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Davis Square bicycle thieves are thieving

Thieving suspects

Transit Police have released photos of two guys they say stole three bicycles from the Elm Street side of the Davis Square Red Line stop on the evening of June 8. They cut the locks from bikes and took them.

If they look familiar, contact detectives at 617-222-1050 or send an anonymous tip to 873873.

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Comments

Can it be that hard to find a guy wearing a shower cap?

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Register your Charlie Card and use it. Your bike will be safe from the rain too.

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other option, use a lock that is too difficult for the common bike thief to cut! IE don't ever use a cable lock. ULocks for the win.

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The Ulock is not so safe afterall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-LWGJzglho

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They also replaced any U-lock of theirs with a round key for no charge (not sure if you still can)

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... They will get it.

Otherwise, the best you can do is to make sure you lock the frame and both wheels = make it not worth their trouble.

I see far too many bikes at Davis that are haphazardly locked. I also see far too many "just the wheel and lock" (bike stolen) or scavenged bikes where somebody locked only the frame.

It takes 20 more seconds to lock it right. My husband pulled the VERY expensive wheels off of a coworker's bike, locked in Kendall Square, and put them on his desk with a note. Point taken.

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I go with a Kryptonite Evolution Series 4 lock on the frame and a KryptoFlex 10mm braided steel cable looped around both wheels and through the lock. I throw in a seat leash for good measure.

It takes about a minute to lock up. Usually by someone with a really nice bike and a $15 lock they got a Target.

As you said, if someone really wants my bike, they'll get my bike. But it's all about making it a huge pain in the ass for any potential thief.

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Ulocks are fairly easy to bust by themselves, aren't they? I thought the best was to use both?

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It depends on a ulock, but Kryptonite's are very difficult to crack, without a dremel to cut through it. My thoughts are that a thief is going to steal a haphazardly locked bike with a less secure lock before they decide to waste their time trying to get through a ulock.

these guys aren't out to get your $6000 Specialized. They're out to steal a bike to sell for $50. They're going for the low hanging fruit, ie the bikes locked with cable locks, locked through the front wheel only (or even worse, only through a front spoke or two, yes I've seen it).

As Swirly said, if they want it, they'll get it. But a bike with a ulock, is going to be passed over for the easier, lower hanging fruit (even if that bike is a 'bike that is not worth stealing' as a commenter mentioned below me, they don't care, they want the easily stolen bikes).

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Anyone can register any number of Charlie Cards. How does that stop someone from using a card to go in and steal bikes?

I'm happy to have a place out of the rain to lock up, but not clear about it being much more secure.

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You have to register with a legit address, as I recall. So anyone tied to that address would be brought up for questioning if the bike was stolen when that card was used. And they'll have security footage of the gate being accessed and of the bike being taken away.

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No, you can use any address.

It's not like the mail you a letter with a registration code.

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No? That way, you either live there, or someone cooperated with you who actually lives there.

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Back when you needed a special Bike CharlieCard, a station agent handed me one, and no registration was necessary.

Now you need to register a card to get into the bike cages. But it can be any CharlieCard, and nothing gets sent through the mail. https://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/bikes/register/

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Just going by what I've been told. And it made sense for it to be that way. If they don't actually do that, then idea is a complete waste and is entirely meaningless as far as security.

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Cable lock == stolen bike. It's as simple as that. Honestly, I don't know why bike shops still sell them. Seems irresponsible in a city with rampant bike theft like Greater Boston.

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.

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Just not in places where it is likely to matter. Like, in the garage at my workplace or at the local library. It would still take somebody a bit of time to work their way through the ones I use, however.

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You lock front wheel and frame with a U-Lock and run the cable through the back wheel and through the bottom your saddle to prevent the theft your seat post, especially if your seat post is quick release (or some variation thereof).

Cables should be looked at as an extra layer of protection rather than a first line.

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some of us have bikes that very, very few people would ever want to steal. And I just find using a U lock a huge PITA--finding an unoccupied spot on a rack or pole narrow enough to accommodate one always seems like a huge challenge.

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lots of places have nothing small enough to put a U lock around. If all that's available is a tree or large pole, you'll need a cable or chain lock.

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...I suggest castration for those found guilty. But that's just me.

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