[werd]

I'm right there with you. Someone stole my boy's bike last week as well (second one in 9 months). A new Mongoose BMX he got for Christmas. After a lot of talking to the cops and area kids, we had an idea of the punk who took it.

Fast forward - the other day my boy saw his bike on the way to school from the buss. He called my wife and she went down and grabbed it.

 It was stripped of all brakes and stickers and someone started to strip the paint off.

 I am working on it now. Stripped it down to the bare frame, sanded it to bare metal. It has now been repainted but it needs new bearings, grips and stickers.

 We have had 4 bikes stolen in two years. One was my older son's $450 Haro. This most recent bike is the only one we have gotten back.

I actually plan on finding it. These kids aren't smart enough  not to drive it past my house. My backyard is adjacent to very popular bike path. Its a havok bmx and i know where they ride these also. Across the road and not to far are really good dirt trails. I was in there already tonight, its just a matter of time and this crime is completely oppurtunist and local - so its a kid.

[nicksgem10s]

This is sad.  I am 34yrs old and the same thing happened to me twice growing up.  It stuck with me.

Hopefully you can turn it into something positive by building a new bike together with your son.

That is what my dad did with me and it really put a positive spin on it and helped the pain go away sooner.


Strange timing on this post.  Last summer I bought my dad a beautiful Schwinn Deluxe 7 cruiser that he would never have purchased for himself.

He loved it.  Someone cut the lock at his carport in his former apartment and stole it in broad daylight.  I was fuming as $600 is a pretty big deal to me and I know how much effort I put into getting him that bike.

He has been without a bike since last fall.

I realized I couldn't afford another $600 right now so I picked up a similar style but more affordable Schwinn SSX cruiser that needed a little TLC.

I had to buy a new innertube for one wheel.  I also just finished doing some touch up paint work before I read your post tonight.   

I am also going to have a pro tune up done on it. He is going to be getting a beautiful cruiser for Father's Day.

I hope your son gets another bike soon that people don't mess with.  Riding bikes is a great way to exercise and have fun.

It is something I have always enjoyed doing with my dad and look forward to being able to ride with my son when he is old enough (3 months now).

Best of luck in getting him a new bike soon.

BMX was as important to me when I was a kid as audio is now.  It is a fun hobby.

-Nick

[nonoise]

I hate thieves.

Sorry to hear about the bike. You're right. It's probably some local, neighborhood kid. When you spot the bike and are sure, have a go at him, but nothing serious enough to warrant arrest.

I hate thieves.

My sister's friends house was burgled back around the 70's and her father was an archer. They had a long, L shaped entry way and he waited for several nights with his bow at the end of the entrance, inside his home. As the burglar turned to gently close the door, he let loose with an arrow and hit him in an asscheek. To this day he couldn't figure how he vaulted the fence and drove away, screaming like he did.

I hate theives.

[werd]

Just an update. The police found my bike. It was found at a home during a drug bust. They are also getting charged with possesion of stolen property.... No wheels though... lol

And almost one year to the date..... 

now if i can find my Rocky Mountain bike that was just recently stolen at my wife's employer.

[cujobob]

Well congrats on some closure over this issue... reading this thread makes me think we need tracking devices and baseball bats.

[werd]

Well congrats on some closure over this issue... reading this thread makes me think we need tracking devices and baseball bats.

Thanks and i it will be fun to get it and see whats left....  Hopefully its salvageable.

[bradmorris1]

At the risk of getting flamed I'd say stuff is really not that important.  We buy stuff we sell stuff we give stuff away stuff gets stolen.   Stuff comes and stuff goes.  Thoughts of violence seem rather extreme to me.

[timind]

At the risk of getting flamed I'd say stuff is really not that important.  We buy stuff we sell stuff we give stuff away stuff gets stolen.   Stuff comes and stuff goes.  Thoughts of violence seem rather extreme to me.

I concur.

