Stealing and law enforcement.

[Melvynman]

In the last five years I have had three bikes stolen. I have been asked twice for drugs that I can remember. I got my finger cut when I reached down to unlock my bike one morning this year. Someone tried cutting the cable leaving sharp ends and my thumb found them. I never hear of police arresting anyone for stealing. Why is that? I only hear about drunks or drugs arrest. The police do stings for drugs why can't they do stings for thieves? My bike was not being borrowed this person came prepared to steal. Two friends that worked at Playa Info in a four hours shift were told about four bikes being stolen that were locked. The policy of lock your bike doesn't cut it anymore.

[Ugly Dougly]

People complain about being hassled for drugs, but a thief is going to stay quiet.

[Isotopia]

The policy of lock your bike doesn't cut it anymore.

Then perhaps you should consider not bringing it again.

Law enforcement will tell you just as the Black Rock Rangers will that they're not in the business of guarding, babysitting or watching your shit while you are at the event.

It *is* possible to theft proof your bike but one has to ask how much effort they want to invest in doing it.

Personally, I'd see this as an opportunity to gift clues to thieves. Start with taking a beer bottle and cracking it across the front teeth of anyone who tries to steal your bike. I'll usually dissuade them from trying it.

[thirt33n]

as burningman grows...it gets collectively "stoopider" and less creative. more like the default world. more blame and finger pointing.

i've had my bike stolen before in 2008. I've never, in all 4 of my years, brought a bike that i wasn't ok with being stolen or trashed. I usually bring 2 bikes. anyone bringing a bike worth over $50 is asking for a week of thief paranoia or a stolen bike.

get creative. could be as simple as a chain breaking tool. takes as long to remove and replace a chain than it does to spin out a lock combination....duh? use both. bike thieves don't usually come with an extra chain. c'mon thinkers.

[unjonharley]

as burningman grows...it gets collectively "stoopider" and less creative. more like the default world. more blame and finger pointing.

i've had my bike stolen before in 2008. I've never, in all 4 of my years, brought a bike that i wasn't ok with being stolen or trashed. I usually bring 2 bikes. anyone bringing a bike worth over $50 is asking for a week of thief paranoia or a stolen bike.

get creative. could be as simple as a chain breaking tool. takes as long to remove and replace a chain than it does to spin out a lock combination....duh? use both. bike thieves don't usually come with an extra chain. c'mon thinkers.

I'll see ya and up you one damn good lock.. I have a solid steel U lock.. Turn the wheel backwards and lock it to the frame.. Just like in this trash town I live in.. Use it for standing and photografe suport.. Don't let it out of your hand.. Some stores get all up tight when I take my tour bike into there place.. They want my money??? love my bike.. The fucking thing cost me an even grand..

[bgirl]

Try this if all else, like locking your bike and bringing 2 bikes, fails-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDykFaNF ... re=related.

[thirt33n]

^
that's a great little gadget for sure.
i'd like to see it activated by a little more than a light bump. i can imagine multiple false alarms triggered by passers by....but really. it's cool. i'd buy one.

[bgirl]

I agree-it is really ridiculous to think it would do much good on the playa. But........ if you hid/MacGyvered the alarm really well inside of some art/etc. on your bike you will at least annoy the person stealing the bike -it could take them a while to figure out where the alarm is, detach and break the device. Someone may notice this kerfuffle-ya never know- and put a stop to the insanity of bike thievery!!!

[Hoolie]

I was thinking along the same lines, and found this:

http://www.loc8tor.com/Store/product/Lo ... 3,110.aspx

This would have the added benefit of possibly finding the person who took the bike, and a chance at, ah, retribution.

[swamp monster]

I took a crap ass bike for this reason (and glad I did, cause its pretty trashed), but the OP's suggestion that LEO's treat bike theft as as great a priority as drugs is well taken. They have bait bikes for just this sort of occasion.

Of course, your agency does not get as much federal grant $$ to stop bike theft as it to run drug operations.

