief a week later in.my car! Knocking him down and putting him in lapd choke hold tell cops came.

sounds like you are an ungrateful fool, i just hope your bicycle has gone to a better home

I didn't know that REI qualified as a "local shop".

This article is a fine diagnosis of problems, but you miss the real solution. It is simpler than you make it out to be: 1. All bike owners need to record their serial numbers. I recommend writing down serial numbers and putting them with other precious documents like birth certificate and passport. 2. After a theft, insist on not only getting a police report, but also that the cops put the serial number into the FBI's national stolen property database. Back when I worked on these things, it was called CLETS. It may have a different name now. (continued)

...3. When shopping for a used bike, don't just check the serial number locally -- insist that the cops also check the FBI's national stolen property database. There is no need for your "national bike registry." That is an authoritarian idea that will just lead to cops harassing innocent cyclists who have, for example, borrowed a friend's bike. It will almost certainly lead to more harassment of the poor and minorities and is unlikely to dent theft. What is needed is that cops use the tools at their disposal -- most importantly, the existing national stolen property database.

Loved the article. It was really well-written, and I was intrigued to the end. My favorite line "In America’s rough streets, there are four forms of currency—cash, sex, drugs, and bicycles.". Fantastic job. Oh, and I'm sorry people don't understand you set the bikes up to get stolen. Still, hope your last bike lasts a long time!

I stopped reading halfway through. The word "transvestite" is offensive and should never be used. I'm appalled that Outside thought it appropriate to print an article with this word. Shame on you.

David Byrne has it right. I ride a Brompton folding bike, and I never leave it outside anywhere. It folds up to the size of a suitcase, so I can take it everywhere I go, including into stores and restaurants, inside buses, and onto subways and light rail, even during rush hour. Places with coat checks--museums, the symphony--let me check it. It's the best solution if you use your bike as transportation (meaning it's not always in your house, in your car, or under your butt) and you don't want to replace it again whenever another one is stolen.

Evan, why is it that "transvestite" is offensive? And how does this relate to the article? I had bike stolen in broad daylight, it took the thief 22 minutes to cut my lock and at least three people from my office walked by the theft in progress. This was a very good article.

Great article, very much enjoyed reading it. Had my bike stolen out of my garage last year and figured it was gone forever until by stroke of pure dumb luck, at a bar the next night the thief unknowingly bragged about stealing the bike to my friend. My friend pretended to be interested in buying it. The police got involved and a whole sting operation went down. The guy was arrested and I got my bike back. It was awesome!

As a long-time cyclist and commuter I have been very fortunate not to have any of my bikes stolen locked up on errands and what-not. Of course I'm a bit uber paranoid with my bikes and this is what I do. 1)The smallest, thickest U-lock and maybe a small cable, but not necessary if you 2) Convert your wheels to bolt-on skewers or axles to prevent wheel theft. You can also zip-tie the Q/R lever to the fork or frame. ANYTHING to slow a thief down. 3)Park among other bikes. Hate to say it but you can deter a thief to take someone else's steed. 4)I know some people who have built alarms with mercury switches so if the bike is moved the imbalance sets off the alarm. I've also found cable locks for laptops that have PIERCING alarms in them. Cutting the cable sets off the alarm. But the best deterrent is 5)WATCH your bike. Simple, but the best security you have is your two eyes. I've lived in Phoenix, AZ for a good period and had no thefts. In a town of "I used to have a bike" stories, I must be doing something right...

As a lifetime road cyclist who has never lost a bike to theft, and I've lived in Portland, I find this article shallow and tedious. "Six cops were out here somewhere, watching in plain clothes . . ." to catch a bicycle thief. Maybe for a drug bust, but not a bike theft. When Mr. Simmes wants to get serious about not having a bike stolen he'll do what I do and take it indoors.

"Under your butt, indoors, or in the car" ... all well and good if you just ride for kicks. If you ride for real transportation (commuting, errands...), you need some locking strategies that work. A Brompton's great if you have that kind of cash. Taking it indoors works if your workplace and all your errand-destinations are OK with that. Try taking a bike into a bank. What we need is a) more secure locations for locking bikes, such as cages and b) some consciousness-raising among police, who for the most part could care less about biker's safety or bike security. Maybe a class-action suit by bikers against a city's police department would do the trick.

