How many bikes have you (had) stolen?

When I couldn't run anymore, I got a bike. It was funded as a graduation gift, IIRC, but I picked it out. Well, it was too big for me, and way too complicated for someone who hadn't ridden a bike in several years. (Whaddya mean, hand brakes?) I rode it a few times, crashed it once or twice, and then basically parked it in a shared garage for a couple years.

When it was finally stolen, I was relieved.

Ironically I haven't had any stolen nor have I stole any.

I had a $200 bike stolen and replaced it with a $50 bike from WalMart. I'm not taking that risk again.

I doubt that you'll get much of the bike stealing population on this board.

About 15 years ago... my Schwinn Paramount was up on hooks in my garage, but I had the garage door up while I was mowing the back yard. Some one must have walked by, saw his chance, and pinched while I was in the back yard. I did not notice it gone until later that day. Fortunately I got full replacement cost reimbursement from my insurance company. But to this day I would like to find the guy that took it and get his vital equipment off, then gut shoot him, a la Marcellus Wallace.

trailrunner64 wrote:

About 15 years ago... my Schwinn Paramount was up on hooks in my garage, but I had the garage door up while I was mowing the back yard. Some one must have walked by, saw his chance, and pinched while I was in the back yard. I did not notice it gone until later that day. Fortunately I got full replacement cost reimbursement from my insurance company. But to this day I would like to find the guy that took it and get his vital equipment off, then gut shoot him, a la Marcellus Wallace.

edit: Make that CUT his vital equipment off.

Master of Class wrote:I doubt that you'll get much of the bike stealing population on this board.

yeah, this board doesn't attract too many sprinters.

aqiojw wrote:

Master of Class wrote:I doubt that you'll get much of the bike stealing population on this board.

yeah, this board doesn't attract too many sprinters.

OH SNAP!!

Anyway... I got my bike ripped off a while ago. It was locked up and everything, and the thieves even took the cut lock with them. I saw some guy riding it once, and chased after him for over a mile in my Birkenstocks and jeans but to no avail. And now, I am a a temporary residence (3 months of study at a different university), so I saw an unlocked bike and took it. I don't have a car and needed transportation. It is my opinion that you can take an unlocked bike on GP (general principle). It was all messed up and I had to fix it, but if I left my bike unlocked and went to class, I would completely expect to see my bike gone when class ended.

one, YOURS!!!!

twice, both in richmond, va.

my 1973 crscent was taken off my front porch by some hoodies with a bolt cutter during the night.

next, i leaned my unlocked cannondale at the door of a store. i was in sight of it when some punk hopped on it. i chased him in me office attire till he made a mistake by riding down a deadend alley. he hopped off, pushed the bike at me and ran. i chased him, blowing his skull open with curses till he disappeared over a fence. bastards!

Eye for an eye wrote:

And now, I am a a temporary residence (3 months of study at a different university), so I saw an unlocked bike and took it. I don't have a car and needed transportation. It is my opinion that you can take an unlocked bike on GP (general principle).

Yes, the general principle this illustrates is: "You thought you could get away with it, and it wasn't as though you were taking something from a *real* person (you're the only real person, right?), and besides you 'needed' transportation, and besides somebody (at a completely different university) stole your bike, and besides you wanted to do it, so there."

Let me formulate another general principle: People who take stuff that doesn't belong to them are thieves. Thieves are a$$holes.

No, it doesn't matter how stupid or careless someone is being, you don't get to take things that belong to that person. You didn't "deserve" to have your own bike stolen, and YOUR VICTIM DIDN'T "DESERVE" TO HAVE HIS OR HERS STOLEN EITHER.

There's no moral difference between you and the person who stole your bike. You're a thief and an a$$hole.

thieves are a$$holes wrote:

You're a thief and an a$$hole.

I don't think anyone on letsrun has ever called another person an asshole before.

I took a bike once at night when I was drunk and abandoned it in the same area. When we drove past the next day it had gone and I think the owners must've taken it back as it didn't work properly and I can't see anyone in their right mind wanting to steal it (obviously I wasn't when I did).

No one has ever stolen a bike from me. I haven't had a bike for years though.

To "thieves are a$$holes",

You seem like a pretty big asshole yourself I might add. My question is: who are you to judge me man?

So you have never stolen a thing in your entire life? Never picked up money that you found on the sidewalk (money that belongs to someone else and not to you)? Never taken more than you should have? Never acquired anything that did not rightfully belong to you? Anyone who as ever taken anything in their entire life, let it be a piece of candy or a Faberge egg, is a thief (there are no innocent people in this world man, probably including you), so under your logic, everyone would be assholes? (including yourself?)

You can try to categorize levels of thievery, saying "oh that is small enough where it doesn't count", but everyone is a thief, face it. Stealing is stealing.

The bike was left unlocked on a college campus. They might as well put a "free" sign on it. If they had made a minimal attempt to show that they wanted said bike, then I wouldn't have taken in. Cheap locks are $5, and that shows the person did not care enough about the bike to begin with.

Being an real asshole would be to cut the lock off a bike, or take a bike right after you saw someone get off of it, pr take a really nice bike, or even worse would be to turn around and sell the bike. This bike was left sitting unlocked in the same spot for days, and yes, it probably did belong to someone. Technically I did "steal" this new bike; although, I let it sit to see if anyone really wanted it, and it was barely ridable, as a cheap WalMart bike left out usually is, when I got it. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily be proud telling my grandmother what I did, but what transpired is the way the world works. Yet when I leave, there will be a working bike left on a rack that someone can "steal" from me. It was kind of an asshole move, but if I left my bike on a rack unlocked, I would not be surprised if it were gone.

trailrunner64 wrote:

But to this day I would like to find the guy that took it and get his vital equipment off

HAHAH in that case I'm your man.

once, i got a ride to work, and my ride home didnt come through. so i was stuck. i saw a bike rack that had an unlocked bike, so i rode the bike home, then put the bike in my car and took it back to the rack.