Bike thief on camera!

I guess if someone really wants your bike, you don't have a chance.  Take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ansaTSw3nbs

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Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on August 27, 2011 at 4:56pm

ya...and the first lady sees the whole thing. Then the second group must have seen something, because they all look at the cut lock as they pass.

Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on August 27, 2011 at 5:01pm
About15 years ago, I lost my keys and my bike was locked at the Naperville Metra station. I had one of those braided 6 foot cables with a master lock. I told the ticket person inside what I was going to do and they were like "what ever". I sat there for 15 minutes with a small wire cutter, chewing threw the cable without question.
Permalink Reply by Bob A. on August 27, 2011 at 5:30pm
Love the stills that you made with the dotted lines of sight.  One of the comments someone left on YouTube about it is absolutely true--people turn a blind eye because the bike thief is white.  And that ABC series, "What Would You Do," proves this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0kV_b3IK9M
Permalink Reply by Robert on August 29, 2011 at 2:08am
My God!  It took they guy 1 min. from the time he pulled the angle grinder from it's bag to the time that he was riding off with the bike! I had no idea that they were so quick.  Scary.
Permalink Reply by Robert on August 29, 2011 at 2:20am

Bob,

I watched this "What Would You Do" episode and if I didn't see it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it. Wow.  Those people were absolutely bigoted.  I can hardly believe it, even having seen it!

Bob A. said:

Love the stills that you made with the dotted lines of sight.  One of the comments someone left on YouTube about it is absolutely true--people turn a blind eye because the bike thief is white.  And that ABC series, "What Would You Do," proves this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0kV_b3IK9M
Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on August 29, 2011 at 3:41am
This just shows you how fast a thief really is and that no one will question them even in broad daylight.
Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on August 29, 2011 at 5:32am

It's hard to guess what one would do if confronted by this situation.  Calling the police would be a good first step, though they'd likely arrive several minutes after the thief had gotten away.  And a thief who is holding a running angle grinder--if it cuts hardened steel that fast, how long would it take the thief to slice off your legs or arms or push the spinning grinder into your face if you confronted him? 

I've watched the video several times, but can't really identify this thief as either Kenny (a big ugly bald African-American guy) or Gilberto (an even bigger, uglier latino mofo), though the "USAJ" t-shirt and logo baseball cap are distinctive in the video.  I had the opportunity in court a couple weeks back to spend considerable time studying the both of them in person, and I don't think I'd last even a minute with either in a fist fight (I'm 5'8")--and Gilberto is in trouble right now for carrying a gun, so he may be deadly.  The "grinder guy" in this video got out of a car down the block out of the PASSENGER side, which makes me think his pal was still sitting in the driver's seat, ready to lend a hand in a fight or a quick getaway car if necessary.

My bike isn't worth getting killed over, nor is a random stranger's bike. 

I'm starting to think I'm going to have to take the quick release front wheel, the seat and the quick release pedals with me when I lock up, to completely disable the bike while I'm away.  Since I can't prevent someone from chewing through my U-Lock, the best I can hope for is that he can't ride away on it--he'd have to carry it, slowing him down considerably.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 29, 2011 at 6:00am
Based on conversations with an eye witness and someone who knows entirely too much about Kenny, I don't believe the angle grinder guy in this video is either Kenny or Gilberto. Kenny drives the van. I don't think he does the cutting. He works with two or three grinder guys. They scope out a bike to steal, Kenny drops the grinder guy off and moves the vehicle to a meet up spot, usually two-three blocks away from the bike. Grinder guy cuts the lock and rides it to the meet up spot, where he and Kenny load it into the back of the van.

Thunder Snow said:

It's hard to guess what one would do if confronted by this situation.  Calling the police would be a good first step, though they'd likely arrive several minutes after the thief had gotten away.  And a thief who is holding a running angle grinder--if it cuts hardened steel that fast, how long would it take the thief to slice off your legs or arms or push the spinning grinder into your face if you confronted him? 

I've watched the video several times, but can't really identify this thief as either Kenny (a big ugly bald African-American guy) or Gilberto (an even bigger, uglier latino mofo), though the "USAJ" t-shirt and logo baseball cap are distinctive in the video.  I had the opportunity in court a couple weeks back to spend considerable time studying the both of them in person, and I don't think I'd last even a minute with either in a fist fight (I'm 5'8")--and Gilberto is in trouble right now for carrying a gun, so he may be deadly.  The "grinder guy" in this video got out of a car down the block out of the PASSENGER side, which makes me think his pal was still sitting in the driver's seat, ready to lend a hand in a fight or a quick getaway car if necessary.

