Another bike theft unfortunately

[Drago]

Bragging rights don't get you home when your bike has been lifted.

 

[HLaB]

Unfortunately any bike with a ‘big brand’ prominently displayed, is going to attract vermin. I always advise anyone with a branded bike, to obscure the branding, if possible, if it’s going to be left unattended/ out of sight, for any significant length of time. These bikes tend to be swiped to order, the thieves tend to be thick, and if you don’t have the branding easily identifiable, they may well move on and nick someone else’s branded bike.

A few years back my mate had his CUBE stolen from the secure bike park at Ride London. The thieves could have had their choice of hundreds of bikes, including by less branded KInesis right next to it, but they perhaps picked out his bike which was heavily branded :-/

 

[User16625]

Hi.
Last year I sold my Giant MTB to a work mate, and he's been using it as his daily transport to get around on. This year life's not been to kind to him ,and he's been suffering quite badly from depression and as a result in combating it ,he has become reclusive and isolated. After seeing the signs I've gone that extra mile in trying to help out, and after some long heartfelt chats and listening to him, I've now managed to persuade him to get professional help. I've also got him to develop his interest in cycling to another level ,which seems to have helped him in leaps and bounds over the months to overcome his demons.
Just as things were starting to look a little brighter for him , some little toe rags decided to nick his bike. I noticed at work how quiet he was for the last few
days , and when I asked him "what's wrong" he reluctantly told me what happened ,because he thought I would be angry as it was once my bike ( I don't know why he would think that in all honesty)
The good news is, the bike has been recovered , but it's been vandalized. The rear rim is dented , the bars are bent and the seat is badly ripped. He's only a young guy with no aptitude to simple bike repairs and his dad has managed to repair his bike for him thankfully.
People who go out nicking other people's bikes are real low life scum. To some ,it just simply gets replaced and life goes on, but for other's who are dealing with personal issues in there lives, such an occasion can set them back months. In a way I understand the mentality of a thief stealing something to sell on. They have a motive in it to make money ( Still very wrong and despicable) ,but to steal a bike just to vandalize it and dump it ,is pure hatred. The thieving scrum bags who did this have gained no financial rewards and have only caused anguish and distress towards the owner.
Bike thefts are pretty uncommon where I live ,but its bought home the true realities to our society and am glad that I keep my bike safely locked up in the kitchen.
Even a quick trip to the shops the get a newspaper involves the lock and a keen eye on it.Once its gone its gone and the chances of it being recovered are virtually none existent. Christmas is coming and cheap bikes sales are a gold mine this time of year. An innocent buyer of a decent bike could well be buying a stolen bike and totally be oblivious to it. I think all new bikes should be data tagged by law and must be registered to the present owner. If it costs that little extra to purchase at new so be it. In the long term it could slow the increasing amount of bike thefts as the bike owner would have to prove there ownership at point of sale. Bikes are not cheap and cheerful like there once were, and with the event of expensive E bikes ,something has to be done on a compulsory level to deter this ever increasing problem,
Bikes are only going to get more popular as the cost of car ownership soars ,and public transportation becomes even more unbearable so I personally think it high time something needs putting in place to stop the scourge of bike thefts,
All the very best,
Johnny

People who go out nicking anything are lowlife scum. Should have their hands cut off. Saw an individual skulking around in a back lane near my house recently. Even that was enough to piss me off as he showed the signs of someone scouting for sheds to burgle. I felt like killing him, altho I didn't.

 

[Drago]

Cuts down on repeat offending.

 

[jay clock]

i have Trek hybrid that I have disguised with black 50mm electrical tape. Makes it look fairly rubbish and chained up at Waterloo, no problems

 

[Gravity Aided]

In our town, we have a bicycle co-op that doesn't charge for bicycles, but you do have to put hours in to earn a bicycle. We also help with repairs, and getting cyclists with broken bikes back on the road. If you have time, and newfound skills invested, we have found you are more likely to get into cycling more. Now that people are cleaning out sheds, we are having trouble with space for all the bikes, but that will resolve itself with the coming of spring. We get everyone from the young to the old, and all backgrounds. I wish I had thought of it.