Stolen Bikes

By Allan Edmonds

This New York Times blog posting The Bicycle Thieves Among Us, that I accidentally ran into today, brought back thoughts of the time about 35 years ago that I my bike was stolen. I left it weakly locked to a rack hidden from street view and came back in the early evening to get it, and it was gone.

As with any other theft, I felt violated. My biggest mistake was parking it out of view. And second was not having a good lock.

The main result for me was that I bought a used Raleigh Superbe Three-Speed, which was actually a much better bike than the newer Raleigh that was stolen. I think it was considered their top-of-the-line bike back in the 50's and 60's. It had things like a built-in lock in the fork and a built-in generator in the front hub. And a great leather Brooks saddle that looked just like the one club member Carl Fields uses on his custom road bike. Here's a link to a blog that shows a picture of what could be my old bike (minus the big seat bag): Raleigh Superbe.

That Superbe lasted me a long time, twenty or twenty-five years, until I finally bought a Trek hybrid that was sufficient to get me started with Nice and Easy club rides and even on my first Nashville 90!

The NYT blog's main points are that you need to secure the wheels, which nowadays have quick releases, as well as the seat. I have to say that around Bloomington I don't usually lock my wheels or seat. I worry more about my detachable lights.

Does anyone in the club have a story about a stolen bike to share? Has anyone ever gotten a bike back after it was stolen?