BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I hate hearing about all the negative stories these days i.e. hit & runs, stolen bikes, etc... so I thought I would share a cautionary story with you that I think you will enjoy. Like all good stories it involves a villain, a damsel in distress, crooked cops, and of course a hero.

Love your Bike, Lock it Right!!!

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were getting ready to go for a ride so I had my Bike on a trunk mounted rack on my car and left it there unlocked in our private driveway in Edgewood while we carried some things up to our apartment and grabbed a bite to eat. 45 minutes later we came back out only to find my bike gone:( I was devastated to say the least.

I then proceeded to drive around the neighborhood as well as the neighboring Wilkinsburg area in the hope that I would come across the culprits. Five minutes later I saw a group with my bike so I called the police and waited, and waited, and waited. Twenty minutes went by with no sign of the cops when the group got up to leave. At this point, knowing I was likely never to see my bike again, I decided to drive up next to the group and inform them that that was my bike and that the cops were on their way. I was hoping they would ditch the bike and take off; well they took off but didn’t leave the bike there like I hoped. I chased the guy around the block but he lost me when he rode down a narrow alley between abandoned buildings.

About 10 minutes later I saw the thief walk out from behind the abandoned, boarded up houses and walk into a local convenient store. Finally a couple of police officers arrived so I informed them of the situation, including the fact that the guy was right inside the store. I thought I finally caught a break but the Police pulled up and let the guy walk out of the store directly in front of them and walk up the street as I pointed and shouted “that’s the guy”. Instead of confronting him they proceeded to get back in their cars, giving him time to turn the corner and run off.

I figured then that my bike was as good as gone but last Thursday evening I was working at our local co-op outdoor store when we got a call from a guy inquiring about a bike he bought off a kid for $20 that he thought might be stolen. It turns out that he had my bike so I called him right back. He then immediately drove my bike down to the store and seemed to be just as excited to return the bike as I was to get it back. I tried to offer him a reward but he wouldn’t even accept the $20 that he paid out of pocket, saying “I got a chance to ride your bike for a day so let’s just consider it a rental fee.” Just like that my faith in humanity was restored and I was reunited with an old friend.

The Good Samaritan informed me that he tried to contact the Wilkinsburg police but they told him they didn’t have any information about a stolen bike, despite the fact that I had filed a report??? The ironic part of this is that a month ago I received an award from the Mayor of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Chief of Police for helping the Pgh Police give away bikes to inner city kids.

Lessons learned – 1) As Scott Bricker says "love your bike, lock it right" 2) Do not tempt good people or buy a “jerk” a free lunch.