Great article. I had a bike stolen in a pretty decent area once. I would ride my bike to a certain point, then lock it up and hop on a bus for the bulk of the distance to work. Jumped off the bus after work one day, and *poof!* My beloved bike was gone. I've recently gotten back into biking in preparation for an attempt on mountain biking the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico, and ride everyday. I have a red Cannondale triathlon bike I use a lot, and hate locking it up outside at work. I'll be getting a bamboo mountain bike soon for my trek, and you can bet that one won't ever get locked up for more than 10 minutes outside unobserved. Great article, and appreciate your work and effort! http://tr4f.wordpress.com

My bike got stolen a few months ago in broad daylight in nyc. A few weeks later i saw a guy selling a Cannondale bad boy on an UES street corner, $1300 value new. He told me his wife kicked him out of the house...blah blah blah. Said he would sell it for $250. there was a lock attached to the cargo rack, which i asked him about, he said he didnt have the key but i could remove the rack altogether to "save weight." good idea. i paid him in cash and off i went. i left feeling like i got the deal of the century, but by the time i got home, i didnt want the bike anymore. bad karma. so i called the police. they could care less. then i noticed it still had the local bike shop sticker on it from a fav shop in Brooklyn, i called them, and within an hour were able to locate the owner. I returned the bike to the guy, and he reimbursed me and gave me a $50 reward for my services. gotta pay it forward, even when you've been burned.

I may be from Detroit, but it took a trip to NYC to get my bike stolen. 50 years and many bikes and my luck finally ran out. Bike theft was something that happened to other people. Now I'm obsessed with the subject. What else could explain my reading all 73 previous comments! If you too got this far, you know what I mean.

A long time ago I received the cynical advice that you can't make your bike theft-proof, but if you make it harder to steal than the other bikes on the rack, most likely it'll still be there when you get back. From that day I've always double locked my bikes with 2 short shank U-locks and, touch wood, I haven't had a bike taken yet. Admittedly, I'm not in NY, but I spent 6 years cycling in London and another 5 here in New Haven CT where bike theft is high too... Wish I didn't have to be so cynical.

Saw this company on the news and they allow people to turn in thieves and collect a reward anonymously. They broker the whole transaction so people can get their bikes back (or wedding ring, camera, whatever was stolen.) It was called ratoutyourfriends.com and although you shouldn't have to pay for info to catch a thief, it's better than having to walk!

http://yukon-news.com/news/12574/

This is an excellent article. There's a group from Vancouver BC doing a web series where they are using GPS tracked Bait Bikes to catch bike thieves: www.tocatchabikethief.com. From the trailer, it looks like a pretty exciting show to watch

I am proud to live in my neighborhood where the Police Department recently pooled their own money to purchase a bike for a young boy who had his stolen. The boy is autistic (classic symptom showing unusual attachment to objects) and his bike was important to his stability. http://www.wwmt.com/articles/kalamazoo-1398615-mich-mile.html

Got a beautiful Manitou mountain bike stolen outside the library in Mpls. Checked a couple pawn shops and rode around the local campus looking for it for over a year. Sixteen months later, found in on craigslist under a listing for police auction. bike is now back in my garage complete with new pedals and saddle that the thief apparently favored. not all stories end badly....

Thank you Patrick Symmes! We used information from this article to track down a beloved stolen road bicycle in the Bay Area, which we recovered today after 1 week of searching. After we flyered all the flea markets looking for leads, the idiot stoner thief posted it for sale on craigslist. When two 6-foot-something construction guys showed up at the door, he turned it over without a fight. Though you did not find justice your efforts were not for naught.

Bike racks and horse hitching posts have many points in common: they are both simple in design and function (attaches by the front), and neither provides any system of security for the users against theft. The latest trend at some cities is to hold a competition for best local artist-designed bike racks to be installed, but unfortunately function (protect bike against theft) is non-existent, or is a forgotten requirement. Commuting by bicycle has over time become more and more popular as a means of transportation and the amount that has been invested into the bicycle infrastructure to promote cycling has been rising, but the means to protect a cyclist’s bicycle from theft has not progressed. Today when cyclists reach their destination, they are faced with the same old dilemma: where can they leave their bikes and come back later, to find it still there? This problem is underlined by the number of bikes stolen each year. Almost everyone has had a bike stolen and it is accepted that there is nothing you can do to prevent it. But it is possible to do something if we examine closely the root of the problem: the design of bike racks.

i have had bridgestones, giants, specialized, gary fischers probably close to twenty four bikes in Los Angeles, Sam Francisco, Shanghai and Beijing-- one model not stolen is Dahon.

