Bike theft on the rise again, say Toronto cyclists

Nadia Hosseinzadeh's bike was stolen downtown just hours after she bought it. (Vince Talotta/The Toronto Star)

When she walked into a bike shop earlier this month, Nadia Hosseinzadeh’s eyes were drawn to a shiny blue Schwinn mountain bike and its handy front basket.

But less than four hours later, her flashy new ride caught the attention of a thief, who promptly cut her cable lock and stole the $300 bike.

“I never thought this would happen, especially so soon after I got it,” said the University of Toronto student, who had locked the bike up outside her gym at Isabella and Yonge Sts.

Hosseinzadeh, 24, is one of approximately 2,000 Torontonians to report a stolen bike in 2011. That number will undoubtedly grow before year’s end, particularly as students pedal back to campus — a hot spot for bike thievery.

Despite a predicted decline in bike theft after the 2008 arrest of Toronto’s Igor Kenk — dubbed the “world’s most prolific bike thief” by The Guardian — many people in the cycling community say theft is as big a problem as ever.

“It declined briefly after (Kenk) was incarcerated, but it is definitely still a problem,” said Toby Bowers, the coordinator of Bikechain, a University of Toronto repair shop. “In speaking with some of my colleagues at other organizations, it seems like it’s back on the rise again.”

Toronto police crime statistics show a 23 per cent drop between reported thefts in 2007 (4,585) and 2008 (3,543), when Kenk — who paid cash or drugs for stolen bikes, then hoarded them by the thousands in garages across the city before reselling them — was arrested. There was an additional 15 per cent drop in 2009 (3,007).

But figures increased to 3,247 again last year, and with numerous reports of a spike this summer, recorded thefts may go up again in 2011.

“I think most cyclists in the city assumed the problem was largely solved with the arrest of Kenk, whereas the opposite seems to be true,” said Jonathan Bishop, a cyclist who last week chased away a man attempting to steal a bike, only to discover the thief stole another moments later.

For most of the decade, the police division in which Kenk’s store was located has been the worst in the city for bike theft. The area, which includes Parkdale, the Annex and West-Queen West, still topped the list of Toronto’s 17 divisions in the two years after Kenk’s arrest.

Const. George Dubas, 14 division’s crime analyst, says high density, poor street lighting and a generally high level of crime could be to blame.

But he says his figures show a decline in reported bike thefts this year over last, something that could mean people are finally being more careful with their bikes after years of Kenk’s thievery.

Bowers says that doesn’t jive with the increase he’s been seeing. He thinks it’s possible Kenk — who was released in March 2010, and has mostly kept a low profile except for the time he showed up at an event where his bikes were being donated — has been replaced.

“It’s the sort of thing where if you take the biggest fish out of the pond, all of the small fish get bigger.”

Const. Hugh Smith, a bike officer with Toronto’s traffic division, said rather than expecting Kenk’s arrest to eliminate theft, it’s better to prepare for the worst — parking in busy places, and using two locks — and accept the reality that bikes get stolen.

“Crime doesn’t go away,” he said.

How to prevent bike theft

Lock your bike at all times

It doesn’t take long to steal a bike, so never leave it unlocked. Lock your bike even when it’s in your patio or garage — the number 1 place bikes get stolen is from the home.

Invest in high quality locks

You get what you pay for, so the more expensive, the better. And make a habit of using two — one U-lock, one cable.

Park your bike in a high-traffic area

Bike theft is a crime of opportunity, says Const. Hugh Smith, with Toronto’s traffic division. If you leave your bike in a deserted area, no one will notice when someone whips out a pair of wire cutters.

Register your bike with the Toronto Police

If police have the serial number for your bike, it hugely increases the odds of its return if stolen, and it aids police with prosecution.

-- Wendy Gillis, Staff Reporter

Comments

[Darren]

Do not use a cable lock. Period. You might as well use a shoelace to lock your bike.

[AJ]

Crime statistics may also be skewed because it is often difficult to file a report of bike theft. 2 weeks ago I had my seat, seat post and clamp, lights and odomoter stolen from the GO bus station bike racks. The thief would have needed allan keys and a utility knife. However I spent 40 minutes trying to file a report with GO and I suspect the only reason they finally sent someone was when I told the I would phone the police and file a formal complaint about GO security. In the end one of the GO special constables made a couple notes but did not offer to review the security footage or even get back to me.

I guess GO's passenger charter and security committment is just so much hot air.

[Kevin]

It should be a crime for places to let you leave the store with a brand new bike in Toronto without a U-Lock. After 2 stolen bikes here in the city I finally decided to drop $60 on a good Kryptonite U-Lock. 2 years later and no stolen bikes... one seat taken though.

I'd like the city police set up more gps "bait" bikes like they do at U of T.

[Simon Strauss - Board of Directors, Toronto Cyclists Union]

Also, don't support the stolen bike industry. If you're shopping on Craigslist for a used bike, ask a few questions (Where did you get it? Why are you getting rid of it?) If you want a used bike that's definitely not stolen, try going to Bike Pirates, Bike Sauce, Cyclemania or the Bike Shop, which take old, donated parts and make bikes out of them.

