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*HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BIKE?* Stolen 6/8/05, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas: Eileen Lafer's specially-equipped Pocket Rocket Pro.
Go to Locking Up Your Friday tips
Got a security tip? Read/Post here.
What Did They Do with Eileen's Friday?
UPDATE: June 24, 2005 - "Funny story! Rui [Eileen's husband] came outside to fetch his Bike Friday and cycle home, and lo an behold in addition to his new Kryptonite NYC lock he found his bike handcuffed to the bike rack. Turned out campus police mistook it for mine, but at least it means they are out there watching for it. I hope this doesn't happen too much to him, its the same color as mine! A full page story and pix are going out in 600 newsletters to our bike club membership next week." - Eileen.
Vigilence!
June 2005:
"Today my blue Pocket Rocket Pro (Frame #11224) was stolen while locked at a bike rack at work, University of Texas Health Science Center, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX). It had my custom crank set with dropped pedal and elliptical rings, that no one but me can ride. I am so upset. I can't imagine the thought of not being able to ride a bike, and it will probably take 1-2 months just to get a new dropped pedal built, and I get too much hip pain to ride without it.
I sent a notice to our bike club, who notified everyone in our local cycling community, including all the bike shops. It's likely someone will bring it in to have my modified crank set removed, or maybe someone will see someone riding it about town. It will be both strange to ride with it, and one cannot even take off the Speedplay Frog pedals without taking off the crank arm the way it's built, so I am hopeful someone will bring it to a bike shop soon."
Please contact Eileen on triskeliongirl at yahoo dot com if you have information on this bike.
Go to Locking Up Your Friday tips
BIKE THEFT is at an all time high - we've had reports of several Fridays disappearing recently, even some owned by staff at Bike Friday. The good news is, that being a strange bike, they're easy to spot.
Some feel that that Bike Fridays are so strange that up until now, they've not been a target for your garden-variety bike thief. However, as the number of folding bike purchases increases, people are starting to notice them.
How to secure your Bike Friday
The absence of a diamond frame in the Bike Friday Pocket models means you need to be more creative with your locking. Many suggest a combination of U-lock and cable are necessary for securing all quick-removing parts like wheels. Some opt for the new ultra-heavy duty 'motorcycle-chain' style bicycle locks.
Some security tips
Get contents insurance. Renter's and homeowners insurance often covers bicycles even while on vacation up to $2000-3000. Check your policy carefully.
Fold the bike. Whenever you leave the bike anywhere for an extended amount of time, fold it, passing the cables through all parts. It looks like a broken mess, which is is a reasonable deterrent. It says, 'this is a bit hard'.
Remove the front wheel. You might find it easier to quick release the front wheel if your cables are not long enough, and secure it to the frame. Nice, heavy duty touring rims can be very attractive to BMX riders.
Pass the cable through the stays. Make sure cables go thorugh parts that form a closed loop, like the rear stay, and the trusses where the monotube meets the seat mast.
Pass the U-lock through the crank holes or a closed loop like the stays. Experiment to see what is easy.
Quick Release Seatposts are not a good idea unless you want to take your seat with you everywhere. And remove the little z-wrench from the water bottle cage - it's like giving a burgler the front door key.
Take it inside. It you always carry the soft TravelBag with you, you can fold it and bring it into most office buildings. Door people simply do not like to see anything that looks like a bicycle brought inside.
Don't prise off the nameplate. It can come in handy as this example shows.
Some security tips from The YAK!
Buy a KRYPTONITE NYC LOCK. Do not use the old style locks that can be opened with a Bic pen, or a cable lock. My bike was stolen while using the cable lock. - Eileen L.
Handcuff it: "My solution is a pair of Masterlock Streetcuffs. Basically a bike lock made like a set of handcuffs. One cuff snugs down nicely around the top tube of the Bike Friday and the other then goes round the fixed object. Cable added if desired to secure the wheels. It has a curious side effect. You will be amazed at the number of people that ask about them and then more curiously, feel driven to have to fondle them. Handcuffs obviously have a niche somewhere in many peoples' psyche! Read about it - Tony Raven
Make it ugly: I have a 1962 Rusty Schwinn that I use as a grocery retriever. It is so ugly I never need to lock it. My two Bike Fridays are always locked, but I took someone's advice and used electrical tape to cover several areas of the frame. Makes it look a bit funky. Some folks with expensive bikes have been known to splotch up the original paint job with an ugly color. The goal of course is to make the bike appear junky and undesirable. Drastic but perhaps effective. - George In Houston
Tandem tip:When we leave our Tandem Two'sDay for a short time, I engage both drum brakes. Someone trying to take it would get confused enough by wheels not moving that someone would notice and sound the alarm. - Tom O.
SatRDay tip:I tend to fold the boom back as well as lock the bike - people don't know really what to think of it then ... Ruthy Kanagy
REPORTING YOUR STOLEN BIKE FRIDAY
Please call us on 1-800-777-0258 so we can place your stolen bike in our Stolen Bike Register
Tell Bike Shops. "If you have a picture of your bike, make a flyer with picture, details and contact information. Paste the picture into position and take it to Kinko's or some other copy shop with color copy capability and have copies made in sufficient quantity to take to all the bike shops in your area. Ask them if you can post the flyer in the service department. When my bike was stolen, I did that and everyone was more than happy to post it in their service department. Those are the guy with the eyes for bikes. I was told by one bike shop that they had a bike come in like mine but when they checked the serial number it wasn't my bike, so I know that they were taking it seriously. Also give a copy to whatever police department you are dealing with. A picture if they will post it in the assembly room might catch some officer's eye when he sees it on the street. If it is merely described as a Bike Friday, that won't mean a thing to the average cop tooling around town in his cruiser, but a little wheeled bike with an usual configuration that he has seen a picture of just might. Good luck - Chuck V.
Police and pawn shops Once your bike is stolen, you should report the serial number to the police, which I did, as pawn shops must log all bike serial numbers daily, and the police search it daily for matches. I was going to mail the pawn shops, but the police advised against it since if they know it's stolen they just won't accept it. While they police can search the stolen bike registry, pawn shops can only enter data, so they only know it's stolen when the police show up requesting the bike - Eileen Lafer, Texas.
Remember, a bicycle lock is just a deterrent. In New York, some thieves have a map of poles and posts that have been loosened to harvest their catch later. Personally, I'd go for an electric fence but I think that might be against the law. Be warned!
Got a security tip? Read/Post here.
'Meth heads' send bicycle thefts sky high - thanks to Rob M. for sending this link.
Eileen hopes to be reunited with her Pro!
Emailable link to this article: http://www.bikefriday.com/bf/security