Saw my stolen bike yesterday!

[HDratz]

So about 2008-09 someone stole my at the time favorite bike I had ever owned, a 1998 (iirc) Specialized Hardrock. Not an upper echelon mountain bike I realize, but I loved that bike. Never saw it again... until yesterday. I saw a guy sitting on it having a conversation with someone else, on the same road it was stolen from.

Do I know for certain that this was my bike? No. But it looked exactly like it, and this is a short rural road with only a couple dozen homes on it. And it's an area where probably 90+ percent of bikes are of the cheap Walmart variety. The Hardrock may not be upper echelon, but it's a couple notches above the typical bike around here.

At least it looks like it's being kept inside and taken care of.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

No need to make excuses for a Hardrock. They're easy bikes to love. I have 3 (technically, one is hers), and I still look at every listing

 

[HDratz]

No need to make excuses for a Hardrock. They're easy bikes to love. I have 3 (technically, one is hers), and I still look at every listing

You're absolutely right, Matti. They are great bikes. Maybe I'll be able to replace mine someday.

 

[Crazy Nick]

It would have been impossible for me not to stop and investigate.
A few years ago someone snatched my skateboard out of my garage and about a month later I was stopped at red light near my place and this guy walks right in front of my car carrying my skateboard. So I pulled into the shopping center and cut him off and jumped out and snatched the board away from him. I was so pissed I remember slamming the board on the ground and saying "go ahead and try to take it again you f-n punk, I dare you to!!". He just ran into a nearby store. The back story is, my wife's car was stolen a couple of years before and the stereo was also stolen out of my work truck, then the skateboard so I was ready to snap on someone, at least it was someone that deserved it.

 

[Idahojohn]

My father had a nice Raleigh stolen off his porch in the mid 80s
A green 5sp internal hub, with a dynamo f. hub Brooks saddle etc. a unique bike for the area.
one day about 15 years later I saw it chained to a sign post near a bus stop
I've always regretted not taking it back...

 

[RustySprockets]

At least it looks like it's being kept inside and taken care of.

He NEEDS to keep it inside. Otherwise, it might get stolen! <gasp>

 

[Crazy Nick]

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to jack this thread with my stories but this one is bike related.
When I was about 15 in the early 80's I took off on my older brothers Orange Krate without permission.
I'm Mexican and I ran into a couple homie's that I recognized from school but I didn't really know them.
They said "give us the bike" I laughed and said "it's my older brothers bike and I'm more afraid of him than I am of you so I aint giving you sh*t!!". They just looked at each other a little confused and walked away. I was always a scrappy kid, I was the youngest of six so my house was the equivalent of being raised in an MMA gym.

 

[Wildcat]

So about 2008-09 someone stole my at the time favorite bike I had ever owned, a 1998 (iirc) Specialized Hardrock. Not an upper echelon mountain bike I realize, but I loved that bike. Never saw it again... until yesterday. I saw a guy sitting on it having a conversation with someone else, on the same road it was stolen from.

Do I know for certain that this was my bike? No. But it looked exactly like it, and this is a short rural road with only a couple dozen homes on it. And it's an area where probably 90+ percent of bikes are of the cheap Walmart variety. The Hardrock may not be upper echelon, but it's a couple notches above the typical bike around here.

At least it looks like it's being kept inside and taken care of.

They know it's stolen so it stays out of sight. You probably don't have the serial number or a police report on that, but you can go get your bike back. Claiming it's yours and seizing might not work since it can't be proven, but offering $25 bucks for it might work. Cash showing in hand. It was stolen in the first place, so the thief might see some quick profit. Or, ride up on a shiny cheap newer walmart bike and make a trade offer.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

My friend Tone saw an urban outdoorsman with my stolen 2001 Fuji Track in Anaheim at Brookhurst/Crescent, stopped his vehicle, grabbed my bike and told the thief that he was better off not dealing with me or the police. It was a little beaten down from being in possession of an ..... for three months, but I got it back. I still have the frame.

@Crazy Nick I had some kids on the SARTP near McFadden try to jack me at night sometime around 2008. I laid my bike down and told the bigmouth of the three that he would be the first to take a violent trip down the concrete bank. No takers.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Nobody better lay hands on my baby
Or else.
"Clear the track, because I'm on the warpath, and the price of coffins is gonna rise"
Mark Twain

 

[user 26311]

It always ticks me off when I hear of someone getting their stuff ripped off! Even if it’s some cheap POS, it bothers me! I think I may have stopped and complimented this guy on his bike just to see his reaction. Maybe even mention that I use to have one like it….

 

[AndyA]

When my younger brother Len was about 12, his muscle bike (I think it was a Sears) was stolen from the local swim club. A couple of days later, he saw it chained to the rack at the swim club (another example of a not-too-bright thief). Len went home, got a hacksaw, and started sawing the chain. Someone at the swim club called the police. Image the scene: Len standing there with a hacksaw in his hand and a partially sawn chain. The cop saying "Son, what are you doing?" Apparently, Len convinced the cop of the righteousness of his action and got his bike back.

 

[rat krate orange]

When my younger brother Len was about 12, his muscle bike (I think it was a Sears) was stolen from the local swim club. A couple of days later, he saw it chained to the rack at the swim club (another example of a not-too-bright thief). Len went home, got a hacksaw, and started sawing the chain. Someone at the swim club called the police. Image the scene: Len standing there with a hacksaw in his hand and a partially sawn chain. The cop saying "Son, what are you doing?" Apparently, Len convinced the cop of the righteousness of his action and got his bike back.