[lambert13]

I was thinking along the same lines, and found this:

http://www.loc8tor.com/Store/product/Lo ... 3,110.aspx

This would have the added benefit of possibly finding the person who took the bike, and a chance at, ah, retribution.

The big drawback to these is the range. From the site:

The Range
183 metre / 600 feet range is based on clear line of sight. Actual range will vary depending on use, environment and location


Still neat though.

[thirt33n]

with your cheap bike there are so many theft deterrent modifications you can do.

with a hex wrench in your bag you can remove your handlebars? pull a pedal?

chain removal is # 1 still for me. people aren't going to be stealing your bike cuz it's nice, they will be using it for immediate transportation. no chain, no useful, no steal.

in case you're thinking....ew, greasy oily chain? dirty hands....for a week on the playa you don't want a "wet" chain. lube on your chain will only attract dirt and grime. start the week with clean, dry sprockets and a new clean dry chain. Chrome preferred....it will stay clean and at least grease free all week.

this is simple. bike theft is only a problem for those who bring nice bikes or are not prepared.

pedal along now.

[Hoolie]

I was thinking along the same lines, and found this:

http://www.loc8tor.com/Store/product/Lo ... 3,110.aspx

This would have the added benefit of possibly finding the person who took the bike, and a chance at, ah, retribution.

The big drawback to these is the range. From the site:

The Range
183 metre / 600 feet range is based on clear line of sight. Actual range will vary depending on use, environment and location


Still neat though.

It is limited. There are tracking transmitters with longer range and/or gps, although they tend to be pretty expensive.

[theCryptofishist]

There is an entire thread, I think in Tips & Tricks, Q&A about booby-trapping bikes. It got creative. I can't find it, so I guess the title isn't very obvious.

[Elorrum]

There is an entire thread, I think in Tips & Tricks, Q&A about booby-trapping bikes. It got creative. I can't find it, so I guess the title isn't very obvious.

yes, and I think Elliot brought some but I didn't get a chance to participate in the fishing for thieves.
1. welded kickstand
2. pedals that unscrewed as it was ridden
3. seat post made from a garage door spring
4. chain twisted so pedaling drove the bike in reverse
5. one was altered to seize up the drive mechanism after being pedaled a bit (I forgot how this one worked)

I think the thread was "bike security" and the op was gyre... I think.

[FIGJAM]

Just posted what I remembered on the $500 bike thread.

You mentioned some that I forgot.

[gyre]

One option is a threaded boss on the headset with a security screw.

Lock the steering at an angle.

Back out the screw to ride.


Any electric bike may as well have an alarm on it too.
The good mechanical vibration sensors are still around.
Piezos run on almost no power.
Stunningly loud and weigh nothing.

[$tormy]

An old thread but this happened to me 3 years ago. I'm one of those old guys who raced mountain bikes in the late 80's early 90's and still keep the old rig around. Seems there's a growing market for old high end mountainbikes. I brough it to BM and at center camp one day I go to leave and someone has put THEIR lock on my already locked bike!!! I guess they figured I'd take my lock off and go for help and they'd slither in, unlock it and go. I had a friend walk over to the mechanic's tent for some bolt cutters and took care of THEIR lock. Took a lot of the sweetness out of my burn. Something akin to having to toss a squating hippy out of your assigned seats at a Dead show and them wanting to know why YOU are such an asshole. The sad truth is that maggots feed where there is food. With BM at 50,000+, the amount of maggots there is unfortunately substantial and significant. Do I have room at home for a dedicated $50 burn bike? No, but I will make some. I told a sheriff about what happened. I hope they do some stings. I'd love to see some maggots squished under the boot of the man.

[Packoderm]

Law enforcement will not garner revenue via fines from bicycle thieves. That's why they don't care about our bikes getting stolen. Maybe it could work like gringos do in little towns in Mexico. Concerned citizens, well denizens anyway, hold a party to gather funds to pay for the policeman to do his job. When he catches the thief or arrests and jails the town bully, he gets paid. Maybe part of our ticket price can go toward actual law enforcement with the people's interest in mind.

[BBadger]

If stolen bikes is the price we have to pay for a lower presence of law enforcement, so be it.

