It's long been known that you can't keep a bike on the dinghy dock. Or on the wall. An incorrigable sense of entitlement in this country leads people to steal anything that hasn't been bolted down. However, we decided to lock our bikes there anyway, for the sake of convenience. I mean, we own a couple of the most tattered and inexpensive bikes money could buy. Certainly, if a bike was going to be stolen, it would be Charlie's shiny red Schwinn with the lazy-man's motor, right? Wrong.
After a cruise around the bay yesterday, we thought we might cruise bicycle-style to grab some much-needed grub. As I approached the dock to take Lola to the ladies' room, my eyes stumbled upon an empty spot where Ben's bicycle once resided. Looks like the Serial Bicycle Thief struck again. Not only was Ben's spot empty, but the place in which a neighbor's yellow beach cruiser once rested his tires was empty as well. It was a bittersweet finding, as Not Francie was the last bike standing. And at the top of the gangway, our friend Markitos bike hung on by a thread.
Looks like the thief tried unsuccessfully to cut one of his cables... and his lock.
After Ben and I got back from a motorcycle ride to dinner, I dragged Not Francie up the gangway and locked her up beside Markitos' bike. A little detective work led us to understand that those bikes with more than one cable, chain or lock were the survivors in this attack. I keep Not Francie locked up with a thick chain and Master Lock along with a heavy duty Kryptonite bike lock. Any thief would have to spend a good amount of time cutting through those in order to steal her.
Ben, unfortunately, had Not Juda locked up only with a chain and Master Lock. Also, the fact that he was down on the dock allowed more privacy for a thief to spend time cutting a lock or chain without being noticed by passersby. Our initial thought was that the dock was safer than the wall for locking bikes, but now we realize the wall is better traveled, and therefore safer for bikes. Lessons learned.
Since Markitos is currently cruising out to Catalina and is not able to fend for his own bicycle, I strung my own chain through both of our bikes as a deterrent for future attacks. Don't worry, Markitos... I got you covered! Have fun in Catalina and hopefully you'll still have a bike when you return!!
After a cruise around the bay yesterday, we thought we might cruise bicycle-style to grab some much-needed grub. As I approached the dock to take Lola to the ladies' room, my eyes stumbled upon an empty spot where Ben's bicycle once resided. Looks like the Serial Bicycle Thief struck again. Not only was Ben's spot empty, but the place in which a neighbor's yellow beach cruiser once rested his tires was empty as well. It was a bittersweet finding, as Not Francie was the last bike standing. And at the top of the gangway, our friend Markitos bike hung on by a thread.
Looks like the thief tried unsuccessfully to cut one of his cables... and his lock.
After Ben and I got back from a motorcycle ride to dinner, I dragged Not Francie up the gangway and locked her up beside Markitos' bike. A little detective work led us to understand that those bikes with more than one cable, chain or lock were the survivors in this attack. I keep Not Francie locked up with a thick chain and Master Lock along with a heavy duty Kryptonite bike lock. Any thief would have to spend a good amount of time cutting through those in order to steal her.
Ben, unfortunately, had Not Juda locked up only with a chain and Master Lock. Also, the fact that he was down on the dock allowed more privacy for a thief to spend time cutting a lock or chain without being noticed by passersby. Our initial thought was that the dock was safer than the wall for locking bikes, but now we realize the wall is better traveled, and therefore safer for bikes. Lessons learned.
Since Markitos is currently cruising out to Catalina and is not able to fend for his own bicycle, I strung my own chain through both of our bikes as a deterrent for future attacks. Don't worry, Markitos... I got you covered! Have fun in Catalina and hopefully you'll still have a bike when you return!!
how aggravating is that!
ReplyDeleteI swear people need to go back to kindergarten & relearn "we don't touch what doesn't belong to us without asking first." =P
ReplyDelete