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I got my wife's bike back after I found it on CL, posted by a small pawn shop next to NorthEast Market in Baltimore, on East Monument St. A lot of stolen goods tend to surface in this area. It had been stolen from our back yard few days previous, over a 5 foot brick wall w/ locked door after she got back from yoga in Patterson park. I walked into the pawn shop with some officers that had been hanging out in front of the market, armed with a picture of my wife's bike. They wanted me to show them a police report, but I didn't have one because when I initially reported the bike stollen the officer that showed up refused to issue me a police report for a stolen bike, because he said there was no hope of finding it. Eventually the officers let me take the bike anyway after the Pawn shop guy admitted the guys that he bought it off of used their prisonor's ids when the dropped off the bike, because they had just gotten out.

Another bike I had stolen but never recovered had a NY Forgetaboutit U-lock and was locked to a signpost. Neighbors saw two men unbolt the the two signs on the top of the post and life the bike off, re-bolt the signs on, and walk away with the bike which had an imobilizer euro-style ringlock so you can't ride it. it was a very old bike that weighed about 200 pounds. This was at 4AM. Previously someone dis-assembled the dong-dong bell.

Currently I use an incredibly heavy chain lock, and a u-lock thought he front wheel. I have had the skewer in my front wheel stolen once, and many items out of my panniers such as two infant-size helmets, and the velcro comfort pad out of the baby seat, and an extra chain that wasn't locked.

by lee on Jul 21, 2012 9:54 am • link • report