Maybe what I'll do is just bring a wrench and remove the nuts from the front tires so that they can't stay on no matter what. It'd only be to ensure I have a bike the whole trip, not because I'm attached to the bike I literally paid $5 for.

I still think it'd be funny to have those shopping cart "stopping wheels" on the bike if it leaves the transponder. Having the front wheel lock mid ride and the would-be thief endo into the hard playa would be just golden. Hopefully the thief either disappears after being injured, dies after I've retrieved the bike, or is in no shape to identify the bike or its owner.

[Packoderm]

Or if you don't do the hidden combination, if it senses the bike is being ridden, it sends a large, sharp nail up right through the seat.

[Packoderm]

Maybe it would be a form of radical self-expression for a Burning Man participant to set up a sting, and videotape it. I guess you'd handcuff the thief right to the bike while waiting for law enforcement.

[gyre]

Scaphism would probably be an acceptable punishment in nevada.

[$tormy]

It would take nothing to stick a nice bike unlocked outside center camp and watch it covertly. Easy sting. Would be a great way to send a message to thieves who prey on the burn. The mother ship could keep a list to refuse ticket sales to documented offenders for the future. RF chips are cheap now too. I may chip my bike just for fun. Maybe I'll hand out chips and sniff out stolen bikes for program participants....... I think I like that idea!!!

[Bay Bridge Sue]

... RF chips are cheap now too. I may chip my bike just for fun. Maybe I'll hand out chips and sniff out stolen bikes for program participants....... I think I like that idea!!!

+10

Not just for stolen bikes, but for borrowed and unreturned ones as well. Even the ones where the bike pilot got fubarred, wadered off, and forgot where they left it.

Awesome plan!!! Hell, I'd go for that!

[jkisha]

Try this if all else, like locking your bike and bringing 2 bikes, fails-

[Ugly Dougly]

Amen, Burning Man is no place to ask for LEOs to protect us from ourselves.

Burn smart or don't burn at all.

[$tormy]

Ug D,

I don't think there is an "ourselves" anymore. The event has reached a scale that I believe exceeds the actual quantity of solid, ethical burners out there. Now the population that presents itself is more of a reflection of the outer world, ranging from the real deals to douche-bag, wanna-bes. The precious experiment has become closer to outside reality as a result of lack of population control. Some people should just not breed. Time for the cosmic condom..... sell 70% of the tickets for next year's event at the burn. That's testing commitment! The other 30% sell throughout the year but each purchase must go through an individual vetting process, the center of which must be a hand-written letter from a child describing how the potential purchaser has positively impacted their life. All letters must include age of the author and a phone number as a percentage must be randomly audited for authenticity. I think you could see an improvement in overall attitudes and a reduction in douche-baggery as a result. This is Burning Man, not just some other flipping endlessly growing cancerous capitalistic endeavor, or is it Larry? Just thoughts.....

$tormy

[BBadger]

I don't know if I would support more "entrapment"-like stings taking place at the playa, even though I have had my bike stolen before, and not a bike I didn't care about. I'll buy a heavier-duty lock or remove bolts if necessary to avoid that.

[jkisha]

Ug D,

I don't think there is an "ourselves" anymore. The event has reached a scale that I believe exceeds the actual quantity of solid, ethical burners out there. Now the population that presents itself is more of a reflection of the outer world, ranging from the real deals to douche-bag, wanna-bes. The precious experiment has become closer to outside reality as a result of lack of population control. Some people should just not breed. Time for the cosmic condom..... sell 70% of the tickets for next year's event at the burn. That's testing commitment! The other 30% sell throughout the year but each purchase must go through an individual vetting process, the center of which must be a hand-written letter from a child describing how the potential purchaser has positively impacted their life. All letters must include age of the author and a phone number as a percentage must be randomly audited for authenticity. I think you could see an improvement in overall attitudes and a reduction in douche-baggery as a result. This is Burning Man, not just some other flipping endlessly growing cancerous capitalistic endeavor, or is it Larry? Just thoughts.....

$tormy