Last night (10/8/2014) I had my crankset stolen from the covered bike area of the Clybourn Metra stop. I didn't know this was something people stole! Is there any way to prevent this, and is it worth reporting in some way? They didn't steal the whole bike, just the crankset.
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Well, that's a first! What sort of crankset? Was the bottom bracket also removed?
With the right tools, any part attached to the frame can be stolen. Since a lot of components are worth decent money, its surprising it doesn't happen more often.
Sorry to hear about this. :( I have no personal experience, but there have been a few threads on here about the dangers of parking at the Clybourn Metra stop. It's really too bad.
This station in particular is one where there are frequent parts thefts. This has been discussed several times. You rarely see these kinds of thefts elsewhere in the city so it seems to be a small group of individuals who focus on this station.
Removing a crankset requires a dizzying array of tools depending on WHICH crankset so I am pretty confident that you had a square taper JIS crankset under the logic that this crankset is the most common and requires $30 worth of Park Tools to remove crankset/BB. The sad part of this story would be the people who witnessed same and did nothing. This theft takes a skilled mechanic several minutes at least and it is not possible that no-one saw same. Having been that guy who stepped up and said that is not acceptable when I saw an absolute bullshit crime in real time, I would offer this community the chance to do the same and assure you it will be a life affirming moment that will make you stronger by making your community stronger. Thieves suck. You don't. Make them own their actions.
You should't blame yourself for that. Who would expect that their crankset would be stolen? As others have pointed out, it takes special tools and time to do this. There is some dude(s) that seem to know exactly what they want and focus on this station.
As to some of the other posters, I'm reasonably street smart but I doubt I would interrupt someone removing a crank set. My assumption would be it was theirs although I suppose 8 at night would be a little fishy. Big cajones on this thief.
How much was the crankset worth?
M G said:
@clp - actually I take my bike with me on the train to work everyday. this happened at night, and I rode instead of walking because I was running a little late and as a woman, I try to avoid walking underneath the highway when it is late & dark. I left it there at about 7 and returned a little after 10pm. I hadn't thought or researched whether this was a bad spot, I was running late and probably should have considered that though. I likely won't lock up there again, but I do dislike walking alone nearby so I really resent that I don't feel safe enough to bike and that I have to feel more unsafe because I have to walk.
When crowds are lower (at night) and there is better cover, I assume things like this are more common. I don't leave my bike locked there often and I foolishly assumed that because the racks are full during the day it must be a relatively safe place. Now I know better.
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