When i was 8 yo in 1968, my Hiawatha Cadet that my Dad bought for me on my 7th birthday got ripped off out of my garage and one of the neighbor hood kids had it. So my dad replaced it with a cool old Columbia rambler that became my first rat bike. Easy come, Easy go... RideOn. Razin.

 

[HDratz]

Thing about this theft is that it occurred a dozen years ago. I figure the chances are at least 50/50 that the guy who has it now doesn't even know it was stolen. He didn't look like one of the meth heads who live in this area and steal anything they can get their hands on.
If the theft was recent, I'm pretty sure I would have stopped and asked some questions.

 

[HDratz]

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to jack this thread with my stories but this one is bike related.
When I was about 15 in the early 80's I took off on my older brothers Orange Krate without permission.
I'm Mexican and I ran into a couple homie's that I recognized from school but I didn't really know them.
They said "give us the bike" I laughed and said "it's my older brothers bike and I'm more afraid of him than I am of you so I aint giving you sh*t!!". They just looked at each other a little confused and walked away. I was always a scrappy kid, I was the youngest of six so my house was the equivalent of being raised in an MMA gym.

Nothing to be sorry about; that's a good story!

 

[ParkRNDL]

Two stolen bike stories:

One was from around 1984. My first "real" road bike was a Zebrakenko Wind, which I know nobody has ever heard of, so I took the liberty of robbing a couple of pics from Google. Mine was the same orange as this one, but it still had its Suntour Blue Line derailleurs.

Long story short, I forgot it out in front of the house one night and never saw it again. Dad's homeowners insurance paid for a new Motobecane Jubilee Sport to replace it. I still have that one.

The other was just a few years ago. I built up this Murray junker for my kid to ride around campus at college.

He came down to the bike rack outside his dorm one day and all that was there was the cheap lock he had been using, broken apart.

In the next week or so, a friend called him to tell him he saw the bike sitting unlocked outside an academic building. My son rushed over and stole it back while the friend waited as backup. Never found out who the thief was, but he got the bike back intact. Still have that frame waiting to be built up into something new.

 

[RustySprockets]

I've had three bikes stolen over the past ten years. They all shared one strange coincidence--each had their saddles reupholstered right before the theft...like, right before. I'm sure no Black Monarch (I just dabble in leather work) but, apparently my stitchery strikes a chord with local bike thieves.

 

[rat krate orange]

Two stolen bike stories:

One was from around 1984. My first "real" road bike was a Zebrakenko Wind, which I know nobody has ever heard of, so I took the liberty of robbing a couple of pics from Google. Mine was the same orange as this one, but it still had its Suntour Blue Line derailleurs.
View attachment 164498View attachment 164500

Long story short, I forgot it out in front of the house one night and never saw it again. Dad's homeowners insurance paid for a new Motobecane Jubilee Sport to replace it. I still have that one.

The other was just a few years ago. I built up this Murray junker for my kid to ride around campus at college.
View attachment 164504

He came down to the bike rack outside his dorm one day and all that was there was the cheap lock he had been using, broken apart.

In the next week or so, a friend called him to tell him he saw the bike sitting unlocked outside an academic building. My son rushed over and stole it back while the friend waited as backup. Never found out who the thief was, but he got the bike back intact. Still have that frame waiting to be built up into something new.

I see these Zebrakenko bikes on craigslist every once in a while, but have never owned one. They look like a well built quality type bike. RideOn... Razin...

 

[Swampthing]

Two stolen bike stories:

One was from around 1984. My first "real" road bike was a Zebrakenko Wind, which I know nobody has ever heard of, so I took the liberty of robbing a couple of pics from Google. Mine was the same orange as this one, but it still had its Suntour Blue Line derailleurs.
View attachment 164498View attachment 164500

Long story short, I forgot it out in front of the house one night and never saw it again. Dad's homeowners insurance paid for a new Motobecane Jubilee Sport to replace it. I still have that one.

The other was just a few years ago. I built up this Murray junker for my kid to ride around campus at college.
View attachment 164504

He came down to the bike rack outside his dorm one day and all that was there was the cheap lock he had been using, broken apart.

In the next week or so, a friend called him to tell him he saw the bike sitting unlocked outside an academic building. My son rushed over and stole it back while the friend waited as backup. Never found out who the thief was, but he got the bike back intact. Still have that frame waiting to be built up into something new.

Glad he got it back.
It’s a cool build.
When I was in college I had a backpack and books stolen.
I was in the Union about a week later and saw some of my books on a table, I write my name in sharpie all over my stuff.
I went over to the table that had a bunch of books on it, about half of them were mine. I asked the guy sitting there if they were his books, he said no, they were there when he sat down, so I took them all, kept mine, sold the rest back to the bookstore to replace my missing books. The GI Bill wasn’t near generous enough back then to buy books twice.
I don’t have any good stolen bike stories.
My new road bike was stolen back in the 80s. Never saw it again.

 

[buses 'n bikes]

I've only had two bikes stolen, fortunately. Both Trek mountain bikes, both in Phoenix.

The first one was my fault, we had just moved to the valley from rural Iowa where you don't have to lock anything. Didn't have a lock on me but popped into Target for literally 2 minutes and the bike was taken from out front in that short of time.

Second one was a few years later while taking a winter course at the CC. The bike lock was cut. Thankfully, the bright yellow color was easy to spot when it appeared on a rack at the big university. The police report showed the serial so college police cut the lock for me and wished me well. Some upgrades gained as far as brakes but they swapped my derailleurs and cassette, shifters for a single speed setup, prob in an effort to hide it.