But let me relate a story. Last summer my 10-year-old grandson was playing with his friends when a bigger kid walked by and got on my grandson's bike and rode off. At the time my grandson was 9 and the thief was 12. My grandson chased down the thief and sent him home crying before retrieving his bike.
Having two older brothers has made my grandson tougher than most.

[mix4fix]

At the risk of getting flamed I'd say stuff is really not that important.  We buy stuff we sell stuff we give stuff away stuff gets stolen.   Stuff comes and stuff goes.  Thoughts of violence seem rather extreme to me.

I disagree...

As long as society "is the way it is" (and until that changes), Jihad on them!

[kingdeezie]

At the risk of getting flamed I'd say stuff is really not that important.  We buy stuff we sell stuff we give stuff away stuff gets stolen.   Stuff comes and stuff goes.  Thoughts of violence seem rather extreme to me.

No flaming involved, but I would have to respectfully disagree.

The "stuff" that I have, I have worked extremely hard for. The "stuff" that I give to my children, I have equally worked hard for.

I put time into a job that often times I find difficult, in order to provide shelter, food, and limited, but special amenities, to my loved ones and myself.

Stealing those things from me, vandalizing my property, and or combining those two trespasses is blatant disrespect, and a direct violation of the Lockean social contract ideologies that civilizations have followed for centuries.

Using physicality to secure that which belongs to you, and you have worked hard for, is not extreme as long as it is in direct proportion to the crime being committed against you.

[thunderbrick]

As one whose house was entered and burglarized while we slept, car stolen, and someone died when t-boned by my car at the hands of the thief, it is a personal violation that affects people for a long time.

These are not pranks (i.e., found at a drug house), these are often the beginnings of a life of crime.  No one can predict what action a homeowner may justifiably take when he/she feels threatened.  Genuine fear and the need to protect our families from violation is not to be take lightly.  And like retail theft, it adds a huge burden to the rest of the economy.

And speaking of bikes, my brother rode a very rare bicycle coast-to-coast during the '76 Bicentennial.   A defining event in his life.  It was stolen but eventually recovered by a sharp-eyed cop  .  I imagine he felt almost like a rape victim, as it would have hurt him for a long time had he not seen it again.

[nathanm]

Hey everybody, "Liquidation sale" at Brad Morris' place this weekend, everything must go!  First come first serve!

[thunderbrick]

 

[timind]

No flaming involved, but I would have to respectfully disagree.

The "stuff" that I have, I have worked extremely hard for. The "stuff" that I give to my children, I have equally worked hard for.

I put time into a job that often times I find difficult, in order to provide shelter, food, and limited, but special amenities, to my loved ones and myself.

Stealing those things from me, vandalizing my property, and or combining those two trespasses is blatant disrespect, and a direct violation of the Lockean social contract ideologies that civilizations have followed for centuries.

Using physicality to secure that which belongs to you, and you have worked hard for, is not extreme as long as it is in direct proportion to the crime being committed against you.

If you go looking for some guy/kid who stole your property and beat the $$it out of him when you find him, be prepared for an assault charge. Also, be prepared to get your ass kicked. It could happen.

[thunderbrick]

If you find the bike, get a photo of the kid riding it, then go to the cops.

I used to live in a so-so area where the rule was "Never run over a kid on a bike.  It could be your bike"

[werd]

The best thing you can do is report the bike stolen to the cops. I am assuming more often then not your bike thief will get in trouble and they will look at the bike's serial numbers. It's just a matter of time.

[kingdeezie]

If you go looking for some guy/kid who stole your property and beat the $$it out of him when you find him, be prepared for an assault charge. Also, be prepared to get your ass kicked. It could happen.

You inferred incorrectly from my statement. I would not condone active and aggressive vigilante activity, not for fear of getting beat up, but out of respecting the law.

This is not to say however, that if someone is in process of vandalizing or stealing my property, and I am witness to it, that I feel I should sit idle while they get away with it either.

[werd]

If you go looking for some guy/kid who stole your property and beat the $$it out of him when you find him, be prepared for an assault charge. Also, be prepared to get your ass kicked. It could happen.

Haha

This would make for a good circle topic. In the health and fitness maybe..