Bike Trek: Episode 1 – Trekacide, A Bike For A Snip

So here I am again…. 3 blogs in under a week. The writing bug has (hopefully) well and truly bitten me. This little ramble shall be bike related. As my title suggests, all is not well in my bike world. Some langers stole my bike from UCC over 10 days ago and I’ve been feeling a little empty since. Partly my own fault – I only had a cable lock on it which didn’t even put up a struggle for me. It just lay there like a cheap lockwhore and gave the thief/thieves my bike. 

 I should have done in UCC what I do in the city – lock my cobra lock with my D-lock and it’s highly unlikely it would have been taken. I was planning on selling it in the near future anyway so I had already thought of a Trekless future, well this particular Trek, I shall more than likely be purchasing another one. It was a great, nay, an amazing bike. So many memories with it! It was amazing to me however that even in such a public place, the thieves managed to take it! And even more amazing was that the CCTV quality up in UCC is quite honestly, terrible. A letter shall be on its way to try and get more investment into that for their own benefit. 

What really hit home about the whole episode however, was just how vulnerable us cyclists are to theft. It’s not something I had thought about until I started trying to do something about the theft. I reported it to the Gardai, but I was told it’s highly unlikely they’ll find it and even more unlikely that I’ll ever see it again. Now that’s not a criticism – I know how impossible a task it is for them to find a bike especially as it has probably made its way up the country at this stage. On the contrary, even following the recommended steps of reporting a crime early and giving as much detail as possible about your stolen goods proves more or less pointless when it comes to bike theft. Even if the CCTV in UCC had been good and we had seen someone at the bike – all that would ultimately prove is that someone definitely took it! While there are insurance companies offering cover now, it just feels bad that once your baby is gone – it’s gone! Highly unlikely you’ll ever see it again! Especially if it’s a valuable one.

My learned lessons? Better locks, all the time, everytime. 

And insurance. Because you never know when this distressing event could happen again. The only consolation is the therapy. Bicycle shopping therapy for a new one! And hopefully my new locks won't leave me in this situation.....