Bike Stolen

Preventing & Responding to Bike Thefts

I am always sorry to hear about bike thefts in our neighborhood. If your bike has been stolen, do not lose hope: there are many stories of stolen bikes that are found by the police or by alert neighbors. Of course your should

  • Report the bike thefts to the Ithaca police
  • Send a message to the FCNA list. You can post a photo to your social media page (FaceBook, Instagram, etc.) or any photo sharing site (Flickr, Google Photos, your own web site … ) and then send (to the Fall Creek list) a link to this photo.
  • Search Craigslist to see if anyone is trying to sell your bike.
  • Register your bike at https://bikeindex.org/

My grandfather always told me “Trust in God, but tie your camel.” Here below are some tips about preventing and dealing with bike theft … Some of these are collected from past FCNA posts; and then later I added links to information and ideas on the Internet.

— MP

Best Bike Locks
https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a20017112/best-bike-locks/

To summarize our collective wisdom (from the Fall Creek email discussion-list members) about preventing bike thefts:

  1. Lock your bike properly, so that a thief cannot simply take the bike and leave you with a locked back wheel.
  2. If your bike is especially valuable, keep your bike indoors at night.
  3. Record your bike serial # so that you could report it to the police, or once the bike is found, you can use the serial # to positively identify the bike. The serial # is found underneath the crank where the 2 pedals meet. (You have to turn the bike upside down.) Sometimes you have to wipe away grease to be able to read it.
    Or if you have a new bike, it should be on the paperwork or manual you get when you buy the new bike….(tip from Richie).
  4. Take a photo of your bike.
  5. If your bike is stolen, call the police (and post a message to appropriate discussion lists).
  6. If your bike is stolen (and before your bike gets stolen), register your bike with https://bikeindex.org/.

*Hi Tech Hope for the near Future *
There is a cool product in development — a small square tile — that lets you find any object (that you attach it too) by using an app on your smartphone or tablet. I don’t suggest for or against investing in this at this time, but it might be on the market soon.
http://www.thetileapp.com/

* Ride Safe: Wear A Helmet *
Always wear a helmet when you ride, to protect yourself and to set a good example for Fall Creek children. Report potholes in the streets to the City of Ithaca.

*More Bicycle Information from the Internet *