Why my bikes keep getting stolen

I have a problem; Ive had three bikes stolen! It's a problem!

I usually wake up or become aware of why they are stolen, after they are stolen; I think about what happened; why they were stolen!

Its all good! I'm learning in my own personal bike hell!

2 areas concerning bike theft that are causing the problem!

A. maturity
B. commuter style daily use parking and locking!

Maturity!

Maturity is; waking up to the surrounding physical biking area as is!

Learning to understand the biking community hazards and solutions within my riding area of interest!

I use bikes for 2 purposes! Specific mountain biking and commuting!

Ive been trying to ride mountain bikes as commuters and commuter bikes as if in a mountain!

When riding in a mountain; I do not lock my bike or worry about theft!~ Im always near my bike! I don't walk away from my bike when in the forest! And Im usually on the bike during the riding hours! In addition; when riding to the lake park area from my door; Im heading out to ride for the day! Im never away from my bike! i come back to the apartment and the bike goes up stairs into the apartment every time!

Unfortunately, Ive not learned a valuable lesson! When Im in the city there are different rules to riding! Im not mountain biking in the city! Im commuting! It's a different environment then the mountain trail! You have a thief system; a large one within the city structures of the continent! And one must adapt to this!

Ive lost three bikes and learned a great deal from this!

Im a slow learner and its cost me in money and headaches and sore feelings and confusion!

Three bikes lost!

First, they were all expensive mountain bikes! The last to be stolen, was a $500 single speed 27.5!! As for price! This is about the least I want to go when buying a bike! I have this pride thing when it comes to real bikes; I do not want to ride toy bikes from Walmart!

The first bike was stolen when I left it next to a tree in the front of my apartment building! I was very frustrated and sick! I had just had surgery on my stomach! Pain was intense, I could not walk and I was drugged up! All I wanted to do was sleep! I didn't care that my bike was outside next to a tree! And I stayed this way for a while! When I headed outside, or could walk again! The bike was gone! I was to drugged up an depressed to call anyone for help to get the bike up the stair! pride caused some of this!

The second bike stolen; I decided it would be cool if I left the bike on the ground floor of my apartment building! I could walk down stairs in the morning, and jump on and head out! One morning I got up, went down the stairs and noticed; in the apartment hallway, my bike was no where to be seen! It had been stolen the night before!

Third bike stolen!

I was at the local church for 12 step meetings! I parked the bike in front at a bike lock up area! I got out of the night meeting; no more bike; stolen!

So, what happened to my bikes!

The number one problem is this!

1. These are not commuter bikes! They are specific style mountain bikes! They were to expensive to use for any other purpose then a specific ride from my apartment; back to my apartment! These are not lock up style bikes! You don't leave them down town for the day while you go shopping!

2. I never locked the bikes!

I didn't tell the cops this; but I never locked the bikes up! I was either 2 tired, or sick, or lethargic from constantly having to lock bikes up! I innocently became absent minded!



How to solve stolen bike problems;

1. Use cheap bikes for transportation! Use appropriate locking methods for the crime rate of you're parking area!

2. Never leave your bike outside! What does this mean! Do not put yourself into a situation where you have to leave your bike and lock it up! Walk instead!

Its better to take your bike inside with you; if you can! you might start forgetting to lock it if you are used to locking it all the time! When this happens; your bike gets stolen !

The number #1 problem Ive had with bikes; Locking them! Ive never had a bike stolen that Ive locked! All three of the bikes stolen were never locked; but I thought I locked them!

ITs easy; after locking bikes up 4000 times; you get complacent; you don't realize it! You park the bike to go into the store! And you come back out and you see that you were going to lock the bike, but you became absent minded and walked away! Its easy; Your mind becomes bored with locking up bikes; the routine! You could not stay awake the next time you locked a bike! It's a mindless venture; you find yourself with the intention of locking up the bike! Yet, you come back from the store or the meeting or the library! And you never locked up that bike!

It was always dark when my bikes were stolen! Their was no one around! No people! Most important! I was riding expensive mountain bikes as commuter bikes!

ITs better to by a piece a junk bike; use it as an everyday commuter!

Its important that I plan out where Im going in the city! Where am I stopping! What are my ritual plans!

I was not locking my bikes in very safe places; and any thief could see I was locking my bike up at the same time each night and the same place! Did I question the type of people around the area of the city or church or business district! My church; the church with the meetings I attend; lots of drug addicts in this area, and homeless! Not a good place to leave any bike!

Im researching and finding good places I can lock up a bike and possibly walk to my destination! Im used to riding to my destination, then locking up my bike! Now, Im willing to lock the bike up a bit further from the grounds of interest! I might have to walk 2 blocks from the safe lock up area; this keeps my bike safer; in a safer zone of possibilities! Its a well lit area; Im a member of the business the bike is parked in front of! Many ride to this business to use its facilities! So, its well lit, open at night! And staff can see through the windows! In addition, their might be cameras on the bikes at all times! It's a safer place in general! ITs not on a street! its a parking lot full of cars! However, its better to always take a bike in if you can!

Take the bike inside if you can; why? Simple, You forget to lock your bike when your outside! And thats why it gets stolen! If you bring your bike indoors where you can always see it! You're not locking your bike up as much! You're not creating the mindless repetition of locking up a bike! Repetition causes the mind to go to sleep! And thus, at times, without knowing it, you walk way from a bike parked outside; you forget to lock! When you return; its gone!

Never found the lock! No one cut a lock! Never found any lock scraps or parts on the ground of the stolen site! Their were no cut up lock chips because the bikes were never locked in the first place!

Type of lock!
Ive learned; I do not carry cable or chain locks on my commuter bikes; I only use Ulocks first; then possibly add a cable with it!! I had this silly idea that I would use a thin combination lock because I was using my 500 dollar commuter bike instead of my several thousand dollar other bikes!

hard lessons to learn! the life of a mountain biker!

Commuter biking and mountain biking are to different animals! and they require 2 different bikes! don't mix them! buy 2 bikes! or have a zillion mountain bikes but use a specific cheap commuter for commuting!

Always take your bike in if you can! call the places your riding to and see if you can them inside! Use appropriate locks! and if your locking up; find a general great safe place to lock up in the general area, and walk the rest of the way! do not be lazy and lock up at every shopping place! find one out of the way safe area! and walk!