Sun, 02 Aug 2009

Don't even *think* about stealing my bike

Yesterday I was over in Ann Arbor, helping out with the Pedal Poker Run. I drove to and from the event, and as I pulled into my driveway this morning, I though "I'll just leave the bike strapped to the rack...."

So, around 4:30 this morning I was woken up by someone pounding mightily upon my front door. I stumbled awake, grabbed my robe, and as I was aproaching the door I heard "Ypsi Police" On the stairs outside of my door were an Ypsi police officer and Freddie, one of my downstairs neighbors. The officer asked if I had a bike and asked me to describe it, then said someone had taken it, which my downstairs neighbor heard and called in.

I learned afterwards from Freddie that he had heard a noise coming from the drive way, which he thought was a raccoon, but when he went to their living room and looked out the window discovered was some guy taking the bike from the rack on my car. He called the cops and after telling them what happened he got put on hold and then was told "Okay, we think we've got the guy"

I get dressed and come downstairs. A cop car pulls up after a couple minutes, and Freddie is let out and the cop tells me to get in. Ypsi police cars, by the way, have hard plastic seats in the back, not an upholstered seat. We go up to Summit, two blocks west of my apartment, where there are a couple other cop cars guarding my bike, which is laying in the easement along the side of Summit. I tell the officer "Yep, that's my bike", and I'm thinking that the sucker who took it probably isn't used to a fixie with a just fixed and still touchy front break, no wonder he didn't get very far. Another officer asks me how much it's worth ("A couple hundred bucks") and if it was locked in my garage ("No, just strapped to the back of my car and tied on"). I think he was disapointed and was hoping they could charge the dude with something more than what they had, alas.

The cop takes me back to my apartment and gets a report from both Frankie and I, and another officer brings back my bike, which I decided I should store inside. Thankfully, nothing is damaged on it other than the little plastic cover over the stem adjustment bolt missing.

Moral of the story: don't leave your bike strapped to the back of your car. And don't fucking touch my bike unless you want justice, Ypsi-style.

Posted at: 05:24 | category: /bicycle/2009/08 | Link