Have you ever got your bike stolen?

Question

I live in a council flat and I usually park my bike at the stairs railings inside the building all chained up. But the other day i didn't lock the tyres (i usually do)and it got stolen! Bastards took the back wheel.

Has anything similar ever happened to you? I would like hear your story. I've got my bike insured when I bought it but I don't know if they will give me a new wheel or money to buy it myself? The back wheel is a quick release and it wasn't locked.

Where can I buy the back wheel for Carrera Subway?

What about the insurance will they pay me for a new wheel? It's E&L Insurance...

Answer 1

I lived in an old apartment building where each half of the building was an apartment and we had both front and rear decks. I use to put my bike on the front deck as the only access to it was through the aparment and I wouldn't have to lock it. Then came the day I locked it on the back porch.

I chained it through the rear tire and frame. The next morning, I only found bits of metal where the bike was. They cut the chain and took my bike. And it was right outside the window from the my bedroom!

I did not turn it in on my insurance due to a $1000 deductable. I just bought a used Cannondale a couple of weeks later for $125 at a police auction. And only put it on the front porch from then on!

Answer 2

I used to work in a first floor office (workign for the same small company who insured my bike no less!), up a double flight of metal stairs, and used to lock my bike up at the top. Two locks - one on each wheel, around the frame, and around the metal of the stair frame. The bike was clearly visible, through a curtained glass door, right from my desk.

Somehow, in the course of an afternoon my bike was stolen from there. Bear in mind the two (not so cheap) locks, the fact I could see it whenever I looked up, and that coming up metal stairs silently, and TAKING A BIKE DOWN THEM silently is near impossible, I have no idea how they did it.

The worst thing was they left a small childs bike behind, a tiny thing with stabilisers. Talk about final insult.

In answer to your other questions, speak to the insurance about the wheel, but you'll probably find the policy excess is more than the wheel anyway. A back wheel for a Carrera Subway is 99% definitely a standard 26" wheel, but your bike shop will confirm this. You'll also need a hub, a cassette (which matches the number of gears that your gear lever has!) and bearings, axle, etc. If you ask a bike shop to set it up, they'll sort that all anyway.

In addition (as if its not long enough already), around our way (just out of London) its common to see well locked bikes smashed up. If they can't take it, they kick the wheels in and destroy the spokes, burn the saddle, whatever they can do. Absolute scum.

Answer 3

I bought my Carrera bike from halfords and after couple of months later I came back to the very same shop to buy some accesories, I locked my bike with chain (bought in the same shop) went to the shop and when I came back, after like 10mins or so - there was only chain on the ground. Bastids just cut it through. Security said they can not help me at all. I had to buy another bike after few months and now I never leave my bike anywhere dodgy or in the place where I'm not quite sure if it's safe. Yes and by the way don't buy any other locks, apart of D-locks or they called U-lock also. Plus if you buy stolen bike from someone else - than you support bike thiefs.

Answer 4

A few years ago - I took the lock off my bike, went inside for less than 20 seconds to put the lock away, came back and my bike was gone.

Even though the lock had been removed the Bike was in the path behind a large gate, and the bike could not be seen from the road.

I still think it was the owner of the guest house I was staying at as he was working in the back garden at the time and he heard and saw nothing...

Answer 5

Carrera's are Halfords own, they can get you a wheel to match if you like but you would probably be best to spend the money at Merlin Cycles-http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/acatalog/Wheels.html
Where you could pick up a better wheel for less cash.
I personally dont think your insurance will cover you with the bike being left outside the property, they would only cover it if it was inside the flat or in a brick shed. They are quite picky about how and where bikes are stored.
If you need any more info about what wheel then just ask.

Answer 6

It's sad to hear all the stories of stolen bikes...
I'm very careful and always lock or double lock my bikes. I've heard bikes thief's will walk into an open garage door and steel your bike, so I installed an eye bolts into the wall studs and lock my bikes to them. I even store one of my bikes inside the house in a closet and I lock it to the wall with eye bolts and cable locks.
I have a receiver hitch car rack for my bikes and I even welded on an eye bolt to that and use the rack lock and a cable lock (lock wheels) for my bikes if I ever stop at a store or public place.
With expensive bikes, (even inexpensive), you can never be too safe. The bastard thief's will take it from you without remorse.

Answer 7

Good luck on getting your bike back. I currently live in a decently rich location and one day my bike was sitting outside the back house of the door and there was a gate to go through. After leaving it alone for liek 30 min, it was stolen. It was only $15, but it's still discomforting to see that this can happen. Hope it works out. Weird that the whole thing was not taken though. Maybe revenge/practical joke?

Answer 8

I had 5 bikes nicked in 14 months once! I gave up and waited to become eligible for a company car :) One of them was stolen while locked to a security camera under a floodlight in front of A&E 20 feet away from a marked police car!!!

Answer 9

Yes, I've gotten my bike stolen be4. it sucks. The really sad pat is that my bike sucked crap and was rusty. I never bothered to lock it up because i never thought any1 would steal it. I never got it insured( it was in terrible condition), so i needed to get a new bike, and i dont like the 1 i have now

Answer 10

I had my dirt bike stolen when I was a kid. My parents left open the garage door and when I came home it was gone. The thing that sucked the most is that I was 99.9% sure of who stole it but I could never prove it. The bastard that stole it was asking me to sell it to him for the past 2 months but I kept refusing to sell it to him so he just stole it instead.It sucked!!