Hey,
I locked my bike outside BST3 today(7/14/10) at 9am and when I came back at 3 ot was gone.
My bike is a blue mountain bike with a white design on it. There were stickers on it and two lanyards hanging from the handle bars. The seat is blue black and white. I've never seen another seat like it so it should stand out. Also, the rubber on the handle bars is starting to come off on either side(maybe a little more than an inch). Sorry I dont have a picture of it but I hope this is helpful!
If you see it my email is:
j.a.marco11@gmail.com
THANK YOU!!!!!
That sucks. Did you have it on the rack closer to the front door of BST or the one further back?
I saw a lone helmet sitting on the ground below the rack closest to the door my way back from lunch (around 1:30 pm).
They do have plenty of video cameras, did you check with security?
How was it locked? it takes a brave idiot to walk around cutting off bikes in this high traffic area next to the most secure building in Oakland.
Ya that helment was mine. I had it locked with an extremly thick cable so i have no idea how they cut through it. They also left the cable which i thought was bold. And thanks for the advice about the security I'll check tomorrow.
Cables are easy to cut through, doesn't matter how thick they are. Just chew around and around with a set of cable cutters until each strand is severed.
Bummer man. Get a good ulock next time, in all of the years of this forum I don't believe there is a reputable account of a properly locked bike in Pittsburgh having a ulock breached.
ya I plan on buying one. I just think it is strange because my bike was right next to the street in a very busy area. Someone should have noticed
The bike racks are 10 feet from office windows, and there are a constant stream of medical/research staff walking past. I am really surprised someone managed off with an entire bike right here. I imagine they were caught on video, if security will help you.
Ya and not to mention it was parked a foot from the street. Someone should have saw.
***O and another note about the bike. The gears are levers not twistable on the handle bars.
The thing is, you can casually walk up to a bike, snip the cable in like five seconds and ride off without arousing any suspicion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooa3NVfFlEU
If you watch to the end...a stranger actually helps him steal the bike.
I'm guessing a lot of that has to do with this being New York. When I lived in Davis I had people yell at me when I took too long unlocking or walked up to grab something out of my pannier.
I was under the impression most pgh bike thefts happened at night.
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that j.a.marco. I also work in bst3 and ride my bike there everyday. I've been out of town for a week, si I just saw this post. BST3 is technically a secure building, but those bike racks are NOT secure. I am cool with the evening guard and he warned me to never park my bike there. Apparently someone else had a bike stolen from that rack about a month ago. And the people walking by in labs will not notice someone messing with a bike there. I know this for a fact because I have been frequently locking my wheel to that rack and then using a giant socket wrench to disconnect my bike and take it in the bldg (read the thread titled "frustration with Pitt's bogus bike policy" for more details about why). At first I worried that someone would walk by, see me unscrewing the wheel, and think I was 'stealing' the bike. Never happened.
All that said, as Brad mentioned, if you have a U-lock, it will likely be fine.
Ya I went out and bought one that night and the security gaurd told me had not seen anything and the racks were not secure. I just hope the guy is caught
this is why i don't park at those racks:
-that's where people look to steal bikes
-the security guys don't "secure" that walkway. if anything, they come out to smoke about 10 feet from the main entrance, not even looking around the corner.
i park my bike like a dickhead on the lamp pole that the security guard would be able to see if they saw anybody but me screwing around with it.
i saw the helmet laying there, and figured someone cut a cable lock... they are completely worthless, after all.
i have a like 5600lb test case hardened chain and a case hardened padlock and someone has already tried (failed) to cut my padlock at some point leaving two little nicks in it.
i'll check the cut beside my office here and see if there are any "new" bikes or frames stashed there. there's like a new one every other week, but they are never bikes that people report on here. i just have to be careful of stepping on needles back there 
perhaps this is a good place to ask this. i've noticed a trend recently that suddenly new u-locks weigh about 4 times as much mine, and no longer come with gear to mount it to your frame. is there a practical reason for this? are old u-locks suddenly considered worthless by stores? and can they still be obtained somewhere?
frame mounts for u-locks are generally worthless, i can say that much.
srsly? mine has made my life infinitely easier! or at least a modicum more convenient.
I had my plastic-whosa-whatsit to hold my u-lock attached to my bike for ten minutes before it snapped in two. It now stays firmly jammed into my belt. Good for dissuading ne'er-do-wells.
ugh, bummer
I saw a simple little "Bell" u lock that was a fraction of the weight of my OnGuard monster, and I wondered if it would be almost as secure. I almost never carry the OnGuard because it's the weight of a small child, and I would carry and use a smaller lock. Even a smaller u lock has to be an improvement over any cable, right? This is an area in which I am hesitant to experiment.
Since we've turned to locks, and I've recently purchased a bike worth stealing...
What locks are worth carrying around? In catalogs i've seen minis, rated a variety of ways and insured a variety of ways, as well as "combo" sets of U and cable, regular Us... I figure I'd get a mini to haul around for unpredictable errands, but at some point I'll be locking this thing up in a predictable fashion for a predictable amount of time in a pretty unpopulated place. I can leave locks at the site for that, so weight shouldn't be an issue for those.
There are no guarentees, and someone who is Going To Steal My Bike will do so regardless, but what's my best bet?
I went to Lowes and got their strongest chain and a padlock that cutters can't fit into the opening of. If I have to leave Jo for long, I feel very safe with that + my ulock. The chain is great for leaving on location because it's super heavy.
The way I like to do it is to put a U lock through the frame, the back wheel, and whatever you're locking it to. Then a cable attaching the front wheel to the U lock. The cable doesn't need it's own locking mechanism, just loop it through itself to attach to the front wheel, then slide the U lock into the other end before you put it together.
There's another thread about locks and using them though - will go look for it if no one's posted it by the time I send this.
edited to add http://bike-pgh.org/bbpress/topic/love-your-bike-lock-it-right#post-586
bikefind - that is exactly what I was looking for for info on minis.
Tabby - that is exaclty what I was wondering for a habitual "parking space".
nice, thanks guys 
for leaving a lock somewhere, i second what bikefind says: a lock-less cable and a mini u-lock. but you don't have to lock the frame: you can secure the frame and fit it easier by locking the rear wheel inside the rear triangle.
i don't bother with a cable because i don't feel like carrying one around, and there's only one place i'll lock to more than once in a week. but if you'll be using the same place regularly, leave a lock and cable there, and your bike will be as secure as it can be.
also: in re: heavier locks. the term "diminishing returns" comes to mind. i don't really see that much difference between a lock that can withstand 5000 pounds of force and one that can take 10000. i mean, if someone has jammed a jack into your lock, you're already behind in the game.
also also: i've been carrying my u-lock on my frame for about two years now, with no issues at all (well, it's fallen off while riding, but that was hitting a series of giant potholes at 35 mph).
I like the Sheldon Brown(Immutable! Cannot be changed! Ineffable! Cannot be, uh, effed...) lock selection technique; bike + lock should weigh 50 pounds.
That's right, I forgot that formula!
a mini u-bar lock and a cable are the best combo imho
in pittsburgh there isnt enough of a bike theft problem to warrant a 30lb chain. if you lock up according to brad's article in urban velo no one is going to screw with your bike. there are too many easy to steal bikes lying around.
its like campers running from a bear. you don't have to be faster than the bear, just the other campers.
