My Stolen Bikes

If you have information to report that might help recover these bikes, please email bike@rmambrose.com or contact Deputy Duncan of the SB County Sheriff’s office (909-387-3545) Re: 151301438.

Stolen Fuji SST 3.0

Fuji SST 3.0 (2010)

Red frame
serial # IF00500166

Distinguishing characteristics:

• Red tires
• 1 Red Rav X Side One bottle cage (pictured below)
• 1 cheap aluminum bottle cage (not pictured)
• Sigma bike computer mounted on handle bars (pictured below) 
• Two headlights mounted on handle bars (one pictured)
• One red warning light on rear of bike. (not pictured)
• 52 cm frame
• Has a Don’s Bicycles sticker on or under the frame

Stolen Scott Contessa Speedster

Scott Contessa Speedster 35 (2011)
Light Blue frame
serial # (unavailable)

Distinguishing characteristics:

• Elite Blue/Black bottle cage (pictured below)
• Blue Tires
• 49 cm frame
• Has a Don’s Bicycles sticker on or under the frame

Some of the accessories that don’t appear in the above pictures:

Rav X Side One bottle cage

SIGMA BC 1706 HR DTS Wireless Bicycle Speedometer with Heart Rate Monitor

Elite Blue/Black bottle cage

I will update this post with a running checklist of what I have done and plan to do.  I will include the results from these activities and ultimately share my experience on another site in hopes that the information is useful to others.

Trying to recovery a stolen bike is a lot of work, from all I’ve heard and read about it.  However, I am also finding that it’s a constructive way to cope with the loss and feel like you are taking control of the situation.  Even if this does not help me get my bike back, I think that the search process will be worthwhile.

• Briefly searched the neighborhood
• Filed Police Report
• Contacted bike store where I purchased both bikes (Don’s) – they were very helpful, provided serial number for one of the bikes and replacement quotes for me to give the insurance
• Other bike stores contacted: (Cyclery USA, Sierra Bicycle Works, East Highland Bikes, White’s Bikes)
• Contacted Insurance: I’m very happy with how Mercury handled my claim.  They were a little slow to respond initially, but they did a very good job and were more than fair in determining the value of the bikes.  Overall, I was happy with the timeliness of resolving the claim.  Unfortunately, my policy just didn’t cover the full value or replacement cost of the bikes, especially not the fuji.  I need to look into increasing the coverage, and I’m not sure that Mercury will accommodate that…
• Look into Bike Insurance: Velosurance is a new insurance company in 2013 that is offering bike policies, and it looks extremely affordable.  I’ve asked for a quote.
• Contacted American Express – Purchase protection only covers the first 90 days after purchase.
• Set up Alerts for Craigslist (IFTTT– both bikes – LA & IE, eBay – both bikes)
• Posted Stolen Bike Alert on Craigslist (Fuji, Scott)
• Registered on stolenbicycleregistry.com
• Registered on stolenbikerecovery.org (Fuji: Riversde & SB, Scott: SB)
• Registered on stolenbikes.us (new site that has Facebook single-sign-on, spinoff of a UK site, allows multiple images, printable report, social media sharing)
• Created flyer
• Eddie’s Bicycle Shop – obviously, this guy has been there a while, and it’s a dark hole in the wall. Owner seemed reluctant to take my flier, and said that he didn’t buy bikes, but did offer some valuable suggestions.  First suggestion was the pawn shops – I’d already visited the ones on Baseline, but he said there was one on D that sold bikes.  Said the Swap Meet at the Orange Show on Sunday Morning is the place to go, too, and to get there very early.  Said he had a bike that got stolen once and he saw it at that swap meet.  He confronted the seller who claimed they’d had the bike for weeks.  He went to the police but the seller was gone before they got back.  It’s only open on Sunday, so next Sunday will be the crooks’ first chance to sell it there.
• Hector & Milena Bike Shop – very nice, owner used to be head mechanic at Don’s, and he’s moved his shop a couple times since he opened it in the last 6 years.  Very clean, well organized shop.  Hector said he thinks the bike theft rings tend to move the bikes to Orange County (not feasible to hit those swap meets) and a lot end up on Craigslist (check).
  
