Evil Ninja With A Wrench

Last night outside of The El Mamey Lounge in Humbolt Park, 2645 W North Ave (between Talman Ave & Washtenaw Ave, a thief (or thieves) made off with more than six wheels from various bicycles parked outside. All of the bikes were locked. Many of the wheels stolen, if not all of them, where bolted on to the forks and dropouts/track ends. They did not have quick release skewers. At least one of the stolen wheels had chain tugs securing it to the frame. It has been estimated by one of the victims that the theft took place during a 10 to 15 minute time span. Apparently, all of the bikes were locked to a gate due to the absence of bike racks in front of the bar. I'm told that this prevented the use of cable locks to secure the wheels.

This sounds like a fairly astonishing feat. To steal a single wheel, especially a front wheel, with a quick release lever would be fairly easy. No tools would be required and it is a fast operation. But to steal six, or more, bolted on wheels in a short time would require use of a wrench. It would be a slow operation. And risky. How does a thief get away quickly with all of those wheels?

One Way Bike Thieves Use Craigslist

I love tinkering with my bike. I can't keep my hands off the thing. I upgrade and replace components at a rate that keeps my wife in near constant eye roll mode. Therefore, I of course love Craigslist. I have bought and sold parts on the website quite often and have always (knock on wood) had a good experience. However, there are some regular sellers that use the website that seem a bit shady. Why do some of these folks consistently have so many used bike parts? Right, take a guess.

I was reading the One Less Car blog recently when I came across a post about a scam that utilizes Craigslist. Apparently, thieves steal your bike, or a part of your bike, wait for you to go to Craigslist looking for it, then basically try to sell it back to you claiming to be good Samaritans. Read the full post by clicking here.