12(-08){2}

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:50 am

So, over the weekend, my bike got stolen. Grumble. I'd sunk about $600 into that bike, and I'd also just ordered a fancy $200 lighting system for it, and then some idiot left the garage door open all night and someone walked off with my bike (and I keep the front wheel locked to the frame so it's not like someone could even just ride off with it).

Stupid garage has no way of locking up a bike to anything. The goddamn HOA is always being all "we need to address this problem" and nobody ever does anything. So I'm going to have to step up to the plate on this one, I think.

On the plus side, the SFPD at least does a convincing job of pretending to give a shit, and there's a (small) chance it might get recovered.

The most frustrating thing of course is that this was my main mode of transportation. I hate taking the bus or BART to work. In the morning I always feel crappy until I get on my bike and then that gets me ready to face the day. It was part of my daily ritual. Meh.

qotd: Ever get a bike stolen? How much did it set you back?

Billy's Little Trip · Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:24 pm

Sorry about your bike, Fluf. I'm guessing you can't take a bike into your condo for some reason? I have these solo bike hangers that are bolted to a stud of my garage wall. It has a looped hook type thing that I think you could run a bike cable/chain through. I bought them at Home Depot if I remember correctly. I'll go look at the brand name, if that helps.

QOTD: No

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:28 pm

I can, but that means taking it up two flights of stairs. I was doing that for a while but it got old.

Unfortunately, I don't technically have the legal authority to bolt a bike hanger to the wall in the garage because of the silly way the space is deeded. I doubt anyone would mind if I did but even then, a cable lock is only a minor irritant to a bike thief.

Billy's Little Trip · Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:51 pm

I think that if you presented it to the HOA, they might ok it. I couldn't find the ones I have, but I did find this, which is the same thing. This bike hanger with an uncuttable bike lock cable that weaves through the back wheel, frame and front wheel and the hanger hook would be more than an annoyance. Along with security screws holding the hanger to the wall, I'd like to see someone steal it.
In fact, get one of those tiny wireless spy cams that activates by motion and tie it into your computer. It would be fun to watch on youtube.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:54 pm

Yeah, I'm sure the HOA would approve of it (since others have had bikes stolen as well). That particular rack you linked to looks pretty okay. At Amazon our bike garage had a bunch of rather awesome and much more industrial-looking bike hangers which were similar to that but much more security-focused, but I can't find them online anywhere. I still have a couple of contacts back at Amazon so maybe I could ask one of them to ask the bike garage folks what model they use.

The main problem is just one of layout. Being San Francisco, the space is very densely-allocated, and while most of the spots have storage space, mine doesn't, and strictly-speaking my space is not against a wall (there's 2' of easement on the front and side for walkways). I don't have a car so most of the time it wouldn't be an impediment to hang a bike in one of the walkways, but now and then I'll have a guest who parks in the spot (usually my sister, who has a hard time not blocking at least one of the easements to begin with).

Hoblit · Post by **Hoblit** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:21 pm

fluffy wrote:
The most frustrating thing of course is that this was my main mode of transportation. I hate taking the bus or BART to work. In the morning I always feel crappy until I get on my bike and then that gets me ready to face the day. It was part of my daily ritual. Meh.

qotd: Ever get a bike stolen? How much did it set you back?

QotD: Every bike I've ever owned has been stolen with the exception of three. When I moved to Florida I was averaging 2 bikes every three years.

The three bikes that weren't stolen:
1. My current bike.
2. The one that got totaled when I got creamed by a car.
3. The one that I creamed when I got the front tire locked in that little grove between the sidewalk and the freshly installed SOD.

My heart goes out to you Fluff. I love riding my bike and for years it was my primary mode of transportation too. It always helped me really wake up before work as well.

signboy · Post by **signboy** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 2:58 pm

QotD:
I've had a retarded amount of bikes stolen. I'm even anal about locking them, but that doesn't matter.