• Visit Swap Meets:
• Bel Air Swap Meet (17565 Valley Blvd, Bloomington, CA 92316) open Wed 6am-3pm – I looked around the swap meet first before talking to anyone.  There were a number of stalls that had some bikes, but they also had a lot of other stuff, like a yard sale.  One older guy near the entrance who sold bike parts and had a bunch of older cheap bikes.  This suggested to me that he was legit, so I gave him a flyer.  He told me that not only had he not seen any bikes like mine, they wouldn’t likely bring bikes like that to this swap meet because the clientele couldn’t afford it.  I appreciated his advice.
• Pro-Swap Meet (632 S Mt Vernon Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92410) open Wed 4pm-10pm.  This is a night swap meet.  I stopped in here at 5:30, and people were still setting up.  I didn’t see anyone with more than a few bikes – yard sale type of stuff.  I didn’t really want to hang out in this part of SB late into the evening.
• San Bernardino Outdoor Market (Orange Show, 689 S E St, San Bernardino, CA 92408) open Sundays from 7am to 2pm? 3pm?  This is a big swap meet, the most bikes I’ve seen.  Several vendors seem to specialize in bikes and bike parts, some had a few new bikes with tags still on them.  Nicer selection of bikes than I’ve seen at other swap meets, plus the usual yard-sale-type vendors.  However, still no performance bikes.  I forgot my fliers when I went here.  Arrived at 7:30, and some vendors still setting up, but seemed to be mostly full of vendors.  By 8:00, still some people setting up, but isles were started to get crowded with shoppers.  I definitely recommend getting here before 8:00.
  
• Call Universities (UCR: TAPS – Irma was great!, U of R: Officer Jorge in Public Safety very helpful, LLU: Transportation – only 1 bike impounded recently, CSUSB: Lost and Found sells off stuff every 6 months, but they do check bike serial numbers before selling).
• Call Police Departments about Impound Auctions:
• GeneralAuctions.com – they auction property & evidence from numerous So Cal county and city law enforcement agencies.  Set up alert on their site for brand and color in the Bike category.  They auction bikes in batches of up to 10 or so, bu if the bikes look like specialty bikes, they will list the makes of the bikes in the description.  Pictures of the bikes are very poor, but if you call/email the Yard Manager, they can email you a picture of the specific bike.  Be sure to go to auction yard in Buena Park to inspect the bike on Thursday or Friday or it will get auctioned off.  However, I’m not sure if their web site is working properly.  When I log in, I still see a User Log In button, I get a page that says “My Account” but nothing is listed below it.  When I try to save searches, it says it saves my search, but when I try to pull up saved searches, it says there are none.  I tried creating 3 alerts, was was generic enough to give me an email now, we’ll see if I get anything.  I did get a email from their site, appears to be WordPress, and it confirmed creation of my account, but maybe an admin has to do something to my account before my account is fully functional.  I’ll need to follow up on this one in a week or so.  When I use IE instead of FF, I don’t even see the User Log IN or other buttons at the top of the page.
• Riverside PD: Online 311 request – got call back – they keep a bulletin board and check it for any items that might meet the description and offered to call me if they find my property.  I emailed them a flyer.
• Redlands PD: Evidence/Property Section – no auction, but can view bicycles – LM – not sure how often I should check with them, maybe I should stop by office with a flyer.
• SBPD: Evidence/Property – 909-384-5709 – LM – they called back and told me that they don’t auction their own stuff, they send it all to GeneralAucation.com, as do a number of other cities and county governments, in So Cal.  I’ll set up an alert on GeneralAuction.com.
• Talk to neighbors: The week before my bikes were stolen, a neighbor on the opposite side of Bailey park had a bike stolen from his garage.  Two months before, another neighbor around the corner had a bike stolen from his garage as well.
• Put up fliers in neighborhood: This gave me an opportunity to talk to my neighbors as I went around the neighborhood.  I should have brought more fliers with me so I could hand them out to everyone I talked to.  A couple neighbors also contacted me from the fliers, and of course this was my primary vehicle for driving traffic to this web site.
• Visit Pawn Shops:
• Celebrity Pawn in Loma Linda – Very friendly and helpful service, nice store.  They don’t sell bikes, but they were happy to post my flier prominently behind the counter and invited me to post info on the bikes on their Facebook page.
• Adelanto Pawn in SB: had a couple old bikes in the shop.  Definitely avoid this place after dark…
• Qwik Pawn in SB: clean, organized interior, but no bikes visible.
• Court Street Jewelry & Loan: This place is very secure, nothing on display.  Guy said everything that comes into the pawn shops gets reported to the police, but he was happy to take my flier. I guy approached me, trying to bum a smoke off me as I went in (about 6pm – but still bright at that hour in July).
• Ammons Diamond and Coin Gallery – No bikes, but they were open, so I went in.  Owner is hard of hearing, been in business a very long time.
• Contact local riding groups:
• Inland Empire Biking Alliance has a FB Page – also have a FB Page for registering stolen bikes but trouble finding it – Mark Friis assisted me by posting to the page for me
• Redlands Bike BBQ – DIY repair shop (volunteer run) – John got back to me quickly
• Redlands Water Bottle Transit Company – sent message via web site.

To do:

• follow up on General Auction .com site – are my alerts working, etc.
• Call Bus/Transit departments’ lost found (OmniTrans: Lost & Found, RTA: Lost & Found)
• Fontana Indoor Swap Meet (9773 Sierra Ave, Fontana, CA 92335) open 10-7 Wed-Fri…  Their sellers are all listed on the web site.  Only one dealer of bikes and toys, so it doesn’t look very promising.  Putting this low down on my list.
• Colton Indoor Swap Meet (1101 N Mt Vernon Ave, Colton, California 92324) open ??

