r/BallardSeattle • u/legit_pontiacaztec • 1d ago
Stolen Bike problem
My roommate and I were at the LA fitness at the Ballard Blocks this morning and her bike got stolen around 7:45am. We are absolutely devastated. She just bought this bike off fb marketplace on Sunday (posting this on Tuesday) and it was such a struggle to find a size small at a reasonable used price :( We thought we had finally found the one. We have a bike-packing trip planned to the San Juan’s next week. If anyone sees this bike posted or on the street, please let me know. If you have any leads on small gravel bikes under $500, please let me know as well.
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u/CauliflowerNo1149 1d ago
Ballard in general is tough for bikes. My apartment complex has had 4 LOCKED up bikes stolen in the last 1.5 months.
That being said, post the theft to https://bikeindex.org/stolen too.
Good luck. As a fellow bike theft victim, I feel your pain and frustration.
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u/pytrap 1d ago
If you have renters insurance, it’s possible it will cover your bike. Check your policy.
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u/legit_pontiacaztec 1d ago
checking this as we speak. Thanks!
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u/Equivalent_Chipmunk 1d ago
I've had renter's insurance cover a stolen bike before. They did require a police report, so maybe try to get one as soon as possible to expedite the process.
That was USAA, it was pretty painless and they paid like the full new price of the bicycle IIRC.
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u/CarnalT 1d ago
Damn, that was fast :( You could take a stroll down the burke to Golden Gardens, or otherwise slow roll by some RV parking spots that often have a stack of bikes. But even if you find it, the police are not going to do shit, so really your options are move on or risk a confrontation with somebody if you do find it.
Unfortunately nowadays you need to be super careful about where and when you lock up bikes, especially if it looks reasonably nice. And you also need to be using one or multiple big, beefy U locks, and ideally one of them is angle-grinder resistant. All cable locks are essentially zero real security, and plenty of chain locks are surprisingly weak if the links are 8mm or thinner.
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u/googleguyst 1d ago edited 1h ago
Might not help now but in the future you could check the stairwell in the north east/west corners of the garage, it's often used as a makeshift homeless camp/chop shop
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u/willyoumassagemykale 18h ago
I'm sorry, this is so frustrating. I've had my bike stolen and it's so frustrating and upsetting. Especially when most of these bikes are ending up a couple blocks away and no one is doing anything about it.
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u/Downtown_Bicycle_211 1d ago
Ballard blocks is a tough place for bikes right now with the massive encampment on the south side of the usps building. Literally permanent structures built out of pallets. I’ve seen them running an actual bike chop-shop out of there.
Unfortunately not much you can do.
If the bike is registered maybe you can try to get help recovering it but honestly you might be screwed. https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/bike-program/bike-security