My bike isn't worth getting killed over, nor is a random stranger's bike. 

I'm starting to think I'm going to have to take the quick release front wheel, the seat and the quick release pedals with me when I lock up, to completely disable the bike while I'm away.  Since I can't prevent someone from chewing through my U-Lock, the best I can hope for is that he can't ride away on it--he'd have to carry it, slowing him down considerably.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on August 29, 2011 at 6:05am

I wonder if putting a disc lock through the chainring and locking it to the downtube would be useful in preventing a thief from pedaling my bike away?  And I wonder why bicycle manufacturers don't provide fork locks as motorcycles do?  When you park a motorcycle, you turn the fork all the way to the left and press in the lock.  That way, even if you try to walk the bike away, you can't straighten the fork, and the bike will just go in left-hand circles.  It seems like it would be useful to bicycle security and the component already exists.

Permalink Reply by Robert on August 29, 2011 at 6:09am

Thunder,

I think your idea of removing quick release parts is good.  I have always worked towards setting my bikes up so they have no quick releases on them because I was afraid of someone stealing it too easy anything with a quick release. I had never even heard of quick release pedals.  Pedals are easy to carry around and have you ever tried to ride your bike with out pedals?? lol.  I have, it's hilarious!

Thunder Snow said:

It's hard to guess what one would do if confronted by this situation.  Calling the police would be a good first step, though they'd likely arrive several minutes after the thief had gotten away.  And a thief who is holding a running angle grinder--if it cuts hardened steel that fast, how long would it take the thief to slice off your legs or arms or push the spinning grinder into your face if you confronted him? 

I've watched the video several times, but can't really identify this thief as either Kenny (a big ugly bald African-American guy) or Gilberto (an even bigger, uglier latino mofo), though the "USAJ" t-shirt and logo baseball cap are distinctive in the video.  I had the opportunity in court a couple weeks back to spend considerable time studying the both of them in person, and I don't think I'd last even a minute with either in a fist fight (I'm 5'8")--and Gilberto is in trouble right now for carrying a gun, so he may be deadly.  The "grinder guy" in this video got out of a car down the block out of the PASSENGER side, which makes me think his pal was still sitting in the driver's seat, ready to lend a hand in a fight or a quick getaway car if necessary.

My bike isn't worth getting killed over, nor is a random stranger's bike. 

I'm starting to think I'm going to have to take the quick release front wheel, the seat and the quick release pedals with me when I lock up, to completely disable the bike while I'm away.  Since I can't prevent someone from chewing through my U-Lock, the best I can hope for is that he can't ride away on it--he'd have to carry it, slowing him down considerably.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on August 29, 2011 at 6:37am

Dahon Folding Bike Technology: MKS EZY Pedals

MKS EZ PedalsDahon folding bikes are known for their unique fold, which normally involves a folding pedal. Usually made out of plastic, the folding pedal gives the bike its compact form, but can't handle as much pressure as an alloy pedal.

Some of the higher end Dahon folding bicycles are now implementing the MKS EZY Pedals. Using a quick-release sleeve, these alloy pedals are stronger than a plastic folding pedal, and are also easy to remove. Just pull back the sleeve and the pedal pops right off.

Since the MKS EZY Pedals attach to a bicycle crank using the same threading as a standard pedal, they can attach to any bicycle (even non-folding bikes). When the pedal is removed, the coupler stays on the crank, making the final folded size even smaller than a plastic folding pedal.

 

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I've got these MKS quick release pedals on my Dahon folder.  I'm now thinking of getting a second set of couplers for my Trek so I could just move these pedals from bike to bike, like I do the headlight.  Yes, a bike locked up with the pedals safely in my backpack seems more secure to me than one locked up with pedals attached.



Robert said:

 I had never even heard of quick release pedals.  Pedals are easy to carry around and have you ever tried to ride your bike with out pedals?? lol.  I have, it's hilarious!

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 29, 2011 at 6:40am
I have never seen an entry on the stolen bike registry for stolen pedals. Lock your frame and wheels, maybe tether your saddle, remove easily detached accessories like lights and computers, don't worry about your pedals.

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