You are hereUT Cops CARE about bike theft
UT Cops CARE about bike theft
Last night I ventured down to UT campus to pick up a couple of friends in my brothers old beat-up post-apocalyptic Blazer. One of them had gotten a flat, so they had their bikes with them. No big deal I think, so I swing through Dean Keaton, toss their bikes and dog in the back, and off we go. A couple blocks away we notice we're being tailed by a UT cop so I keep going and after a few more blocks he hits his lights. We get pulled over.
The reason for the pulling-over was the suspicious looking activity of putting their bikes in the back of my truck. I guess that was enough to presume that the bikes were stolen. We got questioned about the bikes and the truck (since it wasn't mine) for about 20-30 minutes until they were content that they were talking to the bikes owners. Thankfully the two bike nerds I picked up knew their bikes down to the very last scratch and dent, so there was no problem in convincing the officers of ownership.
After all the fun and games the officers apologized for taking our time and let us go. Even though it was a hassle (who likes getting pulled over?) I am glad that they actually care enough about bike theft to follow up on something that looks suspicious. I talked to them a bit and they mentioned that bike theft is a HUGE problem on UT campus and is the #1 form of theft they get calls about. This morning I spent a few moments browsing the campus watch archives and I'm inclined to believe them.
Also, the number one thing I noticed about almost EVERY bike theft I read about was the fact that they were locked up with a self-locking cable lock. So what does this tell us, boys and girls? Fuck cable locks, get a U-Lock. They look tough, cave in windshields like they were meant for it, and when you lock up your bike the thieves will skip it and jack the bike next to yours with the crappy cable instead. Just ask yourself, "What would Cthulhu do?"...
Looks more like a mind flayer than Cthulhu, though of course the Illithids were influenced by HP Lovecraft's works.
In any event, not all U-locks are created equal. I believe the best ones are the mini-locks (not enough room to get a jack in there to pry it open) by Kryptonite (New York Fahgettaboudit) and the On-Guard Bulldog Mini, with the Kryptonite being the best (as it withstands power tools longer.)
And what's really upsetting is that even the very best locks will only stop a determined thief for about 10 minutes if he has the right gear. Sheldon Brown suggests both a cable lock and a U-lock at the same time, as they require different tools to remove.
While it's diminutive stature led me to originally think illithid, the wings on the messenger bag gave him away as the great old one himself. Plus Cthulhu's much cooler.
Good call on not all U-Locks being equal. The type with the cylindrical key can be picked with a disposable pen, and an angle grinder will defeat the best lock in minutes. A smaller U-lock with a flat key makes things the most difficult, and like Sheldon said, using two separate locking mechanisms (U-Lock and cable) is obviously best.
The trick is to make your bike less appealing than the one next to it, so the thief'll snag the other guy's ride instead. ;)
yeah!