Bike got stolen
So, just after I wrote about biking in Prague, my bike got stolen… :-(
I was used to leave my bike standing around (locked by the standard cheap-ish wire lock) quite a lot, even at a relatively deserted places at night, and noone bothered to stole even the snap-on lights, so I was quite delighted about safety in Prague… yesterday, I rode to do some shopping at the local supermarket and locked my bike in front of the supermarket. When I came back, there was only the snapped lock lying at the ground where there used to be my bike. Noone saw anything, unsurprisingly.
This has quite robbed me of my naivity; I’m intending not to give up on daily utility biking (which does inevitably involve leaving the bike outdoor at various places), but I just wish I’d have read the PrahouNaKole guide.
Anyone knows a good shop with used bikes in Prague, preferrably with low percentage of stolen bikes? My first bike has cost about 9.5k with all accessories, I’d prefer not to go over 4.5k with my second one.
Hi, today I got my bike stolen in Prague, from my apartment building… I am quite mad since the door to the street is locked at night and ….
anyway I wanted to ask you if you ever found your bike?
@debel
I feel with you, it’s very frustrating situation. :-( You can try reporting it to the police but the chances they will find anything are small. I never got back mine. The problem with apartment buildings is that any resident can probably easily steal it at night with almost zero risk (if he sells it right away)…
Do not give up on biking! But take more precautions. Even a second-hand bike may do fine if you do not want to invest much money (the only trouble is how to avoid supporting bike thieves). Some companies offer year-long insurance against bike theft (with time extensions possible in the future), ask in a bike shop about it. Avoid any spring locks, always use a solid steel lock (it is a bit heavy; I have a carrier basket fixed at the rear of my bike and just leave it there, there may be other options).
You can register your bike frame serial number with the munipicial police, and they will give you a fancy sticker. They may be going around shops with used bikes and checking these, but it will also serve as some deterrent for thieves.
As for apartment buildings, if all building residents have access to the place you’ve left your bike in, it is probably good idea to pick another. It may be still good idea calling the police, they may ask around the residents and maybe that will scare whoever did that from stealing bikes again, who knows… But most likely, you aren’t getting your bike back anymore, only thing to do is thinking through how to prevent your next one getting stolen. :-(
Thank you for the quick response. I am aware of the low probability of me seeing it ever again. I really liked my bike. I had it for as little as 20 days. I have a meeting with a police official after work. I will not lock my next bike – i will go to bed with it :)
Hello again, now that I’ve almost accepted my loss, I’ve looked around your blog. I am a newbie software engineer, but I have a huge interest in anything code related. Do you still live in Prague? If yes, what about a beer? :)