The pop/synth band Freezepop has a catchy little tune about casual bike thieving that I’ve always found entertaining. But as “they” say, it’s all fun and games until someone loses and eye, or until someone steals your bike. I’ve been the target of theft a couple of times over the years, mostly related to a Honda Civic I used to have. It’s a pretty icky feeling to know that some loser/meth head has crawled all over your stuff, looking for money or things to steal. But somehow that’s less irritating than having your bike stolen. At least I still had the car after the thief had rummaged through it and taken my cheap stereo and ashtray of coins.

I was happily sipping a Burghead Heather Ale at Roots Brewing with my friend Matt, enjoying a gorgeous spring day last week. I had biked there from work, and locked my bike up to a sign post around the corner. Over the last three years, I’ve locked that bike to dozens of different locations, some sketchy, some very safe. Sometimes, I don’t lock it at all. Matt had locked his bike up on the same post I did.

So, imagine my horror when we get up to leave, go around the corner, and my bike is gone! GONE. Cable lock cut. Bike missing. My beloved bike that I have ridden nearly every day for the last three years. Stolen by some jerk with bolt cutters who will probably trash it or dump it somewhere or sell it for meth money. And having ridden my bike to the brew pub, and not having change for the bus, I now had to walk home or find a ride. Fortunately, my partner was home when I called and she came to get me.

In the last week, I’ve learned what you need to do to get the word out that your bike has been stolen. You may not get it back, but doing something is better than doing nothing.

1. Bike Portland is a great biking resource, and they’ve got clear instructions for what to do if you’re the victim of a bike theft.
2. Sign up with FineToothCog for reports on found/recovered bikes and to have your stolen bike information sent to shops around town.
3. Check Craig’s List regularly to see if your bike is being listed there for sale.
4. File a police report with your city police. To do this effectively, you’ll need a good description of your bike as well as your serial number. If you don’t know the serial number, call the bike shop where you bought the bike. Chances are good that they’ll have that info on file. They may even have a copy of your sales receipt.
5. NEVER USE A CABLE LOCK. Seriously. Matt’s bike was locked with a U-lock, and his bike was still there.

I’m still hopeful that I’ll get my bike back one day. Now I’m out one $800 bike and had to spend $600 on a new one. I’ll never use a cable lock again. And now I scan the streets for a little silver bike that might just be mine.

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In case you were wondering, the stolen bike is a Specialized Sirrus Sport. It’s silver, with silver front and rear fenders. It has disc brakes. There aren’t a ton of them around Portland, so if you see one, it’s probably my bike.

Tagged as bike commuting, Portland + Categorized as Ideas & Theories, Getting around, Inspiration, Living in Portland