wheel theft

That sucks.

Were they 700c wheels? I have some spares i’d sell cheap.

@wheels&wings 155977 wrote:

I stepped out of the office this evening to find that my wheels/tires had been stolen off of my Motobecane bicycle. It was parked very publicly at the Van Ness Metro bike parking, alongside many other bikes, right beneath the security camera (we are not allowed to bring bikes into our office building, which offers no bike parking). The police came and I filed a report, for what that’s worth.
I lugged home the bike skeleton on two very crowded metro trains and another 1.5 miles. The other passengers were very kind and accommodating. By now my arms are strong enough to beat up any thieves
I am very sad. I keep reminding myself that nobody got hurt and they didn’t get my frame, which was U-locked.
Watch out for thieves.
Your friend,
&wings

I’m so sorry that happened! What is wheels&wings without wheels?!!! I’ve seen bike skeletons like that at my (home) metro station, but not experienced it (yet!). Hang in there. Hope you can use another bike or get some replacement wheels soon! I have an extra bike but I think it’d be a tad too big for you!

@wheels&wings 155977 wrote:

I stepped out of the office this evening to find that my wheels/tires had been stolen off of my Motobecane bicycle. It was parked very publicly at the Van Ness Metro bike parking, alongside many other bikes, right beneath the security camera (we are not allowed to bring bikes into our office building, which offers no bike parking). The police came and I filed a report, for what that’s worth.
I lugged home the bike skeleton on two very crowded metro trains and another 1.5 miles. The other passengers were very kind and accommodating. By now my arms are strong enough to beat up any thieves
I am very sad. I keep reminding myself that nobody got hurt and they didn’t get my frame, which was U-locked.
Watch out for thieves.
Your friend,
&wings

When you get new wheels I have an extra cable to lock your wheels to the U-Lock that I will gladly give you. Sorry that someone was a doody head today.

@wheels&wings 155995 wrote:

I’m not sure what the best solution is…maybe carry two U’s and insert one through each wheel?

That’s a bummer! U’s are always better than cable for the same money. Not a lot of people know this, but you can nip away at cables with wire snips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqMbNOYtiEg

As for carrying the U’s, can you leave them locked to a post somewhere? When I commuted into DC, I’d leave locks in a few spots so I didn’t have to carry them downtown. I bought good ones, and sprayed them down with WD-40 once in a while to prevent rust. Sounds silly, but my bikes were always there when I came out.

@jrenaut 155983 wrote:

People are the worst. We were just talking yesterday about the day we parked 2 bikes at Mt Vernon Square Metro for a couple hours in the middle of the day (dinosaur exhibit at the Convention Center) and got our seats stolen. It’s infuriating.

Also, it may be some small consolation that “&wings” is the funniest thing I’ve seen today.

I will never understand the thinking of people that take a bike seat with a street fence value of perhaps $2. The lack of self worth and lack of citizenship that is required to steal inexpensive parts of bikes is hard to fathom.

The (……) & wings is priceless BTW.

@dkel 156003 wrote:

You could try bolt-on hubs. They’re easy to take off if you have the hex key, but if the thief is just looking for QR wheels, the bolt may be enough of a deterrent. Not as much deterrent as a U lock, though…

Bolt-on hubs are not as easy to undo as quick release, but if your hubs aren’t already bolt-on, converting them will cost a little bit of time and money (if they are even convertible). Personally, I’d rather spend the money on some “locking” quick releases, of which there are many. I bought these Forte ones when they were on sale years ago, and they have helped kept my wheels in my possession.

I’m considering buying this Pinhead set for my wife’s bike because she has to lock her bike downtown more often than me, but it costs a pretty penny. All this stuff looks expensive until you get your stuff stolen… and doesn’t quite cost as much as the parts you’ll have to replace.