My bycicle got stolen. (Chicago, Wyoming: insurance, crime, buy)

[maca128]

Hi guys, just a quick comment...

I parked my bicycle in Navy Pier and entered it for an hour. When I came out, I was shocked to see my bicycle gone. It had been stolen. I talked to a woman at front door that kindly called the CPD (there was a second woman at the front door totally disrespectful laughing at my situation). The CPD created a R. D. (No. HX-362793), the police officer agreed to call me back if they have further news. This occurred on ‘N Streeter Dr’, 60 feet away from entrance door, and 30 feet away from security persons labeled as “NAVY PIER” “SECURITY”.

The zone is covered with security cameras, and I counted at least 3 “security” employees from “navy pier” at less than 50 feet away from this spot! The bicycle was locked to one wheel (even though this is not the safest mode, seemed secure enough to me, as I saw two navy pier employees labeled as 'security' 'navy pier' 20 feet away from the spot).

They disarmed the wheel from the bicycle and took the frame and one wheel (so I assume this person walked at least 200 feet with a 'bicycle with only one wheel' inside the park). After the theft I unlocked myself the lock, and took my remaining wheel (actually I walked around navy pier with one wheel on my hand and through several security employees, and no one inquired me; I know it is not a crime to walk around with one wheel in your hand, but suspicious enough, especially if 20' earlier the CPD flashed an alarm in the zone for a stolen bicycle)!

What are your thoughts? From 'you are an idiot' to ' I have Navy Pier' are welcomed!

[chet everett]

I do not think the OP is an idiot. Sadly they bought into the ILLUSION of secuirty that is created by all the cameras, personel and signage that some highly compensated insider type consulting firm said would lull folks into coming and visting the place.

Crooks are smarter than that. Odds are good somebody watched you look the front well and head into wherever you went. They knew it would be easy to get wherever they wanted to fence your bike / give it to accomplice and not be noticed.

Hopefully the OP had insurance. Use the police report to make to make a claim. Get a new bike and a better lock and use it in ways that acknowledge the craftiness of Chicago's thieves. Learn from this. When people say "you have to have your wits / use street smarts /be aware of your surroundings" what they really mean is -- Chicsgo is filled with crooks and thugs. The moment you assume "security" will watch out for you is when you are one step closer to becoming the victim of a crime.

[chiMT]

I've had several bikes stolen and I learned a few things. In no particular order of importance:

#1 Never leave your bike unlocked, anywhere, for any amount of time. Not for 30 minutes. Not even to go inside for a few seconds. Not even if it's in your shared backyard where only your neighbors seem to go.

#2 Always use a U-lock, locked to the frame. Anything less can easily be overcome in a few seconds.

#3 Don't even leave your bike outside overnight. Even with a U-lock. This is a good way to get parts stolen (like if both your wheels weren't locked down, or your seat, or whatever.) Also, it makes it more likely that someone will go through the time and trouble of breaking through the metal lock. If you have a cheap bike and a really safe/secluded spot, though, this may be OK.

#4 Careful what you lock your bike to. Your lock is only as strong and reliable as whatever you lock it to.

#5 Don't pay a lot for a bike. If you have a $2000+ bike and leave it out in the open, no lock is gonna save it. While living in the city of Chicago, I won't pay more than ~$500 for a bike. If you're a pro biker, keep your bike inside your dwelling...

#6 Don't keep it in the car. Cars are easily broken into. It happens more often when people see something inside the car.

#7 When you buy a bike, register it and take pictures of it.


Good luck getting it back. I know what it's like to have a bike stolen. Can be a painful and shocking experience. If you don't get it back, remember to do these things next time. Craigslist has pretty cheap decent bikes. Speaking of which, it's possible yours is being sold on there or at a flea market somewhere.

[MSchemist80]

Also it helps to ghetto-fy your bike. Make it appear beat up and worn down. Whenever I bike into Chicago I take my crappiest bike and I lock it with both a cable and U-lock. Unfortunately bike theft is a huge problem in almost all major cities especially Chicago and it is difficult to deal with. It is also a major inhibition for bike commuting. This is one aspect (probably the only) I admire about Sharia law, hack the hands off of thieves.

[jdiddy]

Bike theft is a problem in just about every large city. Unfortunately, by only locking your wheel, you basically put a flashing red light on your bike asking thieves to steal it. It takes 10 seconds to remove the wheel and walk away with the bike.

[MSchemist80]

Actually If you put a lock on your rear wheel inside the rear triangle of the bike and to an object it is impossible to separate the wheel from the bike despite how it looks. Though they can still swipe your front wheel.

