Stolen Bikes, Locked Bikes

This past Saturday a woman came into the shop looking intently at various bicycles. When I asked if she was looking for anything in particular she told me yes. She needed to replace the bicycle she had purchased from us this summer, because it had been stolen about a month prior. My heart sank. And then I got sad, frustrated, and pissed off...

For many of the people that buy our bicycles it is a major, if not only, source of their transportation. Which, at the very least, it is a partial source of their economic well being. Thus, someone’s economic well being is impacted very time a bicycle is stolen. And a stolen bike just might have a crucial impact on their lives.

We sell used bicycles BUT we do not purchase bicycles at our space in Cambridge. This is for many reasons one being, if a thief has no where to fence to what they steal it becomes worthless. Thieves only steal items that they know where they can sell them for a good price. WE purchase our bicycles from only those people that we know and have legitimate and long term relationships with. To any establishment that might not be so diligent, we urge them to become so!

The following list and links are a a primer for you to whet your (bicycle knowledge) appetite with. A point to note, some locks come with an anti-theft warranty! We all know there are no guarantees in life, but we can increase the odds in our favor.

ALWAYS Lock your Bike.
Brightly lit places are not thief friendly.
An inexpensive locks equals a cheap lock. Locks are not the things to be stingy about. Go as high end as you can.
If you are leaving your bike for a long period of time (like for more than 5 minutes) or over night use at least two locks.
Learn how to lock your bike properly. Thieves want to hit quickly, they look for the easiest targets. The harder you make it for them, the less likely your bike will be stolen.

We all know that thieving has and always will be a part of life, desperate people will do desperate things.

Help defend yourself by learning as much about how bicycles are stolen, knowledge is power!

Help defend others by being vigilant, if you think a bike is being stolen call it in!

Help defend your bicycle with locks and techniques that says...BIKE ME to those that might want to steal it!