Securing Bikes in Garage:

This seems to be a real problem that no one has a good solution for.  Many sites will recommend you lock your bike up in the garage, but don’t suggest how to do this.  I have searched high and low for bike racks, but none of the consumer bike racks are for security, just for convenience (like the ones I already have). From the sites I have read on locking your bike, you need to use a U-Lock and at least be able to lock the rear wheel and frame to something secure that can’t be broken, cut, or slipped off.

I can’t drill into the concrete floor of the garage, and I’d rather not use epoxy to try and secure something to the floor.  However, I might be able to reinforce the rafters (i.e., against twisting/torquing) and use heavy bolts to install a rack that drops down from the ceiling.  I found only one bike rack online that might work for this, but they sell to contractors who will be installing large numbers of the racks, and their minimum quantity is 10.  They’re also over $100 a rack.  The seller I found that ships to the US is located in Australia (Securabike sells this bike rack), where the racks are made by Leda Security Products.

So, unless bike stores start carrying these kinds of racks, I don’t think it’s a viable option.  My next plan is to build something. I’ve spent some time in Home Depot, talking to the associates in the store, and I consulted with my cousin who is a civil engineer on this plan. When I’m done with the project, I’ll post pictures and instructions on how to build what I build.  I can’t warranty what I build, but I’d love to get feedback on how to improve it.  Maybe a hacker out there will test out the design and make some recommendations to improve it.

The ceiling beams in my garage are exposed.  Using heavy brackets and bolts, I will secure a 4×4 between two beams.  Also using heavy bolts/brackets, I will secure a universal strut (12 guage steel strut for hanging electrical conduit) to the 4×4, so that the strut hangs down into the garage about 5 feet from the “ceiling”. The strut has holes every inch or so for bolting brackets to it, and I will widen one of these holes enough (grinding it out with a die grinder) so a U-Lock will pass through it.  I will hang hooks from the holes higher up so I can hang the bike from the rear tire.

Since the struts come in 10 feet lengths, I hope to build two of these racks side-by-side.  This should also allow me to bolt cross-pieces between them so they are laterally secure as well.  I hope to hang a bike from each side of the rack, so together they will hold 4 bikes.  My total budget for the project will be about the cost of one of the Leda ceiling-mount racks.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Some sites I found helpful:

• Post on MTBR forum – nice detailed local info for that area.  I’d like to provide that kind of local detail for the IE
• BicycleLaw.com
• East Bay Bicycle Coalition
• I also appreciate NPR’s coverage of bike theft in the past year or two.  Thanks to their journalistic coverage, I already had some idea of the problem and what to do about it before my bike was even stolen.

Between 1:16 and 3:30 on Sunday July 14 my bikes were stole from the garage.  On this occasion, I used an App for my Android phone called Runtastic to track my route, speed, and time.  This app posted to Facebook that I completed my workout at 1:16 pm.

At about 1:00 pm, I was riding east on Barton road. I turned right on Mayberry (becomes Whittier)
A vehicle turned left immediately behind me and passed me, but I did not pay particular attention to it.

I crossed the tracks and rode the rest of the way to my house, and into my garage.  I placed my bike in its stand, next to my wife’s bike.  They were mostly hidden in the garage behind my wife’s SUV.

1:16 pm – I sat next to my bike for a few minutes, turning off the Runtastic App, taking off my shoes and helmet, etc.  I was in the garage about 5 minutes, and I was sitting between the bikes and the the gap between the SUV and the garage door frame, so I was visible from the street, and there were vehicles that passed my house during that time, but I didn’t pay particular attention to them.  I went into the house and showered.

2:30 pm – I went to the grocery store.  I was expecting my cousin to come by between 3-3:30 for a BBQ dinner, so I made note of the time on my phone. My wife and kids stayed home when I went to the store, and I left the garage open.  I don’t know if the bikes had already been stolen at this time, because my wife’s SUV blocks my view of that side of the garage and the bikes are in shadow.

3:05 pm –  I came back from the grocery store, and I noted the time on my car’s clock and the absence of my cousin’s truck.  I did not notice whether the bikes had been stolen as I pulled into the garage, again because their view is mostly blocked by the SUV.

At approximately 3:30 my cousin came over, and my wife closed the garage door at that time.

8:30 pm – I went to the garage to turn off the automatic sprinklers.  The garage door was still closed, but this is when I noticed that a bike was missing.  At first I just noticed my own bike missing, and I immediately told my wife, then took the SUV out and drove around the neighborhood looking for the bike before the sun went down (hoping that maybe they’d just been taken for a joy ride).  After I pulled out, my wife went to the garage and saw that her bike was also missing, and I also realized this as I drove around the community. I came back to the house before 9:00 pm and called San Bernardino County Sherriff’s office to report the crime.