So many bicycles get stolen here in the UK every single year in fact according to a recent poll a bicycle is stolen every 71 seconds which means that 440,000 are roughly stolen each year. But why on earth do people do this, are they really that interested in getting an old Pinarello or do they simply do it because they can?
The Americans seem to think that a lot of their bike thefts are conducted by bike couriers, is this really even possible. It all makes sense, the people that already have bikes are stealing more bikes, wait a second that makes no sense. Well the truth is that these types of people are not after then entire bike but the bike accessories that are attached to it.
It is fair to say that these people are always using their bikes which means that they are always out looking for newer parts, is this a reason to steal. As a whole I am certainly not going to be pushing the blame on the couriers here at all.
The fact is that even if your bike is really old it will still likely have a part that is worth a bit of money which of course is the reason they get stolen. Many drug abusers and people who are desperate steal the bikes to get a bit of extra money. Alcoholics and people struggling to pay of debts also resort to crimes like this one.
Most of the people doing it here in the UK are idiots and will not take it for money but just for a laugh and will often dump it after a while. Here in the UK I can almost say for sure that the majority of bike thefts are down to CHAVS that have nothing better to do with their lives.
The one piece of advice that I can give you is that you make sure you are doing everything within your power to ensure your bike is locked up from any thieves close by. Other than that put on your specialized road shoes and get going!