Bike thieves suck!

[Erik Timmerman]

Whoa.

At the factory demo, they kept my credit card for the 21 hours I had the bike. With the shop inventory, I pay my $100, they photocopy my ID, and off I go for a few days.

I realize that I could cancel my credit card and leave them in the lurch ... but you'd think the photocopy of the ID would be sufficient? How long do your employees spend with the person? I would find that nerve-wracking, and I can't imagine you'd be willing to send an employee off for several hours to drive to a trailhead etc ...

It wasn't like your demos, more like ride it around out back. In the shop I worked at in college we lost a bike or two on test rides. We also had to chain up all the bikes inside the shop at night. I remember coming into work one morning and about twenty of them were jammed into the opening of the broken front plate glass window. Luckily we shared the building with a glass shop.

 

[Monique]

It wasn't like your demos, more like ride it around out back. In the shop I worked at in college we lost a bike or two on test rides. We also had to chain up all the bikes inside the shop at night. I remember coming into work one morning and about twenty of them were jammed into the opening of the broken front plate glass window. Luckily we shared the building with a glass shop.

Got it. People suck. Well, a small percentage of people suck, and they make things worse for the rest of us.

What would you have done for demos, though? Or did that not really come up?

 

[UGASkiDawg]

Excellent rationalization!

Correct

 

[Erik Timmerman]

What would you have done for demos, though? Or did that not really come up?

I don't think that was a thing twenty years ago.

 

[Monique]

I don't think that was a thing twenty years ago.

Prices these days are for a nice bike - I wonder if that plays in. The more expensive my bike gets, the more time I want to spend getting to know it before plunking down the cash.

 

[scott43]

Funny story..we got a call 2am someone had set off our alarm at the store. Go over..somebody had thrown a brick through the display window and stolen the bike on display. Cops got there quick and saw the guy riding away down the street. Picked him up..drunk..started kicking the door inside the police car..they warned him once..he did it again..cop went in and corrected his attitude..did it again.. You just can't fix stupid.

Anyway..that was 30 years ago..so yeah..it happened in some places!

 

[UGASkiDawg]

I don't think that was a thing twenty years ago.

Every bike was the same 20 years ago....full suspension was just starting and basically every bike had the same head and seat tube angles. The only difference was color, logo and and aluminum, steel and titanium tube shapes What was anything other than a ride around the parking lot going to tell you?

 

[Plai]

Surprisingly, there are still a few K2 bikes floating around out there.

And I've got one of them, a K2 Zed Team off of Craigslist last year. Just popped the front suspension seal last Sunday on a ride. Now wondering to fix or replace the bike.

Also last Sunday, my riding buddy got his new bike stolen from in front of a local jamba juice after the ride. He even had a lock and didn't use it.

 

[Philpug]

@Bob Barnes rides a K2 road bike..or at least did in the past.

 

[Jack skis]

It's been while, but I had bike stolen off a car rack outside a motel in Missoula, MT. As I remember I had double locks, one on the Yakima Rack backed up with a cable lock. Really annoyed me as it was a dandy Klein Attitude Mtn bike and pretty new. The wife was even more annoyed as they had to take her bike off the rack to get to mine, and then left hers as if it wasn't worth stealing. Yakima replaced the rack lock at no charge, and the car insurance gave me a depreciated payment for the loss.. My revenge was buying a more expensive Klein, it was a year newer Attitude Race. Can't remember what became of that bike. I am still annoyed about the loss, but take bikes and skis inside wherever I'm staying no matter how much things become crowded.

Oh yeah, the stolen bike was red! The replacement wasn't and that too was annoying.

Jack

 

[Tricia]

@Jack skis I have a Klein Attitude (not red) that I made into a single speed a few years back.

This is when it was still a work in progress. It has different handle bars, forks, saddle, tires, etc. At this stage, it was 28lbs, but I got it down to 21 with some of those changes.
I should get an updated pic.

 

[Jack skis]

Jeez, Tricia your post woke me up. Went down to the garage and found my Klein. Like yours it's blue. I changed the bars and replaced the suspension forks with non-suspension to use the bike as a trip to town and Community Forest Lands cruiser. Have since converted to road bike riding most of the time, almost always, and now ride a Felt.

 

[Plai]

And I've got one of them, a K2 Zed Team off of Craigslist last year. Just popped the front suspension seal last Sunday on a ride. Now wondering to fix or replace the bike.

Also last Sunday, my riding buddy got his new bike stolen from in front of a local jamba juice after the ride. He even had a lock and didn't use it.

Well, found my new bike to replace the broken k2. A Felt Decree 1 on closeout. A carbon stumpy at an aluminum camber price.
http://mikesbikes.com/product/felt-bicycles-decree-1-18239.htm

Given that I'm a novice MTB rider, it's ridiculous overkill for my skills. Guess I get to work on that....

 

[Chris Walker]

Sadly this is the reason I no longer ride bikes for transportation. I ride from my house back to my house or from my car back to my car and then straight home. It really limits my options and results in far fewer miles than in the old days but after losing yet another bike to thieves several years ago, I adopted this draconian policy.

 

[graham418]

A bit off topic, but I remember a funny story in Velonews some years ago when lightweight everything was all the rage. The premise was that all bikes weigh 40lbs. If you had a 40lb gas pipe special, you didn't need a lock, because no-one would steal it, if you had a 30lb bike , a 10lb lock would suffice. But if you had that 15lb wonderbike, you were going to need a 25lb lock on it.

 

[Jilly]

From a post on FB. 85 bikes were stolen in the last 2 weeks in Calgary. This lady got hers back.

On another note had anyone used a bike registry?

 

[Brian Likes Pow]

I scribbled some vital info down and stuffed in into my seat tube in case there's any question or doubts.

 

[bbinder]

When I bicycle on Cape Cod, I never lock my bike when I stop for lunch or coffee (or oysters and beer), and I have never had a problem. I probably will some day. I rarely see locked bikes at the places that I stop.

 

[Plai]

Well, found my new bike to replace the broken k2. A Felt Decree 1 on closeout. A carbon stumpy at an aluminum camber price.
http://mikesbikes.com/product/felt-bicycles-decree-1-18239.htm

Given that I'm a novice MTB rider, it's ridiculous overkill for my skills. Guess I get to work on that....

I forgot to mention that my LBS recommended the OTTO lock ... light weight, pocket-able, 3 (4?) number resetable combination, and they (the LBS) haven't been able to cut through w/ bolt/wire cutters. I haven't exercised this purchase yet. https://ottodesignworks.com/shop/ottolock

 

[Don in Morrison]

I forgot to mention that my LBS recommended the OTTO lock ... light weight, pocket-able, 3 (4?) number resetable combination, and they (the LBS) haven't been able to cut through w/ bolt/wire cutters. I haven't exercised this purchase yet. https://ottodesignworks.com/shop/ottolock
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I bet sooner or later I'll run across a stripped frame attached to a rack by one of those.