BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

You called 911 to report a stolen bike wheel?

I thought Sheldon was belts AND suspenders. I guess you forgot the suspenders.

Sorry to hear. Did the cop take it seriously? I hope so.

You called 911 to report a stolen bike wheel?

That's the right thing, isn't it?

Can you imagine this conversation between some cops: "We found this guy with a whole bunch of stolen stuff. Plus a bike wheel. But no one has reported a stolen bike wheel."

Uh no, 911 is for emergencies. You can still file a police report for stolen property.

I don't know any alternate numbers to contact the police to report stolen property. You call 911 and say straight away, "This is not an emergency, but..."

You'd call 911 if someone stole your car or motorcycle, no?

I'd call 911 for anything over probably $1000 otherwise I'd call the police station. Seems like a waste of time to tie up an emergency line for a $60 wheel.

edit: Actually on second thought, I'm not sure I would. I would certainly file a police report I just dont think I'd call 911. I guess I was always taught that was for emergencies only.

PS to actually be helpful, try and post a non-obvious Want to Buy ad on CL. You never know how stupid a criminal might be.

call the police station directly then. they'll tell you to hang up and call 911. i've tried it.

(edit: or you can go to the station in person and file a report)

@boostuv I guess I was always taught that was for emergencies only.

For a lot of places, 9-1-1 is for emergenies only. Not so in Pittsburgh.

@ boostuv - Yes, I did call 911. There recently was a board discussion about not calling in incidents, and the consensus seemed to be that we should call in.

@ Marko82 - Since I've been back riding in Pittsburgh, the belt alone has always been enough. Maybe having the front wheel totally unprotected was a mistake in this case, being so obviously unlocked (cf. an equally unlocked, more expensive rear wheel, which is just as easy to steal so long as a thief is willing to get a little greasy dealing with the chain). I did get a little weird feeling as I walked away, but rationalized it away with the past two years of good experiences. The cop, I'm glad to say, was taking it seriously as far as I can tell. I wanted to call before I had touched or moved it, in case there was a chance to do some fingerprint work or something but he said that for a $100 loss, it would probably be more trouble than it was worth, which I agreed with.

Anyway, I do appreciate the concern, and I should be out riding again by this time tomorrow. And if you see a bike with a mismatched wheel that looks like this one below, let me know: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1034381_-1___

Boostuv, he did the right thing. Try calling a Pittsburgh Police Station, and they will all tell you to hang up and call 911--noise complaints, stolen property, vandalism, even blocked driveways.

Like Mick said, some places are different, but in Pittsburgh, 911 is the number to call if you need an officer dispatched for anything.

ian, i lock my bike like that all the time, it's kind of a calculated risk - unfortunately you ended up on the wrong side of the calculation. it may prompt me to throw a light cable in my bag - i know it's easy to cut but it's a deterrent against casual theft like this may have been.

although, kind of silly - i always take me $10-15 blinky with me...

also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m68-oWBh9Ow

and: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvPXI95hgnA

RE: 911, that's my experience, too. I've called the station about a stolen bike, and they told me to call 911. It's just how the system works here, as silly as it may seem.

That stinks. Next time, if it's a quick release wheel, do a modified Sheldon - take off the front wheel, put it next to the rear triangle, lock through the front wheel, rear wheel, and to the post or whatever. Then you don't even need an additional cable. Like just a really good belt.

Ian, I use the Sheldon method but I have a skewer lock for the front wheel on my shweet hipster bike to protect my bamf rims.

The rim itself is black on the forte as well, correct? Machined sidewalls?

I'll try and keep an eye out on the scrapyard folk at the other end of the block. I see several a day take stuff down, only to bring it back, cause the scrap yard doesn't want whatever it is they have. I think there is a 'oh look, it's shiny, grab' mentality among some of them. Anyone that has something grabbed in l'ville, always talk to them!

I, too, never lock my front wheel. Ever. So far it's been years of good experiences as well. Maybe suspenders are in order…

I agree with sloaps and just use a quick release bolt on replacement for my front wheel. Sure someone could steal my front wheel if they have just a 5mm allen key but they could steal about anything off my bike with a 5mm allen key.

Locking skewers are your friend when you do the sheldon lock.

I can't speak for the City of Pittsburgh, but in suburbia, the only number to call is 9-1-1. They don't even give out the "administration" number for my local police department any more, and it is only "open to the public" from 8 to 5, or something like that. So, no option to walk in at 7 p.m. to report a non-emergency condition.

A legit police issue, whether an emergency or not, can go through 9-1-1.

Less than twenty-four hours later, I'm back with a new wheel bought, installed and tires inflated, ready to roll. All you bike thieves, suck my ...

...presta valve?

Good one, Noah! That's what I meant to say.