Bike Thief

Written: May 17, 2004
Last Updated: May 17, 2004

Fricking bike thieves stole my rear wheel and seat!!!

The dry cleaning lady said to me this afternoon, "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" I could only nod and laugh half-heartedly. Yes, it was a lovely day, if not for some !%^$#@ bike thief who stole my rear wheel and seat this morning!

I parked my bike at the Art Building at 10:00 am. Though I always lock my bike to something, I don't always lock both the front and rear wheels together. If I was riding my road bike, this would be different. With my campus bike, however, I figured that what I did would be enough protection. Following my art class at 11:45 am, I walked out, turned the corner, and saw my bike, minus the rear wheel and seat. "WTF!?!" I stood there looking at the bike for what seemed like several minutes. I was dumbfounded... how could this happen to me, to my bike?

I had to get back to the office, and wasn't looking forward to dragging my rear wheel-less bike half a mile. Fortunately, Inga found a rear wheel lying in the bushes which I was able to attach to my bike, allowing me at least to roll it back to the office.

%^@$#% bike thief! May my seat give you 1,000 boils on your ass! If I ever find you... you'll be in a world of hurt!


WTF!?!	My bike, minus its seat and rear wheel	Why my bike?
Temporary rear wheel

Enter The Photo Gallery

Reader Comments

Adam, A bike thief will steal anything with a quick release on a bicycle. Back when I was a student at UC Davis, I have seen too many incidents like yours occuring on campus. I feel for you and I hope that thief will get a least one flat a week! Take it easy! Best regards,

--posted by Da Hamster @ Monday, May 17 2004, 21:55 pm PDT

How do people who commit such execrable acts live with themselves? Are not their consciences tormenting them? Or are they just callous to everything?

--posted by Jason @ Tuesday, May 18 2004, 9:15 am PDT

Adaw, there is another wheel against the building\'s wall on your last picture... what\'s that about? Wheels everywhere...

--posted by lurker @ Tuesday, May 18 2004, 13:47 pm PDT

Yeah, that wheel was flat. It didn\'t have quick release on it, so it certainly didn\'t work on my bike. I don\'t recall seeing it when I parked the bike in the morning.

--posted by Adam @ Tuesday, May 18 2004, 18:27 pm PDT

what is this world coming to.... stuff like this is so unnecessary!

--posted by quinn @ Wednesday, May 19 2004, 17:32 pm PDT

The question is not "Why your bike?", it's "What the hell does a thief want with a seat and a rear wheel?" :/

--posted by rob @ Saturday, June 5 2004, 22:46 pm PDT

I can understand you being upset, but commenting on some of the comments... curious to know "which world you live in?"

--posted by pradeep @ Monday, June 7 2004, 11:58 am PDT

Someone commented: "Why steal a wheel and a seat?"...Bike parts can be sold in the "black (bike) market" - don't ask me for directions on where to find it though! People will steal anything that's not locked down. The day after I bought my first bike, I locked it up at the SF Public Library - U-Lok'd the rear tire through the frame, cabled the seat to the frame to the front tire. I thought it was safe! I came back a couple hours later to find that the brake CABLES were stolen. JUST THE CABLES, mind you, not the pads or levers. I felt so violated! Who would want just bike cables? I guess I could have ridden it and used my foot on the tire for brakes, but that would have busted my shoes. So I rolled it to a bike shop that was open and they refitted all the housings, noodles, and cables. I was new to bicycling and wasn't familiar with the bike theft hot spots in SF. The repairman told me that Civic Center is the worst place to lock up a bike. That would explain what I had seen a few days before. There was a guy riding a bike and carrying another bike on his shoulder. Another guy was walking two bikes and was trying to sell them. OK, lesson learned. Now I pack extra cables along with my bike survival kit. I also think it was more an act of vandalism on my too-new looking bike, so I have wrapped it up in duct-tape to make it less appealing. (by the way...Does anyone know where i can get a U-Lok for the cap that goes on the tire inflation nozzle? - just kidding).

I sympathize with you totally.

--posted by maddy @ Thursday, June 10 2004, 11:12 am PDT

Over 2000 bikes are stolen at Stanford every year. In my class of 13 students, 4 bikes were stolen in one year.

You should go to Mike's Bikes and buy the Kryptonite wheel and seat locks. You replace your seat/wheel bolts with these thingies and use the little supplied key whenever you need to remove them. I left my bike at the Palo Alto Caltrain Bikestation for service, and I forgot to give them my key. I came back a day later and they said they worked on it for 15 minutes with all their equipment and couldn't get my wheel off.

--posted by brian tobin @ Sunday, July 25 2004, 12:42 pm PDT

1. Bike theives really dont care. They see a nice shiny bike, or any bike whatsoever, no lock, no chain, (on any given part) they take it, tons of people are stuipid enough to leave their bike tottaly unlocked.

2. Your "Adam's last name" question is too easy, the site name IS your last name, and anyone can just check your bio (like I did)

--posted by The Great Hampster Lord @ Tuesday, October 12 2004, 0:52 am PDT

j

--posted by j @ Friday, August 17 2007, 13:08 pm PDT