[Janet Hendry]

I was sitting at Lettieri's in Yorkville last week and there were two gentlemen sitting next to me. All of a sudden one of the men jumped up, over the railing and starting running down Bellair towards Bloor. Although he was sitting watching his bike (not locked), it only took seconds for someone to grab it and off they went. I doubt that the man was able to catch up with him. You just can't take your eyes off your bike. It's sad what is happening in our beautiful city.

[Dave]

I worked in the bike industry for 20 years, 15 of them here in Toronto, at a bike shop. Either the bike shop failed Nadia by not urging her to buy at least a medium quality U-lock, or else Nadia didn't want to spend more than what she paid for a cable lock. As a salesman and bike mechanic, (and cycling enthusiast), I always recommended good quality U-locks for locking the bicycle frame, and a cable lock for the wheels, if they were the quick release type. Unfortunately, many of my customers (after spending $300 to $400 on an entry level bike) would balk at spending $40 to $60 on a decent U-lock. I saw that about half of the time. I tried to educate people, and time and time again they were back for a new bike within weeks. This happened a lot.

[LaryOly]

I work in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, and I see one thief brazenly making the rounds several times a day, and well into the evening. He doesn't steal an entire bike (unless it's not locked-up), but will help himself to attachments like the lights or the speedometer. When confronted directly, he pretends to be concerned that the attachment looked like it was about to fall off. This thief is thin and very scruffy and appears to be homeless. I suspect he's probably trading or selling his ill-gotten gains for drugs or booze money.

[jimmie]

ride a crap bike, no one will steal it. if it's new try putting on some duck tape.

[Buckweed71]

Const. Hugh Smith, a bike officer with Toronto’s traffic division, said "it’s better to prepare for the worst ... and accept the reality that bikes get stolen."

Great motto from an officer, dont do anything about it just accept that if you have a nice bike it will be stolen....

[Andrew Agnew-Iler]

Any story about bike theft being on the rise should be prefaced with "Don't use cable locks". With a headline like "use of bad locks on the rise", or "increase in new riders leads to poor/uninformed lock decisions" perhaps "new riders in disbelief over shitty lock being cut and bike stolen; old riders chortle (then shed a tear for bikes lost)"

I think "cut her cable lock" speaks wonders, I'm glad they *touched* on the quality of the lock but seriously it needs to be the focus. If you ulock your frame to a solid piece of metal its NOT going to get stolen, your parts might get harvested but no one is going to touch that frame. Even a cheapo bulldog lock is almost an absolute guarantee the whole bike won't be stolen. Unless some crackhead slides it over the top of a pole and spends hours and hours with a hacksaw on a roof somewhere, you'll be ok.

Another note, albeit more of a pet peeve/good general advice for riders. If you get your bike stolen, don't go out and spend more than your bike is worth on a new york lock, you really don't need it. It's really funny seeing these people with 200$ bikes lugging around 40lbs/300$ of fahghettaboutit chain and massive ulock.

[mark]

Few points:
-Never leave your bike unlocked outside, EVER. I've seen so many people leave a bike in front of a store to 'just run in for a minute.' Don't do that.

-Quick release is the stupidest thing ever. The only time you need it is if you're in a bike race and need to change a flat super quick (or lower your seat quickly in a mountain bike race). Unfortunately, you can't just replace QR with regular nuts, but you can get something like PinHeads which have require a unique 'key' to undo them. They save you from having to carry and use a cable to secure your wheels and you won't look dumb carrying your seat everywhere.
http://www.pinheadcomponents.com/

-cable locks are useless - you might as well tie a ribbon on your bike. Get a proper u-lock.

-when you lock up with a u-lock secure the frame and the BACK wheel. So many people seem to think the chain and/or rear derailleur somehow make it hard to remove the back tire. They do not, and the rear wheel is always more expensive to replace.

-look for a busy place (lots of people) to lock up.

[Rob (Mk.2)]

Oh yes and lock your machine next to inadequately secured more expensive bikes. :)

[Gabe]

I have an older, collector item Cannondale. So yes, I'm sure many bike thieves have drooled over it while having it parked outside. It's a good thing I shelled out $70 worth of Kryptonite U-Lock and Cable because although I have noticed someone has tried tampering with the locks or bike, I haven't lost a single part of it yet. I'm upgrading some components on it this year and will probably not use it as a daily rider anymore. I'll opt for a cheaper bike that won't break my heart when it's eventually stolen as my daily.
My advice, don't ride and or park an expensive bike around the city unless you're going to use a GOOD lock system. OR ride a bike you won't miss if stolen. I bought 3 bikes last year from garage sales at less than $50 a piece. OR go to Bike Sauce and get them to whip something together for you.

[M C]

Another option is: if you rent an apartment, make sure you have rental insurance especially if your ride is worth $1000 or more and you plan on replacing that kind of quality. This way you can pay the difference and replace your bike; great locks also have insurance as well! It's also important to lock-up in better neighborhoods that are well-lit and busy, when possible! In bad neighborhoods just limit the time you're away from your bike and NEVER leave it locked up over night!