Bike theft has been plaguing the city of Eugene for as long as Eugene Police Department Crime Prevention Specialist Tod Schneider can remember. And with no end to the epidemic in sight, both bikers and bike shop owners are getting frustrated.
Bike thieves are becoming more adept at picking U-Bolt locks in Eugene; specifically, models that are more than a couple of years old.
University junior Sara Green used to pride herself on always using a U-Bolt. When her bike was stolen, she chided herself for it, thinking she had forgotten to lock it properly. Now, she said, she realizes that if someone is determined to steal her bike, there isn’t much she can do to stop them.
“It’s disturbing, knowing (bike thieves) can pick the U-Bolts,” she said. “I always thought they were impenetrable.”
Schneider acknowledged that there is never a guarantee for an unbreakable lock.
“It’s true that they can be overcome,” he said.
Donna Tocci, public relations manager for Kryptonite, a popular manufacturer of U-Bolt, was quick to point out that the ability to pick a U-Bolt is nothing new. Tocci said that’s one reason Kryptonite puts out new locks every one to three years.
“None of our locks are the same as three years ago,” she said. “We have locks now that are not pickable.”
According to Tom Hicks, interim director of the Department of Public Safety, bike thieves will try to create a universal U-Bolt key so they can remove a lock using a car jack. Typically, he said, the thief will take the lock with him or her for practice purposes.
Hicks said the number of bike thefts has risen over the past few years, which he said is typical in Eugene.
Paul Nicholson, owner of Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life, has been battling bike thieves for longer than he cares to remember.
“Eugene is almost unique with this problem,” he said. “It certainly has become an epidemic recently.”
Nicholson said he has heard about the pick and is worried that they will decrease the time it takes to steal a bike to less than one minute if the thief is experienced.
Nicholson also expressed frustration at the University. He said he felt they should do more to prevent theft of students’ bikes, whether by volunteer bike-rack patrols, video surveillance or harsher punishment for people caught stealing.
“It’s a reasonable expectation that the University take some responsibility for students property,” he said.
Nicholson advocates that the names of convicted thieves be given to bike shop owners so they can ban the wrongdoers from their stores. He said he already enforces strict punishment to those who try to sell him stolen bikes, charging them with trespassing so they cannot return to his store.
But Hicks said the University is already taking preventative measures against bike theft. For example, there are bike cages scattered throughout campus where students can lock their bike inside of a secured cage. The University is also in the process of installing bike lockers that can house two bikes per unit at a cost of approximately $30 per year.
Hicks added that DPS is working with University Housing to try and stop bike thefts near the residence halls.
Both Hicks and Tocci reiterated that even though it is possible to break U-Bolts, the majority of thefts occur when students leave their bikes unlocked and unattended. Hicks suggested students not only buy a heavy-duty lock but also register their bikes with DPS.
Tocci said students should follow some basic rules, such as locking the bike in a well-lit area where there are other bikes. She also advised locking both the front and back wheels, especially if the front wheel is a quick-release, and not following a routine that a thief could observe and follow.
“If you leave your bike in the same place everyday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., someone is going to notice,” she said.
Kryptonite also offers an anti-theft protection offer with its locks. The offer states that if a Kryptonite lock is defeated by a thief, then the company will pay up to the limit of the offer, which can range from $1,000 to $3,500. Tocci said the first year of the offer is typically free, after which people can pay a yearly fee, which is around $10.
Tocci said Kryptonite is dedicated to stopping bike thieves.
“They’ll steal anything,” she said. “That’s why we’re here — we don’t like them.”