Really, bike rack thief, really?

I've been out of the country for the past year so I could be out of the loop on bike accessory thievery.  I didn't realize it had come to this.

Sometime between late Friday night and Saturday morning someone with tools took the back rack off my bicycle, parked outside a friend's house.  Just the rack, left everything else.  It's a little hard being grateful to still have a bike when you've got a set of very full saddlebag panniers and no place to put them.  I just don't understand how it could possibly have been worth anyone's time to remove something that was maybe worth $20 when it was new.  And it is 5 Chicago winter's worth of riding away from new.  

Was it just a time-consuming jerk move or are bike racks worth more than I think?

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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on March 19, 2012 at 5:24am

If it's an allen head bolt, some swear by a small ball bearing secured by silicone to add a degree of difficulty.

April said:

Someone tried to steal my front rack over the weekend.  It's missing a bolt from one of the connectors to the fork.  It seems they gave up, maybe when they realized my dynamo light was threaded through the other side?  I don't know.  This is pretty damn low.  Does anyone have an suggestions for securing your rack from theft?  Do those pinhead bolts work for racks as well as other components?  My rack is specially designed for my bike and would be a pain in the ass to replace, not to mention damage to my dynamo system would be detrimental.   Thanks!!!

Permalink Reply by April on March 19, 2012 at 6:25am

Wow that sounds like a great tip!  I am going to do this.  Is the ball bearing removable if I ever have to undo the rack?  

Thanks!

Kevin C said:

If it's an allen head bolt, some swear by a small ball bearing secured by silicone to add a degree of difficulty.

April said:

Someone tried to steal my front rack over the weekend.  It's missing a bolt from one of the connectors to the fork.  It seems they gave up, maybe when they realized my dynamo light was threaded through the other side?  I don't know.  This is pretty damn low.  Does anyone have an suggestions for securing your rack from theft?  Do those pinhead bolts work for racks as well as other components?  My rack is specially designed for my bike and would be a pain in the ass to replace, not to mention damage to my dynamo system would be detrimental.   Thanks!!!

Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on March 19, 2012 at 8:07am

Speaking of racks, anybody have an extra one laying around? I could probably trade you for johni walker blue label or something else of that sort, if you feel so inclined.

Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on March 19, 2012 at 8:32am

I have a front rack, but no rear rack.  This is the one  http://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Gold-Tec-Front-Rack/dp/B002MKHR6G/ref...

 

It's yours if you want it.  

Jim S said:

Speaking of racks, anybody have an extra one laying around? I could probably trade you for johni walker blue label or something else of that sort, if you feel so inclined.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on March 19, 2012 at 9:16am

 Welcome back, Sara and sorry about your loss. If it's not nailed down in this town...

 I'd read about this sort of thing happening in another thread, so I added lock washers to my rear rack's mounting bolts and tightened them within an inch of their lives. A dab of Locktite will help, too.

 You'd need a hacksaw to get it off my bike now.

Permalink Reply by Ken Lee on March 19, 2012 at 12:25pm

Well this is horrifying. One pair of cheap pliers and you could steal my rear tire*, seat*, rack, fenders & pump (*=quick release, unprotected by U-lock). How secure can you be without carrying everything inside whenever you stop? I've had six bicycles stolen over 34 years, all of them locked or inside a house or car.

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/life/dude-wheres-my-bike

Permalink Reply by Vilda on March 19, 2012 at 3:06pm

There are plenty of bikers that steal. We can't pretend that it's just phantom crooks that drive around. It's way to easy for someone with the knowledge of bikes to steal parts. There was also a thread about some fixie pixies in Lincoln Square cruising around and stealing stuff. Bastards.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on March 19, 2012 at 4:13pm

Just an FYI; rack bolts tend to loosen up and fall out all of the time due to vibration so if you find one missing it is a good idea to check them all because there is a decent chance it is not a theft attempt but the fastener just working loose.  I would say that 1 in five bikes I see at the shop with a rack on it has bolts coming loose.  Loc-tite solves that issue.

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