stolen bike - college ave
Sep. 15th, 2008 12:33 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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davis_squareHello everyone
My friend had her bike stolen last night from her front porch, and she doesn't know what to do
She lives on College Ave and she thought it was a safe street...
The poor thing is kinda frantic, and I thought I'd help her out by posting this here.
This is what her bike looks like. It's a brand new purple Schwinn ranger. She already had a bike and a car stolen before, and she's getting kinda bitter about this area... :(What should she do at this point???
Thanks
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Date: 2008-09-15 04:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 04:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 04:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 04:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 05:03 pm (UTC)She went away for 2 months to visit her families, and just got back from a big hike around 5pm last night(Sunday). She saw her bike all safe and sound when she walked by her porch. And within an hour or so when she was unpacking inside, her bike was gone.
I know, she should've brought her bike inside... But it's too late to do that now. :(
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Date: 2008-09-15 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-09-15 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 06:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-09-15 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 05:46 pm (UTC)they're so bad in fact, that kryptonite offered to swap out all their old locks for a new mechanism. i think the offer is probably still sound.
depending on the lock she was using as well, that should be reported. did the lock get stolen too?
sounds like a lot of bikes are being stolen down there. hell, there are little old ladies that steal PLANTS from your front yard too, even going so far as to bring a wagon, and dig them up.
#
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Date: 2008-09-15 06:03 pm (UTC)stealing plant story is making me so sad.
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Date: 2008-09-15 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-16 06:49 pm (UTC)it's not thaaat junky...
ps. i am the owner of the stolen helmet / unlocked bike, not the thief.
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Date: 2008-09-16 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-16 07:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-16 02:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 11:36 pm (UTC)It's probably dependent on ease of resale.
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Date: 2008-09-15 05:11 pm (UTC)Sorry to hear it ... :(
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Date: 2008-09-15 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 08:40 pm (UTC)Renters Insurance runs between $100 and $300 a year. Well worth it.
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Date: 2008-09-15 08:52 pm (UTC)suggestions on renters insurance
Date: 2008-09-16 01:15 pm (UTC)Thanks!
Re: suggestions on renters insurance
Date: 2008-09-16 01:57 pm (UTC)http://www.wccins.com/home.asp
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 05:17 pm (UTC)The next thing to do is to call her insurance company and file a renters' insurance claim, and give them the police report number.
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Date: 2008-09-15 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 06:03 pm (UTC)It's a nice bike and I agree with previous posts call the police to report it. A lot of the time stolen bikes get ridden around for a bit then left places. She could also try walking the area and the bike trail to see if someone left it around. Then tell her to please learn this time.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 06:21 pm (UTC)I do have common sense
Date: 2008-09-16 08:30 pm (UTC)Report it to the police.
Date: 2008-09-15 07:25 pm (UTC)1. Keep an eye on Craiglist (ebay too, perhaps) for people who might try to sell the bike
2. Walk around Tufts and Harvard looking for it. The color is quite noticeable.
Re: Report it to the police.
Date: 2008-09-15 07:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 07:53 pm (UTC)It's sad but true that a certain percentage of people tend to steal things. This is true anywhere. When you live in a place where people are densely populated, which is to say, any city, you have more people in any area, which means more thieves. Leaving anything outdoors in full view in Somerville is just a way of tempting thieves. That doesn't mean Somerville is a bad place, it's just the reality of living in any semi-urban area.
You can reduce the likelihood of an outside bike being stolen in several ways:
1) Use an excellent quality U lock.
2) Lock the bike to something that isn't easily removed or breakable. Locking it to a porch post isn't good, that can be sawed or broken. You may not have something suitable.
3) When putting the lock on the bike, ensure that it passes around the rear wheel and part of the frame and whatever it's being locked to.
4) Get a bike with a quick-release front wheel, and maybe a quick release seat, and take it (them) off of the bike and take it (them) with you.
5) Don't leave any accessories, such as lights or water bottles, on the bike.
6) Get a cheap-looking bike.
7) Lock up the bike someplace where it can't be seen from the street, and remove anything from your porch that isn't part of the building. Thieves are often opportunist: if they see something they want to steal, they will walk onto your porch to do so, but if they don't see anything, they're unlikely to walk onto your porch to look for stuff to steal.
Speaking as a formerly avid biker, I also want to suggest that keeping the bike indoors is much better for the bike. Leaving a bike outdoors often, even if it's under a roof, leads to much more and faster rust. If you don't want to deal with carrying a full size bicycle into your home or finding space for it, I certainly don't blame you, but you might want to consider a folding bike that you can fold up and carry in and stash in a closet when you aren't using it.
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Date: 2008-09-16 12:00 am (UTC)Thanks for the concern...but i'm not frantic just jaded
Date: 2008-09-16 08:21 pm (UTC)I think its fine to report that to the police, but I am choosing not to because there is no proof. I had my car stolen two years ago by MIT (and yes it was locked and it was a crappy 1998 neon) and this stuff happens. I don't think somerville is unsafe just because my bike was stolen. I just think it sucks that I got it stolen. I had a u-lock and cable lock on it for all you people that think i'm dumb. The person who left his bike unlocked had a trek, so it wasn't a lame bike that they chose not to take. I'm not going to pay 300 dollars for renters insurance when the bike was 150 bucks. So anywhooo thanks for the help, (I wasn't frantic by the way just mad, that was Sun's poetic license). I've been looking at craigslist and I went to some of the local bike shops too.. So there, I've defended myself, don't just assume people are stupid. I'm not stupid just jaded (but I will vote come November 2nd! ;) )
Re: Thanks for the concern...but i'm not frantic just jaded
Date: 2008-09-16 08:26 pm (UTC)like i said, you can borrow the extra bike whenever you want.
Re: Thanks for the concern...but i'm not frantic just jaded
Date: 2008-09-16 08:38 pm (UTC)ive seen some people posting on here and amazingly getting their stuff returned. so i thought i;d give it a try.
Re: Thanks for the concern...but i'm not frantic just jaded
Date: 2008-09-16 08:33 pm (UTC)Re: Thanks for the concern...but i'm not frantic just jaded
Date: 2008-09-16 08:39 pm (UTC)Re: Thanks for the concern...but i'm not frantic just jaded
Date: 2008-09-16 09:04 pm (UTC)Re: Thanks for the concern...but i'm not frantic just jaded
Date: 2008-09-22 08:32 pm (UTC)