Bike got stolen

[Eeezee]

In the city with practically the lowest crime rate in the country (Irvine, CA), where most people leave their bikes unlocked (I've seen them everywhere), my bike got stolen. They clearly used bolt cutters, they left the cut chain on the ground where I parked the bike.

I have almost no money, and I've only used my bike to get to school quickly.

 

[FoBoT]

have a bake sale to raise money for a new bike

 

[imported_Imp]

Irvine, Ca huh? Maybe I can start a new business there.

Honestly, people are assholes, don't be too trusting. Get a new bike, get a bigger lock. If you get a U-lock and almost everyone else doesn't lock their bike, then you practically have a 100% chance of keeping your bike forever.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Buy a beater bike off craigslist and still use a lock. Hopefully, you won't have this happen again.

 

[PottedMeat]

Go to one of the probably dozens of garage sales going on tomorrow ( and every saturday for that matter ) and pick one up for ~10 bucks.

Go to goodwill/salvation army and get one for ~20 bucks - sure it'll probably be a walmart or kmart bike but now you've got a bike.

 

[Eeezee]

The cheapest bike on craigslist is a pink bike for little girls. It's only $20. I'm tempted.

No, but really, cheapest bike in my size on craigslist is like $100 in this area. Stupid Irvine

 

[Chryso]

After you get the bike, buy some green spray paint and paint the entire bike, including rims, with the paint.
No one will ever steal your bike again.

 

[pontifex]

waiting for it....

 

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: pontifex
waiting for it....

Wait no longer!

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: mobobuff

Originally posted by: pontifex
waiting for it....

Wait no longer!

thanks! couldn't believe it took so long!

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: mobobuff

Originally posted by: pontifex
waiting for it....

Wait no longer!

thanks! couldn't believe it took so long!

LOL. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title, hahaha.

 

[Mr Pickles]

I'll tell you a secret. Eckerd College in Florida went green some time ago and one of their green initiatives was to put bikes all over campus so people didnt drive any more. So there are yellow bikes in all of the racks and you can grab one and go to the building you want to go to and put it back in the bike rack. Its great. Go there and take one.

\thread

 

[MegaVovaN]

What kinda bike was stolen?

BE ORIGINAL with pink little girls' bike!

 

[Born2bwire]

Get one of the decent U locks. I have a decent bike here on campus and people will take anything that isn't nailed down (then they come back with hammers). I had a $20 U lock from OnGuard. Some jack tried to cut it off with bolt cutters but only made a little dent in it. I've replaced it with a newer model though.

 

[Dirigible]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
Go to one of the probably dozens of garage sales going on tomorrow ( and every saturday for that matter ) and pick one up for ~10 bucks.

Go to goodwill/salvation army and get one for ~20 bucks - sure it'll probably be a walmart or kmart bike but now you've got a bike.

Yup. Garage sales and the like will have better prices than CL.

Your new rule is: cheap bike, expensive lock.

 

[randalee]

Drop me a PM. I have a bike I would be willing to give to you. Just need to pay for shipping from Utah. It's an older mountain bike from 1994, but I converted it to be a single speed. Perfect for cruising around town, I even climb hills without too much trouble. Of course, you'll 'spin out' going downhill, since I geared it to be able to cruise flats and still maintain climbability.

I even have a box to put it in and ship out. You don't want to have to walk everywhere -- a bike is probably 3-4 times faster than foot.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Get one of the decent U locks. I have a decent bike here on campus and people will take anything that isn't nailed down (then they come back with hammers). I had a $20 U lock from OnGuard. Some jack tried to cut it off with bolt cutters but only made a little dent in it. I've replaced it with a newer model though.

Yea but if the lock is too good they just take the wheels, gears, etc... that is not locked.

 

[randalee]

I was an LDS missionary for 2 years. I lost my seat ONCE. Secret is to have a 6 foot cable AND a U lock.

Run the cable through both wheels and up through the saddle too. Secure it all to something with your U lock. If someone wants your bike, there is nothing you can do. A hydraulic bottle jack will bust a U lock like it's a toothpick. BIG bolt cutters will get the cable. But if you want to keep people from stealing just wheels and/or seat, my method will work.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Imp
Irvine, Ca huh? Maybe I can start a new business there.

Honestly, people are assholes, don't be too trusting. Get a new bike, get a bigger lock. If you get a U-lock and almost everyone else doesn't lock their bike, then you practically have a 100% chance of keeping your bike forever.

I thought that would be true with a plain old chain lock; I should have bought a trashy old bike, and then a chain lock wouldn't have mattered. I just hate u-locks, you can only really use them at bike racks; if a bike rack is full, you're just sort of screwed.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: MrLee
I'll tell you a secret. Eckerd College in Florida went green some time ago and one of their green initiatives was to put bikes all over campus so people didnt drive any more. So there are yellow bikes in all of the racks and you can grab one and go to the building you want to go to and put it back in the bike rack. Its great. Go there and take one.

\thread

Yeah, I'll just drive over to Florida right now... from California...
It would be cheaper to buy a brand new bike, and then I don't have to steal anything!

 

[IEC]

You think there's a bike theft problem where you are? Here on campus we have a joke about the "Durham Professional Bike Thieves". I've seen bikes missing wheels, seats, you name it. If it isn't locked down with a "U" type steel lock it's getting cut.

 

[Eeezee]

I'm going to try the garage sale idea this weekend. I suspect Irvine won't have a lot of garage sales; all million dollar homes and whatnot, garage sales are only done by us commoners. I'll do some cruising and see if I can find anything.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Spartan Niner
You think there's a bike theft problem where you are? Here on campus we have a joke about the "Durham Professional Bike Thieves". I've seen bikes missing wheels, seats, you name it. If it isn't locked down with a "U" type steel lock it's getting cut.

I didn't think my school had a bike problem, actually; supposedly the city has nearly the lowest crime rate in the country, in fact.

My old town was the capital of bike thefts (Tucson, AZ). Even U type steel locks didn't make your bike safe. I had an old junker of a bike that looked completely trashed and had a bent pedal and it still got stolen, despite a solid U lock. Bought a cheap used bike and it was stolen a few months later. Walked from then on until I graduated.

Now I'm in grad school, and figured a newer bike would be okay in such a supposedly safe town. But nooooooo

 

[compuwiz1]

Did you get a glimpes at the perps, or were they too black?

 

[Eeezee]

Yeah, the guy had a red shirt on and was as black as the night. I gave chase but was wearing my bright pink jumpsuit, and it was kind of warm that day so I got overheated and couldn't chase him very far. It was laundry day!