Want to help catch a couple of bike thieves?

catch me if you can, i'm the gingerbread man.

i'm pretty sure the bike was locked up. looks like he had bolt cutters before making off with the bike. maybe more videos like this will help more than a very good bike lock.

Umm... Some people use their bikes for commutes, so they have to leave their bikes unattended all day. It takes seconds to get past even the best locks. If your overpriced bike hasn't been stolen, good for you, but bikes get stolen every day in this city.

who DOESNT lock their bike up? lol @ neverstolen

TIPS for not getting your bike stolen:

there are a lot of secured parking spots for bikes. most garages have a bike lockup behind a fence for $1/day. if you can't afford that bring your bike to your condo and leave it on the balcony. most offices also have secret spots to store your bike, an unused utility room etc. lot of options then leaving it in a dark corner with a dollar store lock. in this case, the owner should have left the bike closer to "well traveled" area and chained it with a thick re-enforced chain lock. thieves are a scared bunch and hate confrontation.

Our condo does not allow bicycles in the elevator, nor storage on balcony's. You can't even sneak them up the stairs. So a bicyclist with an expensive bike really has no sure fire way of locking up their possession with impunity. Bike thieves may be spotted on video camera like these creatures, but good luck in catching them. If your bike is inexpensive then you'll probably never see it again. If it's expensive check the usual suspects Kijiji, and Craigslist.

Was this legitimate bike theft?

Brutal. You're lucky to have such good video. Had my bike stolen last week in the same area. There seems to be a real upswing in thefts lately or is that just me? It doesn't prevent theft but it's worth taking the 30 seconds to register your bike with Toronto Police so if by some miracle you get it back you can easily prove it's yours and was in fact stolen. https://webapp1.torontopolice.on.ca/BicycleRegistry/Submit

I know that is pretty common not to allow bikes in your condo. You would think that living in a downtown condo they would consider those who bike as oppose to drive. The fact that parking spots are extra is a whole other argument.

Are you sure they can legally ban bikes? I mean they can't even legally ban pets so I find it hard to believe they can ban bikes. Plus since you own your unit you should be able to do whatever you want with it so long as it's not illegal or causing harm/distress to your neighbours.

and for those looking to purchase a "used" bike:

http://isthisbikestolen.com/

Please have a look at how to reduce bicycle theft ...


http://www.myessentia.com/blog/vancouver/2012/06/15/eliminating-bicycle-theft-in-your-city/

Roehampton - that's my bike, I filed the police report on it, and I don't know what the hell you're talking about... and neither do you.

Bike thieves are the ultimate losers. The absolute lowest common denominator. I've had three bikes stolen in the past and it doesn't matter what lock you have. I'm friends with Simon and he's a standup dude, a total pacifist and garbage like this is just weak. Disgusting punks stealing the property and transportation of a member of society who, like, works for a living. Anyway, roehampton, nice address but whatever you said is insane. So insane that I actually question if you are the thief himself. Or a friend of these two degenerates. Or just sad and looking for a response to a post you have nothing to do with. We all set up cameras all over the city, that's what we do for fun.

You may be able to keep your bike from being stolen by using at least 2 locks. But that won't keep the scumbags from stripping parts off of it. Until I can get secure storage, it's Canadian Stire cheapos for me.

@Roehampton

You're full of sh!t. Why would you even bother with a post like that? Oh, maybe it's because you're the bald wanker or the fat chick in the video with a new bike?

You can only deter, never prevent. And it doesn't matter what kind of bike you have. They'll steal anything and all a good lock does (if properly locked) is prevent people without bolt cutters or a good pry bar from jacking it. Get rid of those dumb quick releases, that's a flag that says "steal me". Change your standard bolts to the special unique key bolts and make sure your lights, pannier, saddle bags and other add ons are removable so you can take them with you. The best possible thing you can do however, is lock it in a secured place. At my current job that's in a monitored secure underground lot. Previously I had to leave it outside so used a kryptonite with a chain and locked it 2 blocks from the office: right in front of the cop shop.

Be safe people an happy rides!

Hide your bikes! No one is safe!

@Chowhoundgta:

The whole issue of not letting people up elevators with bikes in Condo's is dumb. I live in a building that has the same rules. First tip, take the elevator from a lower parking deck, and not through the lobby. Its your property, screw the condo rules. I can understand not allowing on the balcony due to trying to maintain a clean appearance to the building, but whats inside your condo, and not posing a hazard to anyone else is your business.

We have a "bike locker" at our Condo, they have repeatedly told me to store my bike in. I ask them to be responsible for damages/theft if its in their possession, and they will not agree to it. Until then, I keep it under my own supervision, and I have even rigged up a storage system in my basement storage locker that is out of sight from others. I routinely have 2-3 bikes in my condo and move them up and down on a regular basis. Let them physically try to stop you...

I had 2 bikes stolen in one strike a couple of weeks ago too. Remember to report them to the police even if they don't do anything, there record of true numbers of thefts will accumulate. Report and post on as many sites as you can. I started this page for posting on FB - place post your stolen bike there and share the page. This epidemic can be stopped if we all take a small step to make it harder for them to sell the stolen bikes.
http://www.facebook.com/TorontoStolenBikePage?ref=hl