[kraquepype]

Glad this had a happy ending. I'm still torn up about my own bike, stolen in broad daylight. It was my fault - it wasn't locked up.

It was an old bonded aluminum frame Trek, it squeaked when you bore down on it but it was upgraded and tweaked just the way I like it. I haven't felt the same about cycling since.

[dahart]

> it squeaked when you bore down on it

My old trek commuter just started doing that. Then I inspected the frame and found some cracks around where the cabling comes out. Went to buy a new bike and the shop said, well at least go check if they’ll warranty it. So I did, my local shop just happened to have the 15 year old original receipt archived. They sent photos to Trek, and Trek warrantied a replacement. And it was a full bike replacement, even though I stripped the old bike. I felt very sheepish about taking a new bike after the very well used bike frame failed (maybe abused? I was touring on it, a lot, not just commuting). I told the shop I felt like I was cheating, and they said “take the bike and don’t even worry, Trek makes it easy and they like doing it for loyalty. Plus, other people have brought back 30 year old bikes, so you’re not even on the list of crazy stories.” Wow. I definitely feel some loyalty to both Trek and this shop after this… I won’t hesitate to buy another Trek from them once I need one.

[kraquepype]

That is great, I'm glad they honored the warranty so well for you. Mine was really old - an early aluminum frame, it wasn't welded but bonded together - but now I wonder what they would have done if I had asked.

[deltarholamda]

Yeah, I had my bike stolen when I was at university. It was my only form of transportation (other than legging it) too.

(I didn't even try the police. A lot of bikes got stolen there, and they were not going to spend their time on this sort of crime.)

It wasn't particularly great, just an off-brand mountain bike, but I loved it. I had a more intimate relationship with it than I've had with any car I've ever driven. There's just something about getting a bike set up exactly the way you like it, where it fits you and your style of riding just perfectly.

[lcnPylGDnU4H9OF]

> It was my fault - it wasn't locked up.

Pretty sure it's still the thief's fault. (I dunno, maybe you were in Amsterdam at the time.)

[bombcar]

Yeah, it might not be smart to leave a bike or car unlocked, but it is till the thief's fault it got stolen.

[collyw]

Isn't there an unwritten rule in Amsterdam and some other cities, where there are tons of crappy old bikes around and you can just take one and leave it elsewhere? In Innsbruck that was the case.

[lcnPylGDnU4H9OF]

Yes, that's what I was referring to with that parenthetical. I understand that to be an aspect of the culture in that city. Really, country, but obviously I specified the city in my comment.

It's kinda interesting because you can have a theft occur from the perspective of a naive visitor but otherwise innocent behavior from the perspective of the "thief".

[collyw]

> It was my fault - it wasn't locked up.

You don't live in a high trust society. However, diversity is our strength.