By Mike Coleman
It’s been 22 days since my beautiful baby was stolen away from me. I still haven’t gotten over it. He was a shiny faced young lad. Energetic and eager to please. He was quick and nimble for such an infant—only six months old and 26 pounds. I’ll miss his Deore rapid fire shifters. Bio-Pace crank and Dia-Compe brakes.
You see, my bike was stolen from his home in my basement last month. By writing this painful piece I hope to help the rest of you protect your own loved ones. Big bikes, little bikes, green bikes, yellow bikes, old bikes—they’re all the same. They all need love and protection.
There’s a feeling some of us get when the snow melts, that feeling of freedom and exhilaration which can only come from racing, whether it’s through a creek or past a streetcar.
Thieves, however, share a different spring feeling. It’s that lure of easy money and the rush which only comes from filling an “indestructible” Kryptonite lock with liquid nitrogen, smashing it with a hammer and watching it shatter.
Toronto has long been considered the bike theft capital o’ North America. And probably with good reason. Last year, 10,844 bikes were stolen in Metro. That’s down from 11,098 in ’93. In 1992, there was an average of 38 reports of stolen bikes per day. And those are only the thefts which get reported. Of these cases, police solved only 375, for a clearance rate of 3.9 per cent. Compare this with an 11.4 per cent clearance rate for stolen cars. It’s obvious that once bikes are gone, they’re gone.
And Ryerson is not sheltered from this bicycle carnage. 52 division in downtown Metro had the second highest number of bicycle thefts in ’92, with 3,013. The good news is that Ryerson’s share of these thefts is comparatively small. Ryerson security says that in the past two years the number of bikes reported stolen on campus has almost been cut in half. In 1993, 23 bike thefts were reported. But last year the number was down to 13. Almost half of these were taken between July and September. Coincidentally, in the spring of 1994 Rye security started doing bike patrols. These have been shown to deter theft.
So what can you do to keep your beloved bike. Well, not much. Metro Police recommend registering it with them. By giving them the serial number and a general description, there’s a better chance of it getting recovered.
Obviously you should always lock up your bike. Leaving an unlocked bike unattended in this city is suicide. It’ll be gone in minutes. But even locked bikes are not safe. Organized thieves cruise around in vans equipped with bolt cutters, cutting torches and liquid nitrogen. Even if they don’t get your entire bike, thieves can make a lot of money stripping down a bike for parts. These are the rusty bike skeletons attached to lamp posts and parking meters. They were once somebody’s baby.
Whenever possible, take your bike inside with you. If you can’t take the entire bike, take the seat. Your bike will seem less attractive to a potential thief, and at the very least you will always have your seat to keep for memories. When choosing a place to lock up, look for a well-lit area and try to park your bike next to a superior machine. This may not help your ego, but it may save your Cannondale which would’ve been a victim had you parked next to a Supercycle. A minor precaution: always make sure your lock has the key hole down. This makes it harder to freeze and pick.
And—surprise! There are also some safety precautions that money can buy. A pipe fitting plumber’s T can be attached to your lock to make it harder to break. There are also locks on the market which are impossible to cut or freeze. They can cost as much as a nice pair of leather pants but don’t ned to be dry cleaned. There are even bicycle alarms on the market but their merit has yet to be determined.
So in a city with more bike theft reports than shoplifting or car thefts, there isn’t much you can do. Lock your bike when you can, write down your serial number and get a replacement estimate from a bike shop or keep your bill for that inevitable trip to the insurance company. Because no matter how hard you try, if someone really wants your bike, they’ll probably get it.
Some people have criticized me for being a hypocrite. You see, my bike was a stolen bike. It’s probably changed hands two or three times by now. But the way I look at it is, if you adopted someone else’s child would you love it any less?
Besides, I’ve got a new baby now.
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