Does anyone actually use priceonomics.com? I'm sorry, but I don't find the service useful at all. They come up with viral blog posts all the time, but the service is not actually something that I would use.
What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
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Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#12It would help if every purchaser of a bicycle checked the frame serial number against various online stolen bike databases. I'm not sure how fragmented the bike registration industry is.
I think most purchasers don't care, at least not for any bike that cost less than $100.
Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#13The "risk" as described here seems to account for only single incidences of bicycle theft. Seems like the more professional the bike thief, the larger the inventory of stolen bikes, thus the greater the penalty for being caught. Given that the value of stolen bikes on the market is relatively low, this might explain why there is no bike thief kingpin: at a certain point the risk exceeds the reward. As an aside: I am…
The article links to a story about Igor Kenk, he stole almost 3,000 bicycles. He was caught, sentenced to 30 months and served 16. That's a few hours per bike, I think.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Kenk
This isn't an American thing apparently, it seems stealing a bike anywhere in the world has absolutely no real risk, even if you still 3,000...
Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not terribly hard to find out -- the bike generates its own power, and is run outside. A few bikes with GPS and call-home device (powered by the bike) would draw traces to their destinations pretty quickly.
Would love for someone to do a long form sting. Install gps on 10 bikes and follow them as they get stolen and passed around.
I now have napkin designs of just this.
I got hit by what seems to be some kind of paradox: old casual bikes are targeted more often than expensive flashy ones.
Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#15The "risk" as described here seems to account for only single incidences of bicycle theft. Seems like the more professional the bike thief, the larger the inventory of stolen bikes, thus the greater the penalty for being caught. Given that the value of stolen bikes on the market is relatively low, this might explain why there is no bike thief kingpin: at a certain point the risk exceeds the reward. As an aside: I am…
> I am surprised that the risk to kidnappers is considered higher than the risk to bank robbers. Can anyone explain this? Kidnapping, if you're holding out for ransom, is like playing a game of hot potato but you have to wait for your opponent's go-ahead before you can toss it. Kidnapping (if you're looking for a random) is about aquiring something you don't want and nobody wants you to have so that you can make a ri…
It's also a more violent crime, and one which gets more police attention. As long as you have a hostage, the police will hunt you like it's a murder case, but with more urgency.
Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#16The "risk" as described here seems to account for only single incidences of bicycle theft. Seems like the more professional the bike thief, the larger the inventory of stolen bikes, thus the greater the penalty for being caught. Given that the value of stolen bikes on the market is relatively low, this might explain why there is no bike thief kingpin: at a certain point the risk exceeds the reward. As an aside: I am…
The article links to a story about Igor Kenk, he stole almost 3,000 bicycles. He was caught, sentenced to 30 months and served 16. That's a few hours per bike, I think. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Kenk This isn't an American thing apparently, it seems stealing a bike anywhere in the world has absolutely no real risk, even if you still 3,000...
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.
Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#17I've heard rumors that lots of stolen bikes are exported on container ships leaving the US. The argument is that the shipping is basically free, since most ships are carrying large deliveries to the US and are empty on the return trip. Does anyone know if this is fact or fiction?
Not terribly hard to find out -- the bike generates its own power, and is run outside. A few bikes with GPS and call-home device (powered by the bike) would draw traces to their destinations pretty quickly.
A pair of low-res cameras - one pointing forward, and one pointing upward - would result in some fantastic shots as well. (Though there may be privacy and legal concerns.)
Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#18I've heard rumors that lots of stolen bikes are exported on container ships leaving the US. The argument is that the shipping is basically free, since most ships are carrying large deliveries to the US and are empty on the return trip. Does anyone know if this is fact or fiction?
Not terribly hard to find out -- the bike generates its own power, and is run outside. A few bikes with GPS and call-home device (powered by the bike) would draw traces to their destinations pretty quickly.
From the article: it’s heartbreaking to find out someone stole your bike; bikers love their bikes
Sounds like your idea addresses a real need. I wonder why I haven't heard about this kind of thing already implemented?
Price maybe? http://www.gizmag.com/spybike-gps-tracker/22999/ says $153.58 plus a pay-as-you-go SIM card.
Also http://www.zoombak.com/products/service-plans/
I wonder what it would take to make it more economical.
Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#19"Open Letter to the Guy Who Stole My Bike Wheel" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m68-oWBh9Ow
Re: What Happens to Stolen Bicycles?
#20I've heard rumors that lots of stolen bikes are exported on container ships leaving the US. The argument is that the shipping is basically free, since most ships are carrying large deliveries to the US and are empty on the return trip. Does anyone know if this is fact or fiction?
it's very common for the US to export scrap metal back to China (or any number of manufacturing countries)-- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/13/business/china-s-need-for-...
When I was younger, I worked for a company that exported cardboard back to China.