[DaddySpice]

Best tip to deter thieves I saw in a recent article: put a Huffy sticker on it.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

Actually If you put a lock on your rear wheel inside the rear triangle of the bike and to an object it is impossible to separate the wheel from the bike despite how it looks. Though they can still swipe your front wheel.

A stand U-lock securing rear wheel and frame to fixed object takes about 45 seconds to attach. That is probably three times longer than the "front wheel only" but well worth the effort.

The bigger issue is there are dozens of alleged "security personel" employed by the various insiders that have contracts to create the illusions of security at Navy Pier or Millenium Park or other areas with "contract security" that do not have any knowledge or interst in preventing theft! Given the way insiders with corrupt intentions pollute Illinois from the top down it would not surprise is insiders tipped of the people that stole the OP's bike...

If Chicagoans continue to elect polticians that only care about doling out contracts to insiders you can expect the same culture of lawlessness to reign ....e

[emathias]

Originally Posted by chiMT

I've had several bikes stolen and I learned a few things. In no particular order of importance:

#1 Never leave your bike unlocked, anywhere, for any amount of time. Not for 30 minutes. Not even to go inside for a few seconds. Not even if it's in your shared backyard where only your neighbors seem to go.

True. The only time I'll leave a bike unlocked is with a Divvy if I can put it directly in front of a window while I go into a shop to get exactly 1 specific item where I never take my eye off the bike. And even then I'm a little nervous.

Originally Posted by chiMT

#2 Always use a U-lock, locked to the frame. Anything less can easily be overcome in a few seconds.

Or to the rear wheel through the rear triangle of the frame, a method popularized by Sheldon Brown.

I have locking nuts on my front wheel and use the Sheldon Brown method to secure my rear wheel.

What lock you use also makes a different. A shorter U-Lock is more secure because it's harder to use leverage to break it. Also, the tongs of the U part of the lock should have a flat part or a notch on BOTH sides such that if it were cut, one side could not be rotated to create enough space to pull the frame or wheel through it, meaning it would take two cuts to get through the lock. Most of Kryptonites locks do not conform to this, which is why I do not recommend them, with the exception being their New York locks (which are a lot more expensive and heavy, but a lot more secure), which are about $100.

For the value, I think the Abus Mini is a great balance of weight, design and strength of steel for about $60. The steel they use on them is not as thick as the best U-Locks, but it is very hard, so harder to cut through than ordinary steel of the same thickness. Locally, you can get the Abus Mini at the Bike Lane on Milwaukee in Bucktown, and the Comrade Cycles on Chicago Ave in Ukrainian Village (maybe other places, but I know you can get it at those two places). It is not available at Kozy.

I carry an Abus with me for locking up at destinations, and I use a combination of the Abus on the rear wheel and a New York Kryptonite U-Lock connecting my frame and front wheel to a fence for the times I decide to risk locking up overnight outside at home. With that setup, it would take four cuts with a strong angle-grinder to get the bike. Most battery-powered angle-grinders don't have the battery life to do four cuts through hardened steel, not to mention the noise would attract a lot of attention. Kryptonite is available at most bike shops, and definitely at Kozy.

Originally Posted by chiMT

#3 Don't even leave your bike outside overnight. Even with a U-lock. This is a good way to get parts stolen (like if both your wheels weren't locked down, or your seat, or whatever.) Also, it makes it more likely that someone will go through the time and trouble of breaking through the metal lock. If you have a cheap bike and a really safe/secluded spot, though, this may be OK.

Secluded just means "no witnesses". Don't leave it overnight without locking both wheels with some sort of hardened lock, and at least one U-Lock.

Originally Posted by chiMT

#4 Careful what you lock your bike to. Your lock is only as strong and reliable as whatever you lock it to.

True. I lock to a fence that isn't hardened steel, but it would still take at least four cuts to free the bike. Last year there were three bikes on the fence I use - mine, my partner's, and a neighbor's. I had an Abus mini lock locked to the rear wheel and the most expensive bike (retail new about $600), my partner had a Kryptonite Evolution mini, locked to the frame and a new Fuji Classic bike (retail new about $400), and the neighbor had an old, very basic Schwinn (probably $150 used), locked with a generic, basic U-Lock. Only my partner's was stolen because the lock could be compromised with a single cut by an angle grinder. The lock, with cut bars, was left there.

Originally Posted by chiMT

#5 Don't pay a lot for a bike. If you have a $2000+ bike and leave it out in the open, no lock is gonna save it. While living in the city of Chicago, I won't pay more than ~$500 for a bike. If you're a pro biker, keep your bike inside your dwelling...

