I leave the piso just before 7.30 tonight to cycle to yoga, all suited up with my reflective gear. But wait—bici’s not there, where I left her half an hour earlier locked to a tree two floors below our balcony. What?! My mind reels. Did I forget to scramble the combo? Did I lock her to the post next to the tree? And my gaze lands on a tightly wound coil just below the curb. The lock. It’s cut, cleanly. Must’ve taken all of five seconds.
Yeah petty crime is getting to be a bit of a nuisance in my life too. Next house we get will have parking space and storage for bikes because you just can’t leave stuff on the street.
That said, friends in London report burglaries (full on home invasions) as kind of expected, so things could be worse.
Uuups! That hurts! I know because mine was taken last april in the same fashion. Those coiled locks are cut like butter, now I have a new bike and a U-Lock.
Mis condolencias por la bici…
I had recently been talking to someone about how I had not been victimized by theft since arriving in Spain. Two days later someone stole my bike. Luckily it was my piece-of-shit bike someone gave me and not my good bike. I had it chained up in front of my place with a pretty cheapo lock. I have a big chain lock for my good bike, and although these can be broken, it takes a bit more than a run-of-the-mill bolt cutter that did in your cable. I went out and bought a U lock as well and I am contemplating a rabid pit bull to tie up to my bike when I leave it in the street. Maybe I’ll hire a sharpshooter to take up a position on an adjoining roof, or would this be gong overboard? I’m just thinking out loud.
thanks for the comments, guys. it’s true, tom, crime is much worse (and much scarier) in london. this is more of a pain in the butt than anything else because i use the bike to get around.
a u-lock called “bulldog” is on its way to me from the states with a friend. now i just need a good second-hand bike.