@gabrielspitzer Unfair on so many levels. And Jared has places to go, books to deliver! #Booksonbikes
— Seattle Library (@SPLBuzz) August 15, 2013
Not cool, bike thief!
Shortly after Jared Mills helped pedal Seattle Public Library to national acclaim for its Books on Bikes program, some awful person stole his bike from his home (don’t worry, the book-hauling bike trailer is safe).
The thief broke into his yard and sawed through the lock, Mills told KPLU.
While most people think of bike theft as a problem out in public spaces, we hear from an awful lot of people whose bikes were taken from a garage or shed. Jared was smart enough to lock his bike even in his own back yard, but it wasn’t enough this time.
We hope to have some news about fighting bike theft soon. In the meantime the best you can do is make sure you have a good u-lock (smaller is better) and follow Hal’s sage advice:
Hal Grades Your Bike Locking from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
Comments
7 responses to “Librarian who powers Seattle Library’s now-famous Books-on-Bikes program has bike stolen”
Just heard about a fancy feature of new techno-find-yr-stuff-fix tile, that might be able to help peeps out in this type of shituation…
Dear SPL librarian–
I just heard the news about Jared Mills having his bike stolen. As it happens, I have a great mountain bike that I’ve been thinking about donating or selling it (I have two other bikes).
When I heard the news about Jared’s bike theft, I immediately wanted to give it to him.
Since I’m about 6’2″ and Jared is 6’4″, my bike should be a good fit for him with a minor seat adjustment. I’m an import mechanic and have taken excellent care of the bike myself.
The bike is a top end Raleigh “Chill” and if you know of an email address where I could contact him and also attach a photo, I’d be happy to do that.
If he’s interested, he’s also welcome to contact me at this email address or call me at (206) 325-5377.
Thanks–
John
If John’s generous offer does not play out – email me. We can work something out. Rubber side down.
How many cyclists in Seattle really lock their saddle to their frame? How many worry about their rear rack being stolen off of their locked bike using a set of allen keys? What about your fancy $100 clipless pedals using the same 15mm wrench Hal talks about? I just don’t see it in this city (thankfully). I’m sure it happens, but it’s not at Manhattan levels. Or do I just not hear about it?
I carry a single U-lock and nothing else. Sometimes an auxiliary cable in addition. My sense is that most commuter and casual cyclists do the same, with some exceptions. If that’s what you have to work with, what’s the best strategy? That kind of practical question isn’t really covered in the video.
IMO, the best locking strategy for this type of cyclist is to carry a mini U-lock and lock your rear wheel to a sturdy post or rack, somewhere inside the rear triangle. No need to lock the frame too. This strategy is quick and easy, and simple to teach to a new cyclist. True, this leaves your front wheel vulnerable — if you care, then you carry a separate cable, or you remove the front wheel and lock it together with the rear wheel. But if you just have a single U-lock, as many of us do, just lock the rear wheel inside the triangle to a rack and be done with it.
Fortunately in most neighborhoods in Seattle you don’t need to worry much so long as you have a sturdy u lock and you don’t leave your bike out at night. I added a second level of protection by using one of those pin kits to lock the wheels and seatpost with a unique “key”. I know those can pretty easily be broken, but my main goal is to just make my bike a little bit harder to mess with then the guy next to me.
So – what does his bike look like? Should we be looking out for it?
I have a bike I would like to donate. Can bring down to Seattle