Bike feckin stolen, best way to buy it back?

WanderlustQueen

This evening I left my bike (which I've had for 2 years and never had a single problem with except people leaving presents of pint glasses and newspapers in my basket) outside Cineworld Cinemas on Parnell Street for about 6 hours. It was locked to one of those silver bike thingies on the footpath with a very sturdy u-lock that a courier recommended to me.

But alas! Alack! I come back out and it had vanished. I'm 100% certain I locked it. I was baffled for a few minutes until I remembered that dodgy car-bike dealer in the carpark to the right of the cinema, I remembered a mate telling me he'd seen fellas out robbing bikes for the place. So I walked over and sure enough, there was my basket on the ground outside the gate. It was all locked up but I could see LOADS of bike frames, wheels, gears, saddles and brakes scattered all over the ground. I couldn't see my bike, but I'm fairly sure its in their blue storage thingy. There was even a sign that said 'Bike for sale' on the gate.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has had their bikes nicked even with sturdy u-locks? I'd say someone would have noticed if there had been a jigsaw involved, is it possible to pick these kinda locks? Also, has anyone bought a stolen bike off those guys? Would it be worth my while trying to go in and buy it back off them? I'm super upset its gone, I have to get the bus like a mortal!

Any advice would be appreciated!:pac:

vektarman

Go in to him first thing to-morrow, tell him you'd like to see the bikes for sale, if yours is there inform the guards, U locks can be opened relatively easy without any tools, something I can't explain here for obvious reasons, sorry to hear about the bike btw, it's a bummer when it happens.

Trojan

vektarman wrote: »

Go in to him first thing to-morrow, tell him you'd like to see the bikes for sale, if yours is there inform the guards, U locks can be opened relatively easy without any tools

U-locks can be opened easily with carjacks, depending on how the lock, frame and immovable(!) objects are aligned.

vektarman wrote: »

something I can't explain here for obvious reasons

I don't think Dublin's bike thieves will be coming here for "how to steal a bike" lessons (though I appreciate the sentiment)

Lumen

AFAIK, there are four ways to defeat a U-lock (this is common knowledge btw):

1. Jack inside the "U", prise it until the shackle pops out. You can prevent this by filling the "U" with bike, easier with a mini lock. Better locks will be more resistant to jacking.

2. Pen barrel into the lock. Known to work for locks with tubular cylinders, including older Kryptonite locks. Not much you can do about this, except buy a better lock.

3. Cut through the shackle. This is quite difficult with hand tools. I've read tests of the better locks which require cutting through both sides of the shackle, which takes longer. The ease of this is obviously related to thickness and hardness of the shackle.

4. Cut through (or remove) the thing the bike is attached to.

I've also heard of cans of refrigerant gas being used to freeze and shatter a lock, but it sounds unlikely to me (I've spent a lot of time freezing stuff this way, and it's hard, particularly metal which conducts in more heat). You'd probably need liquid nitrogen.

All bets are off with power tools, which is why you want to use a busy public parking place. BikeRadar call the Abus Locks Granit X-Plus 54 "The best U-lock you can buy" but it still got defeated in the test under three minutes.

Chains are mostly rubbish on their own (easily bolt-croppable, except for some 4kg monsters), but when used in combination with a U-lock force the scumbag(s) to carry multiple tools. Not really practical to carry 6kg of locks on the bike, but worth keeping at a single location if you park in the same place every day.

I'd be interested to know exactly which lock you were using, since price and performance are only loosely related.

As far as your bike is concerned, it seems a bit odd that your basket would be neatly left outside their gate. It's almost as if they want to get caught.

I'd go in and try to buy it back (but not actually do so, obviously).

Húrin

Call the Gardai and get them to steal it back for you. Especially if you have a photo of it pre-theft.

AfternoonBlue

Lumen wrote: »

2. Pen barrel into the lock. Known to work for locks with tubular cylinders, including older Kryptonite locks. Not much you can do about this, except buy a better lock.

I know you were talking about u locks with rotating cylinders, but i have one of these (https://www.kryptonitelock.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?cid=1000&scid=1002&pid=1177) and was wondering is there any chance they're as easy to get through?

I used to live around that area and that kip is one of the most dodgy looking places i've ever seen to try and buy a bike from.

t0mm

I remember seeing a video on the internet, where you take a large bolt cutters, and instead of cutting through the cable or chain, you can just cut straight through the plastic lock housing, effortlessly. Enough to put me off bendy locks for good...

NeilMcEoigheann

this is a really good reason for everyone to take a picture of their bike with victory scratches for individuality and write down the frame number.

Orna

Went to college around there last year - and used to walk up Henry St
at night after -moore st is a right hot spot for selling bikes in the evenings too .:mad:

estariol

man if u have the frame number. then shop the guy. One less a**hole robbing bikes is a good thing!

Orna

Anyone on this thread get their bike back ???

Went with a mate to a city centre garda station to report a stolen bike from Exchequer St last summer - basically told to go buy the 6kg lock if we didn't want it to happen again ,like a broken record the way he said it .

Like the clothes that are being nicked out of the recycling bins being
shipped , i wouldn't doubt the cream of bikes are in those crates too.

Keep the number safe and keep the faith !

WanderlustQueen

Lumen wrote: »

AFAIK, there are four ways to defeat a U-lock (this is common knowledge btw):

1. Jack inside the "U", prise it until the shackle pops out. You can prevent this by filling the "U" with bike, easier with a mini lock. Better locks will be more resistant to jacking.

2. Pen barrel into the lock. Known to work for locks with tubular cylinders, including older Kryptonite locks. Not much you can do about this, except buy a better lock.

3. Cut through the shackle. This is quite difficult with hand tools. I've read tests of the better locks which require cutting through both sides of the shackle, which takes longer. The ease of this is obviously related to thickness and hardness of the shackle.

4. Cut through (or remove) the thing the bike is attached to.

oh my, I had no idea about any of those things, so much I don't know. The carjack idea makes sense since the place where I think they robbed it is also a car place. And there was a big empty gap in the U cos I locked the frame bit at the top to the silver thingy.

The lock itself I was using was an abus u-lock, cos about 30 or 40 euro I think, and never had a problem before.

I didn't get a chance to go in and try to buy it, I think I'll have a look tomorrow. Prob long gone!

A mate of mine says if you go to a Garda station and and say your bike was stolen, they'll take you to a room filled with bikes and let you pick one, thats how her mother got one, I'm not so sure! Another mate of mine went to the Garda auction to try get a bike on the cheap and said they was horribly expensive. Its an idea though!

Thanks for all the info guys, so much I didn't know!