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Where do stolen bikes go?

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Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#271

Post by lkbm »

dclowd9901 wrote: post #181
convolvatron wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is patently not true. maybe titanium is gummy enough to give one trouble? but any steel that isn't brittle enough to shatter when you look at it is going to be trivial to cut with an abrasive disk and a battery powered grinder. if the chain is 1/2" instead of 1/4", it will take an extra minute maybe.

And, frankly, who’s going to stop a guy with an angle grinder from stealing a bike that isn’t theirs?

I won't physically stop the person, but I will say something to them and take a photo of them in the act. I don't have a way of knowing if you're doing this legitimately (I've had to cut a lock due to a lost key), so I'm not going to threaten them or call the cops.

I don't think taking a photo will have any actionable follow-up—I have no way of following up to see if someone reports to see anyone has reported a stolen bike in the area—but might make a thief decide to go find a different target, while not being a major issue if you're the actual owner.

As a healthy, medium-large guy who's okay at de-escalation, I live in the assumption that no one will try to hurt me for interfering. I'll probably learn better one day.

Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#272

Post by gilmore606 »

bambam3000 wrote: post #243
jackmott42 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, every homeless person I have ever talked to has had some bullshit story. Its almost as if the impulse to spew bullshit is the primary cause of homelessness. Or some inevitable consequence of most mental health problems. Its so reliable that it makes me question the idea that housing costs are the primary cause of homelessness, but perhaps that just pushes more people on the mental margins over the edge.

This is a pretty mean-spirited comment, I don't even know where to start. Homeless people are just people like you and me. If you'd been born in their shoes, with their inherited genetic make-up, raised by their parents, surrounded by their friends, living their life experiences etc you'd very possibly be homeless too and 'spewing bullshit' as you put it

Sure, and if I'd been born with Ted Bundy's genetic makeup and lived his life, I'd be Ted Bundy. This isn't the slam dunk you seem to think it is.

Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#273

Post by lkbm »

refuse wrote: post #12

There was a security researcher in NYC that wrote about recovering his stolen scooter with an Airtag that discussed part of this question. At least some of the shops know they've got stolen merch and actively look for Airtags or other trackers. Found it: https://www.cnet.com/culture/guy-successfully-hunts-down-his...

I've always figured that if I buy a bike from Craigslist, I should check the serial number and look it up on bikeindex.org. If I ran a used bike shop, that would definitely be part of my procedure.

Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#274

Post by bee_rider »

Maxious wrote: post #146
bee_rider wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably illegal, but a GPS tracking and remote braking could be a “fun” (actually really dangerous) combo for a stolen bike. Of course it is just as likely that some unfortunate person would have unknowingly bought your stolen bike, so that’d be bad.

Rented ebikes do this - take them outside their allowed geozone and they will periodically change the motor speed to throw you off (or at least go very slowly)

I think by “throw you off” you mean, sort of make the rider uncomfortable by presenting a slightly unfamiliar riding characteristic, right? Stopping the front wheel quickly enough could throw the rider off in a much more literal sense!

Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#275

Post by hedora »

bee_rider wrote: post #144
bombcar wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why cell phones just disable themselves when stolen even though infinitely traceable they have GPS and cell service after all). Nobody cares.

Probably illegal, but a GPS tracking and remote braking could be a “fun” (actually really dangerous) combo for a stolen bike. Of course it is just as likely that some unfortunate person would have unknowingly bought your stolen bike, so that’d be bad.

It’s probably legal. Modern cars do this, with the caveat that the owner can’t control the remote disabler.

Interesting legal gymnastics would required to make it legal for a Detroit automaker to do this, but not an individual. However, such gymnastics are sadly common these days and wouldn’t surprise me.

Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#276

Post by zdragnar »

dclowd9901 wrote: post #270
zdragnar wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here is some super trivial googling for you: https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/wa/seattle/crime Over 46k crimes (property and violent) 1200 officers funded, though I've seen other stats that there are only 940 active employed 800k 911 calls per year https://www.seattle.gov/police/about-us/about-the-department... That's 3-ish 911 responses per day, assuming an average of one officer for every call. Add on top of that…

911 calls can’t be used in this metric since they encompass non-police emergencies and non-emergencies as well. So going off reported crimes, we have 1/10 of a crime per officer per day, or maybe better put, 1 crime per 10 days per officer. So tell me more about how they’re not twiddling their thumbs. Even accounting for administrative work (court appearances, paperwork, etc), that is a ridiculously low crime respons…

You can't seriously write off 800,000 emergency calls because "maybe not all of them require police response", and then presume that 9/10 police officers sit around twiddling their thumbs. This is pure intellectual dishonesty.

Edit: Also, there's more that police do than administrative paperwork and investigating crime. I'd hazard a guess that a plurality, if not a majority, of police officers on any given shift are walking a beat, patrolling, enforcing traffic laws (i.e. speed limits), car crashes, etc.

Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#277

Post by zarzavat »

rompic wrote: post #241
ThrustVectoring wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that complicated, legally speaking. The rightful owner gets to get their stuff back, and the new "owner" has a claim against the purveyor of stolen goods for the purchase price.

At least in Austria that's not how it works. The new "owner" will keep the bike as he has bought it in good faith. The shop will claim that it cannot check every used bike. The rightful owner could try to get money from the person who stole it (if found), but they most likely don't have any money. It's the perfect crime and the reason why we cannot have nice bikes. People are literally sleeping with their expensive b…

I can't believe the law works like that. Are you telling me that if I buy a yacht in Austria "in good faith" from someone who doesn't own it, I can just sail away on the yacht, original owner be damned?

Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#278

Post by playingalong »

gambiting wrote: post #264
scotty79 wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why violence. He just announced he's going to pick up his property that got misplaced. Gun is just for his protection. Nothing out of ordinary here.

It's heavily implied, and to pretend it's not is dishonest at best.

(not a fan of US gun laws)

Not necessarily. I think just carrying a weapon might make the other party more likely to cooperate. Even if you don't take it out.

Re: Where do stolen bikes go?

#279

Post by seanmcdirmid »

Scoundreller wrote: post #173
asdff wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in a county with almost 100k homeless people, and I pay another $1 a month on my renters insurance policy (itself around $12) to insure the bike with no deductable. It really is cheap if you use renters or homeowners insurance. I'm sure many of those "bike specific" insurance policies nickel and dime since the pool is probably a lot smaller.

Your insurance keeps renewing at the same rate after 1 or more claims??? Can you identify the insurer so I can short their stock?

Reading the comment, it seems like they are getting a bunch of other stuff covered, so the insurance company is still making a profit even if they are constantly getting reimbursed for stolen bikes?
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