So let me get this straight... he becomes a bike vigilante after his bike is stolen (a really crappy one at that), then knowingly goes out and buys four stolen bikes?! Is he too blind or just too stupid to realize he’s part of the problem??? Of course bikes get stolen, especially if you leave them UNLOCKED like he did bike #4. You could leave a pack of gum unattended on a busy city sidewalk and someone will take it! It sucks, but that’s the reality. I’ve had bikes stolen because I left them out or used cheap locks. I blame myself as much as the joker who took it. This guy needs a new hobby, or at the very least spend more money on better locks. Oh and his first bike – it took the thieves 17 minutes to steal it! Seventeen minutes, really? What kind of losers were they? People rob entire banks in less time!

So let me get this straight... he becomes a bike vigilante after his bike is stolen (a really crappy one at that), then knowingly goes out and buys four stolen bikes?! Is he too blind or just too stupid to realize he’s part of the problem??? Of course bikes get stolen, especially if you leave them UNLOCKED like he did bike #4. You could leave a pack of gum unattended on a busy city sidewalk and someone will take it! It sucks, but that’s the reality. I’ve had bikes stolen because I left them out or used cheap locks. I blame myself as much as the joker who took it. This guy needs a new hobby, or at the very least spend more money on better locks. Oh and his first bike – it took the thieves 17 minutes to steal it! Seventeen minutes, really? What kind of losers were they? People rob entire banks in less time!

Read this story a month ago. Just heard the interview with the Mr Symmes on NPR. Glad that the word is being spread further out about bike theft. Maybe more Police Departments will pony up and try to catch these lowlifes. After owning bikes for 20 years and never having one stolen when I lived in Milwaukee, within months of moving to San Antonio I myself had a Trek 6000 stolen from a 2nd floor balcony. I couldn't sleep for a week, and I stayed up at night trying to devise of a way to catch them. Right away I registered it as stolen on the National Bike Registry. While many other ideas crossed my mind, I never saw anything else through and bought a new bike a few months later (also registered on NBR). Now I keep my bike inside. I still keep an eye out for that bike when riding trails, but I'm pretty sure its somewhere in Mexico.

There are other ways to protect bikes rather than just using locks. Anti-theft tags coupled with reg sites like Bike Shepherd are changing the way you can deter theft. Thieves don't want trackable goods because they can't sell these to handlers, who are taking a bigger risk holding onto those goods before selling them on. Police are focussing on handlers, who are the bigger issue. Getting more people to reg, tag and lock a bike properly keeps most thieves looking at easier prey.

So what I've learnt from this article: Bikes are stolen by junkies or vagrands Cops don't give a dam but always ready to be distracted from their real job People don't mind to buy stolen bikes Bikes are convenient to carry ashes You dream about a young skinny chick to replace your old fat GF

Wow, what a POS this entire article was. From the quality of writing, to buying stolen bikes to paying $140 for a $60 Huffy to how and why bikes get stolen. I'll never get that ten minutes of my life back. You, sir, suck.

funny how blaming the police is a recurring theme in the comments. the author might have pointed out that in order for the police to arrest someone for theft, they need to know who the owner is, and be able to contact the owner immediately. if a cop sees someone cutting a bicycle lock, and the thief claims that he is the owner and lost the key, nothing can be done. same legal issue with the markets for stolen bikes. unless you can prove that the seller is not the lawful owner, how can you arrest someone for selling a used bike? a tiny percentage of bikes are "registered" in any way. btw NYPD offers free bike registration where they etch a number onto the frame and keep your contact info.

We interview Patrick Symmes about this story on Dutch World Service show Earth Beat this week - along with more bike radio: a story on Amsterdam's bike graveyard and the work of master bike recycler Vitor Peixoto...

We interview Patrick Symmes about this story on Dutch World Service show Earth Beat this week - along with more bike radio: a story on Amsterdam's bike graveyard and the work of master bike recycler Vitor Peixoto... http://www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/footprints