Yes, don't buy a carbon fiber bike for anything except exercise or racing and, if you do, never lock it up outside. For getting around, buy a reliable, fairly basic bike that isn't terribly expensive.

Originally Posted by chiMT

#6 Don't keep it in the car. Cars are easily broken into. It happens more often when people see something inside the car.

Don't keep ANYTHING visibly in a car, ever, anywhere. Except maybe in rural Wyoming.

Originally Posted by chiMT

#7 When you buy a bike, register it and take pictures of it.

Yes.

Originally Posted by chiMT

Good luck getting it back. I know what it's like to have a bike stolen. Can be a painful and shocking experience. If you don't get it back, remember to do these things next time. Craigslist has pretty cheap decent bikes. Speaking of which, it's possible yours is being sold on there or at a flea market somewhere.

You almost certainly won't get it back, but make better decisions going forward (no offense intended) and you have a good chance of there not being a next time.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by emathias

True. The only time I'll leave a bike unlocked is with a Divvy if I can put it directly in front of a window while I go into a shop to get exactly 1 specific item where I never take my eye off the bike. And even then I'm a little nervous.



Or to the rear wheel through the rear triangle of the frame, a method popularized by Sheldon Brown.

I have locking nuts on my front wheel and use the Sheldon Brown method to secure my rear wheel.

What lock you use also makes a different. A shorter U-Lock is more secure because it's harder to use leverage to break it. Also, the tongs of the U part of the lock should have a flat part or a notch on BOTH sides such that if it were cut, one side could not be rotated to create enough space to pull the frame or wheel through it, meaning it would take two cuts to get through the lock. Most of Kryptonites locks do not conform to this, which is why I do not recommend them, with the exception being their New York locks (which are a lot more expensive and heavy, but a lot more secure), which are about $100.

For the value, I think the Abus Mini is a great balance of weight, design and strength of steel for about $60. The steel they use on them is not as thick as the best U-Locks, but it is very hard, so harder to cut through than ordinary steel of the same thickness. Locally, you can get the Abus Mini at the Bike Lane on Milwaukee in Bucktown, and the Comrade Cycles on Chicago Ave in Ukrainian Village (maybe other places, but I know you can get it at those two places). It is not available at Kozy.

I carry an Abus with me for locking up at destinations, and I use a combination of the Abus on the rear wheel and a New York Kryptonite U-Lock connecting my frame and front wheel to a fence for the times I decide to risk locking up overnight outside at home. With that setup, it would take four cuts with a strong angle-grinder to get the bike. Most battery-powered angle-grinders don't have the battery life to do four cuts through hardened steel, not to mention the noise would attract a lot of attention. Kryptonite is available at most bike shops, and definitely at Kozy.

Secluded just means "no witnesses". Don't leave it overnight without locking both wheels with some sort of hardened lock, and at least one U-Lock.

True. I lock to a fence that isn't hardened steel, but it would still take at least four cuts to free the bike. Last year there were three bikes on the fence I use - mine, my partner's, and a neighbor's. I had an Abus mini lock locked to the rear wheel and the most expensive bike (retail new about $600), my partner had a Kryptonite Evolution mini, locked to the frame and a new Fuji Classic bike (retail new about $400), and the neighbor had an old, very basic Schwinn (probably $150 used), locked with a generic, basic U-Lock. Only my partner's was stolen because the lock could be compromised with a single cut by an angle grinder. The lock, with cut bars, was left there.

Yes, don't buy a carbon fiber bike for anything except exercise or racing and, if you do, never lock it up outside. For getting around, buy a reliable, fairly basic bike that isn't terribly expensive.

Don't keep ANYTHING visibly in a car, ever, anywhere. Except maybe in rural Wyoming.

Yes.

You almost certainly won't get it back, but make better decisions going forward (no offense intended) and you have a good chance of there not being a next time.

I have heard that when a Krytponite lock is compromised in the way shown, and the lock left behind that is a good thing as they are more likely to send you a check for the warranty amount. Any truth to that??

BTW There are places much closer where it is relatively safe to leave "valuables" visible in an parked vehicle. I have never had any problem in the larger parking garages in Chicago. There is generally "camera survellience" and the crooks just don't bother. Similarly the surface lots of the major shopping malls like Woodfield. Old Orchard or Oakbrook are heavily patrolled by the respective local police, break-ins are rare.

Funny thing is every once in a while the local suburban "police blotter" will list a spate of sunglasses, change and radar detectors stollen from cars. In most cases these tend to UNLOCKED so it is technically possible but really these are just your bored type kids as they aren't even gonna break a window...