-Marin Muirwoods
-Rocky Mountain Blizzard
-Trek Y five oh
-Brodie ClimbMax
-Brodie Quantum

not the biggest list, but NONE of them fall into the cheap category, except maybe the Marin.
#^@*ing !^%ians

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:18 pm

Brodie ClimbMax?

.....I can handle it. It's just three little words, right? Just three simple little words.

I can't hold it in...

Post by jb » Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:48 pm

Billy's Little Trip wrote:I think that if you presented it to the HOA, they might ok it. I couldn't find the ones I have, but I did find this, which is the same thing. This bike hanger with an uncuttable bike lock cable that weaves through the back wheel, frame and front wheel and the hanger hook would be more than an annoyance. Along with security screws holding the hanger to the wall, I'd like to see someone steal it.
In fact, get one of those tiny wireless spy cams that activates by motion and tie it into your computer. It would be fun to watch on youtube.

Pretty sure that's really frikkin' cuttable.

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:24 pm

Yeah, not sure how strong it is for $4.88

But I do have 20' uncuttable for my boat trailer that goes through both wheels and loops around the trailer so it can't be moved. But it was significantly more expensive. So they're out there.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:37 pm

Everything is cuttable, with a sufficiently-long handle. Or a blowtorch.

Your boat is probably protected more by merit of the fact it's a BOAT and not a 15-pound bike.

Oh and this also isn't the first bike I've had stolen. In college someone stole my bike and rode it across campus and dumped it on the lawn in front of the dean's office (which made it very easy for the campus police to recover), and I had a bike in Seattle which got stolen at some point (also right out of my garage, although it wasn't a very secure garage) but I was getting ready to move to San Francisco anyway so I kind of wrote it off as one less thing to move (and it was a cheap bike so I figured that pretty much balanced out).

In the meantime I still have my spare folding bike and if my good bike doesn't get recovered by the end of the month I'll just hit Craigslist and buy some used junker and a front basket or something, because clearly it's not worth the effort of actually getting GOOD stuff in this goddamn city.

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:44 pm

I only ride stolen bikes.

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:24 pm

My mountain bike has been parked beside my front door, unchained, for like 2 years now (except, of course, when I'm riding it) and it's not been stolen. Maybe you just need to live somewhere else?

Bearing in mind, I'm the guy on my block that people don't mess with

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:29 pm

Märk wrote:Maybe you just need to live somewhere else?

Why don't you just ask Fluffy what his sign is, you smooth operator.

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:46 pm

How can you spend $200 on lights for a bike?

Ross · Post by **Ross** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:51 pm

Here.

QOTD: One bike, while at UC Santa Barbara, where bikes are an especially dominant form of transportation. I think I chose to buy a pretty inexpensive replacement. $140 as I recall.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:52 pm

Caravan Ray wrote:How can you spend $200 on lights for a bike?

Like this. (There is a pretty good justification for spending that much; basically I had one close call too many and decided I needed to do something about it.)

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:14 pm

Billy's Little Trip wrote:
Märk wrote:Maybe you just need to live somewhere else?
Why don't you just ask Fluffy what his sign is, you smooth operator.

You sound jealous....

Billy's Little Trip · Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:23 pm

Märk wrote:
Billy's Little Trip wrote:
Märk wrote:Maybe you just need to live somewhere else?
Why don't you just ask Fluffy what his sign is, you smooth operator.
You sound jealous....

Dude, get up off of my Koolaid!

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:36 pm

Billy's Little Trip wrote: Dude, get up off of my Koolaid!

Billy's Little Trip · Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:21 pm

slats · Post by **slats** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:06 am

fluffy wrote:...I'll just hit Craigslist and buy some used junker and a front basket or something, because clearly it's not worth the effort of actually getting GOOD stuff in this goddamn city.

While on CL, check the garage sales ads instead. They're trying to get real money for bikes in the bike ads. You can get steals at garage sales.

12(-08){2}

12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}

Re: 12(-08){2}