What a lousy way to start the year.
Word came this afternoon of yet another bike theft here in L.A. And this time, from someone devoted to helping L.A. cyclists.
Rick Risemberg, fixie aficionado and one of the city’s leading writers on all things bicycle, sent word that a bike belonging to Harv of the Bike Oven was stolen from in front of the shop today.
According to his email, Harv was just about to lock his bike when he saw someone he needed to talk with and walked away for just a moment. When he turned back around a few seconds later, his bike was gone; speculation is that someone passing by must have walked off with it, and chances are, it’s still in the area.
So be on the lookout for a black Schwinn Frontier just like in the photo, except with blackwall Continental tires and without the orange box or U-lock at the time it was stolen. The bike is all black with “Schwinn” on the down tube; the top tube is covered with rubber, but reads “Schwinn Frontier” underneath. It has a flat handlebar with a large chrome bell, 5-speed Shimano thumb shifter and no front derailleur, and BMX downhill platform pedals; serial number SJ 003920.
If you see it or if someone tries to sell it, contact the police as soon as possible; you can contact Harv at the Bike Oven, 323/223-8020.
This bike, with black tires and minus the orange milk crate and U-lock, was stolen from in front of the Bike Oven on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the L.A. Times reports that a new state law that went into effect on the 1st raises the threshold for grand theft from $400 to $950.
Which means that the theft of many bikes will now be taken even less seriously than before.
Unbelievable, but sadly all too believable. Makes me wonder if people sort of ‘happen’ to be near the shop just waiting for unlocked bikes to steal. Hope he gets it back, pretty bike.
With the new threshold grand theft laws in effect, this is all the more reason to register and tag bikes. As you rightly said, the police will have even less incentive to pursue bike theft.
[…] impact this change could bring was first noticed by Biking in L.A. blogger Ted Rogers. Under the new law, the value of a stolen item must exceed $950 for the act to be considered […]