The Chainlink

Either downtown or somewhere along the Milwaukee corridor up as far as Logan Square. Looking to make a quick web short about bike theft prevention. Feel free to send me an email at jason@activetrans.org. Thanks.

Jason Jenkins

Education Specialist

Active Trans

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Mike Zumwalt said:

The goal is to make yours the hardest to steal.

I think of it more like being faster than the slowest antelope in the herd being chased by lions. :)

South side of Lake, just west of Ashland.

Thanks everyone, I've got the footage I need, but I'll leave this thread open as a place for people to alert others.

Jason Jenkins

Active Trans

I'd be interested to know what you're basing this on, Mike.

A quick search of reports of victims who locked to seemingly intact signpoles and came back to find the bolts laying next to the signs shows only about 1 in 4 happened overnight.


 
Mike Zumwalt said:

Should be ok. Nothing is 100% Like I said I wouldn't leave it out over night.
 
h' 1.0 said:

Except for the times that your bike gets stolen.

Mike Zumwalt said:

Just look down, if it has a bolt and a nut you should be ok.

Important point - sometimes its less that the bolts on the base are missing but the bolts on the sign.  If the sign is gone someone can just lift off the bike and carry it away. So look up and down.

H

Van Buren & Federal. On East side of Federal. Noticed it on the way home from a friends going away party tonight.

I'd be interested to know the relationship between time and rate of theft. You are misunderstanding Mike's post, he is saying that the longer you leave it you are at greater risk (more opportunity, less eyes in the night), overnight being a very long time to lock to an insecure object. My guess is that perhaps most thefts from poles happen in the 4-12hr range and to Mike's point if you are just running inside the store you should be fine.

h' 1.0 said:

I'd be interested to know what you're basing this on, Mike.

A quick search of reports of victims who locked to seemingly intact signpoles and came back to find the bolts laying next to the signs shows only about 1 in 4 happened overnight.


 
Mike Zumwalt said:

Should be ok. Nothing is 100% Like I said I wouldn't leave it out over night.
 
h' 1.0 said:

Except for the times that your bike gets stolen.

Mike Zumwalt said:

Just look down, if it has a bolt and a nut you should be ok.

I saw a Rivendell locked to a pole like that in Logan Square on Milwaukee across from New Wave Coffee.  I almost took it just to prove a point that if you have a Rivendell and are that cavalier about its safety, you don't deserve it.

Haddon said:

Important point - sometimes its less that the bolts on the base are missing but the bolts on the sign.  If the sign is gone someone can just lift off the bike and carry it away. So look up and down.

H

I'm sorry but actual real world reports do not support your guesses.

Is Mike there with you now? Put him on here.


Tandemonium said:

I'd be interested to know the relationship between time and rate of theft. You are misunderstanding Mike's post, he is saying that the longer you leave it you are at greater risk (more opportunity, less eyes in the night), overnight being a very long time to lock to an insecure object. My guess is that perhaps most thefts from poles happen in the 4-12hr range and to Mike's point if you are just running inside the store you should be fine.

h' 1.0 said:

I'd be interested to know what you're basing this on, Mike.

A quick search of reports of victims who locked to seemingly intact signpoles and came back to find the bolts laying next to the signs shows only about 1 in 4 happened overnight.


 
Mike Zumwalt said:

Should be ok. Nothing is 100% Like I said I wouldn't leave it out over night.
 
h' 1.0 said:

Except for the times that your bike gets stolen.

Mike Zumwalt said:

Just look down, if it has a bolt and a nut you should be ok.

Since the parking meter debacle and the growth of cycling popularity concurrent to a relative freeze in city bike rack placements, we have very little choice in what to lock to in some areas.

I think you're being hard on this owner who's really just a victim of a general bike parking shortage.


Madopal (18 mi...occasionally) said:

I saw a Rivendell locked to a pole like that in Logan Square on Milwaukee across from New Wave Coffee.  I almost took it just to prove a point that if you have a Rivendell and are that cavalier about its safety, you don't deserve it.

Haddon said:

Important point - sometimes its less that the bolts on the base are missing but the bolts on the sign.  If the sign is gone someone can just lift off the bike and carry it away. So look up and down.

H

Whew! Made it home with my bike today after stopping by the store on the way home, even though I had to lock to a pole outside. I only needed a few things and was in the store for 5 minutes. I know I should have just walked home and left my bike locked to the pole overnight after a recent study proved it reduces your risk of it getting your bike stolen by up to 75%! I should have left it but I really wanted to ride home instead of walk. It worked out in the end so I guess I am just lucky!

Yesterday, I was paying attention to whether signs had bolts at the base.  A sign at the NE corner of Wrightwood and Clark (outside the 7-11) was missing a bolt and had no sign at the top.  The pole was wedged in the base and didn't move.

More disturbing were two poles outside apartment buildings.  A sign on the SE corner of Wrightwood and Hampden and a sign outside 2650 N Lakeview were missing bolts and the poles were easily removed from the base.  I took photos and sent them to Alderman Smith and CDOT on Twitter.

I think the buildings' management companies are removing the bolts so they can remove bikes.

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