The Chainlink

Do you take your lights/helmet/etc... when you park? I wish I did...

I've gotten so used to leaving everything on my bike with no consequence and last night was a rude wake up.

I went to the Eighth Blackbird concert at Pritzker Pavilion last night and locked up next to the Millennium Park bike center.  When I came back, my helmet, with mounted front and rear lights, was gone.

I'm assuming this was a crime of convenience, because the thief left the lights attached to my bike (Planet Bike Blinky on rear) and my HornIt.  I'm wondering also if he thought the front light on my helmet was a camera; several people have asked if that's what it was when walking by me recently.  Here's hoping he was disappointed when he looked closer later on.

It felt really disorienting when riding home without the helmet last night.  Both because of the missing weight and the fact that I no longer had that light to direct at whomever I chose with a turn of my head.

Careful with your stuff out there.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on August 29, 2013 at 2:33pm

I always take my lights; I use a Knog Blinder front and rear and they are to easy to remove/install to leave out there for somebody to take.  Unless it is a bolt on hard mount light you should always take it in.

My helmet I am 50/50 on.  Often I just lock through the strap and leave it with the bike but if I think there is a good chance of people locking to me or the bike getting pushed around I take it in because I have a pretty nice helmet.

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 29, 2013 at 2:39pm

Ditto on the lights.

Helmets, on the other hand, I don't like any of my current ones and so I leave attached to my bike. If it gets broken or scratched, or stolen, I'll have a reason to get a new one :)

notoriousDUG said:

I always take my lights; I use a Knog Blinder front and rear and they are to easy to remove/install to leave out there for somebody to take.  Unless it is a bolt on hard mount light you should always take it in.

My helmet I am 50/50 on.  Often I just lock through the strap and leave it with the bike but if I think there is a good chance of people locking to me or the bike getting pushed around I take it in because I have a pretty nice helmet.

Permalink Reply by David Barish on August 29, 2013 at 2:41pm

+1

lights always come with me.  Helmet locked to the bike or taken with.

notoriousDUG said:

I always take my lights; I use a Knog Blinder front and rear and they are to easy to remove/install to leave out there for somebody to take.  Unless it is a bolt on hard mount light you should always take it in.

My helmet I am 50/50 on.  Often I just lock through the strap and leave it with the bike but if I think there is a good chance of people locking to me or the bike getting pushed around I take it in because I have a pretty nice helmet.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on August 29, 2013 at 2:57pm

Take everything with you that is not tied down. I always take my lights, camera, and helmet with me.

Permalink Reply by Julia 3.5/7.5 mi on August 29, 2013 at 3:38pm

Yep, same. I also have Knog Blinder lights on front and rear.  I don't usually leave my helmet locked up - it's not terribly awkward to carry it with my pannier/tote bag and I'd rather not have it go missing.  Annoying that people will grab anything that isn't locked down.

notoriousDUG said:

I always take my lights; I use a Knog Blinder front and rear and they are to easy to remove/install to leave out there for somebody to take.  Unless it is a bolt on hard mount light you should always take it in.

My helmet I am 50/50 on.  Often I just lock through the strap and leave it with the bike but if I think there is a good chance of people locking to me or the bike getting pushed around I take it in because I have a pretty nice helmet.

Permalink Reply by Heather on August 29, 2013 at 4:12pm

I always take my lights and lock up my helmet. I used to leave the lights on the bike even in some iffy neighborhoods, and then they were stolen outside the Welles Park fieldhouse. So much for community.

Permalink Reply by David P. on August 29, 2013 at 5:31pm

I often lock my helmet with my bike, when it occurs to me that if anyone really wants my sweaty-ass helmet, well, I guess they can have it.

Permalink Reply by JimmyD on August 29, 2013 at 6:23pm

I used to take my lights and helmet with me. Now I take everything.  [/folding bike]

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 29, 2013 at 10:03pm

Sorry this happened.

My perception is that there's someone or someones in Milllenium Park looking to steal bikes pretty much every time there's an event.

I very rarely leave the helmet with the bike.... the few times  have have mostly been United Center and Michigan Ave near Orchestra Hall and I've been lucky. I keep my lights on my helmet. 

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on August 29, 2013 at 10:17pm

I've had everything not locked down to my bike stolen too many times from too many locations (Garfield Park Conservatory, Millennium Park, my apartment's basement) to leave them on now. It sucks.

Permalink Reply by Noah Weiss 1.2 km on August 29, 2013 at 10:34pm
I usually take my helmet with me when I park, but I leave my headlight attached to the bike. My tail light is on my helmet.
Permalink Reply by BritBoy on August 29, 2013 at 10:45pm

I usually take everything easily removable with me. Having said that, my helmet sometimes smells so bad I probably wouldn't even need to lock up my bike if I left the helmet with it...

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