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What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

blog.priceonomics.com

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Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#51

Post by phishphood »

slurgfest wrote: post #8

If the price of bikes hadn't gone through the roof within the last 20 years there wouldn't be so much incentive to steal them. As it is you can hardly buy a new bike for less than $800 at most shops. Even if I could attach a weatherproofed Macbook to a pole with a U-lock, it would still be really unwise to do so. This is a pitiful commentary on our society and law enforcement

That's not true. I bought a brand new Schwinn at Walmart for $140 after taxes. Its not a very good bike but its good for what I bought it for, i.e. trips to coffee shop without worrying for it to be stolen. My other bike is a $2.5k Specialized Tarmac which I don't use casually

Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#52

Post by wtvanhest »

_delirium wrote: post #40
pavel_lishin wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sixteen months in jail is a pretty big risk, even if it is only a few hours per bike. On the other hand, 22 of the charges were apparently drug-related. I wonder what his dollars-per-hour-in-jail ratio was.

I believe there are some studies showing that the risk of doing any jail time, as a binary measure, is the main way jail time deters crime, with length of sentence not being a particularly effective deterrent. If there's perceived to be a 1% risk of arrest for some crime, then whether the sentence is 6 months or 6 years tends not to matter a lot, because people tend to optimistically assume they won't be caught anywa…

Further, I think most HN readers when giving the opportunity to make $10,000 cash by stealing a bike would not risk it if their total possible punishment was a misdemeanor and 5 days in jail.

I personally want to avoid ever having to step foot in that place for any length of time.

Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#53

Post by sageikosa »

karpathy wrote: post #49

One of the links hidden away in the article is actually quite amusing: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/opinion/bike-thief.html?_r... It is a video if a guy stealing a bike a few times with saw/crowbar etc. (Except it's actually a hidden camera setup and it's his bike. Spoiler alert: Many people walk by, noone cares)

The major deterrent in long public illegal operations is not the fear of a bystander taking action, but in the soon-to-be injured party (or a compatriot of such) taking notice.

Someone trying to get into a car could have just accidentally locked his keys in. Someone trying to get into my car has nefarious intent.

Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#54

Post by mynameishere »

laserDinosaur wrote: post #48

I've always wanted to buy a cheap bike and create a quick release bolt on the rear wheel that unspools as the wheel turns. I figure the culprit could get 3 or 4 revolutions before the back wheel falls off. Or maybe attach a length of wire to the front brake cable that wraps around the rear axel. Suddenly the wire snaps tight and yanks the front brakes. I figure it would make a good youtube series. My main fear is bei…

Booby traps are usually illegal.

Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#55

Post by Jun8 »

I think a useful tactic to curb loss of expensive bikes would be to legally target the people who buy them, these are the people that cause the market to exist and perpetuate the situation. My guess is that most of these people are not crooks, i.e. they are just young people who want to but can't afford a nice bike and they know exactly what they are buying. I don't understand anything about bikes so can't give an example there, but if a person would approach me to sell, say, a 2010 Prius for $5K, I just know that is a stolen car. If knowingly buying a stolen car carries even a small legal charge, most people wouldn't do it.

Tangentially, and pardon my ignorance, I'm not a biker: I can't understand people who shell out thousands of dollars for a bike, are these so much better than a $500 one?

Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#57

Post by pavel_lishin »

wtvanhest wrote: post #52
_delirium wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe there are some studies showing that the risk of doing any jail time, as a binary measure, is the main way jail time deters crime, with length of sentence not being a particularly effective deterrent. If there's perceived to be a 1% risk of arrest for some crime, then whether the sentence is 6 months or 6 years tends not to matter a lot, because people tend to optimistically assume they won't be caught anywa…

Further, I think most HN readers when giving the opportunity to make $10,000 cash by stealing a bike would not risk it if their total possible punishment was a misdemeanor and 5 days in jail. I personally want to avoid ever having to step foot in that place for any length of time.

I've spent 24 hours in a holding cell right after high school. It was cold, my seatmates weren't particularly polite, sleeping was an awkward proposition at best.

But if I was paid $2k to do it? Sure.

Aside from the toilet situation, it's not significantly worse than being on a intercontinental flight. (In fact, I'd rather spend 24 hours in that cell than three hours on a turbulent flight.)

Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#58

Post by jlgreco »

mynameishere wrote: post #54
laserDinosaur wrote: post #48

I've always wanted to buy a cheap bike and create a quick release bolt on the rear wheel that unspools as the wheel turns. I figure the culprit could get 3 or 4 revolutions before the back wheel falls off. Or maybe attach a length of wire to the front brake cable that wraps around the rear axel. Suddenly the wire snaps tight and yanks the front brakes. I figure it would make a good youtube series. My main fear is bei…

Booby traps are usually illegal.

Would that really be a booby trap though? Both sound more like (funny) anti-theft devices, since neither are intended to maim.

Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#59

Post by jiggy2011 »

Jun8 wrote: post #55

I think a useful tactic to curb loss of expensive bikes would be to legally target the people who buy them, these are the people that cause the market to exist and perpetuate the situation. My guess is that most of these people are not crooks, i.e. they are just young people who want to but can't afford a nice bike and they know exactly what they are buying. I don't understand anything about bikes so can't give an ex…

That's assuming that they are selling the bikes at a far lower price than the market rate. Wise crooks probably know to offer a realistic price.

The prices for second hand bicycles are all over the place anyway. There's a significant number of people who will buy a reasonably expensive bike and keep it in the shed for years and then by the time they decide to get rid of it they have no idea what it's worth so will just sell it for below it's value.

Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?

#60

Post by enraged_camel »

Jun8 wrote: post #55

I think a useful tactic to curb loss of expensive bikes would be to legally target the people who buy them, these are the people that cause the market to exist and perpetuate the situation. My guess is that most of these people are not crooks, i.e. they are just young people who want to but can't afford a nice bike and they know exactly what they are buying. I don't understand anything about bikes so can't give an ex…

How can you tell if a bike you are buying is stolen? It would be pretty easy for a bike thief to post an ad on Craigslist saying they are selling their used bike.

>>Tangentially, and pardon my ignorance, I'm not a biker: I can't understand people who shell out thousands of dollars for a bike, are these so much better than a $500 one?

It makes a huge difference. More expensive bikes are built from lighter and stronger materials (such as carbon fiber), are more aerodynamic and have better balance. Just to name a few of the benefits.

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