In 2005 a total of 95 bicycles were stolen from University property. That number does not include the possibly hundreds of others stolen from property non-University locations.

Many, if not most, of these stolen bikes were improperly locked or left unlocked, leaving them prey to anyone trying to make a quick buck.

Jeff Christensen, public information officer for the University police, said that bicycle theft has seen a significant hike in past years. In 2003, 28 were reported stolen from University property, while in 2004, the number rose to 41. Within one year’s time, the number of reports more than doubled to the 2005 figures. Already this year, the number of reports is higher than at the same time last year, which Christensen said could mean an even higher end of year tally.

Bike theft seems to slip student’s minds, especially when pitted for attention against crimes like drug use, assault and murder. All it takes though, is one look back at memories of training wheels, spins around the block, and the first glimpse of freedom for most kids to realize that stealing someone’s bike is as good as stealing someone’s soul.

Bikes have a unique ability to transport someone back to childhood, as well as transport them virtually anywhere they need to go.

So why is it that so many student have the mindset that “no one would want this thing” when it comes to their bikes?

Bruce Krueger, owner of Bikeworks, 1103 W. Main St., said it is that logic that leads to bikes being stolen.

“People use cheap locks because they think their bikes aren’t worth anything,” Krueger said. “The stuff it takes to defeat those locks is readily available and easily portable.”

Krueger said that often, people do not have an accurate understanding of the worth of their bike. Thieves will take anything that is easy enough to get if they think they can salvage it for parts or resell it.

Not all thieves are simply looking for quick cash, however.

Michael, an Urbana resident currently owns close to a dozen bikes, one of every genre he said, some of which were obtained, not purchased.

His love affair with bicycles started at a young age. He got his first bike, a pink hand-me-down from his sister, when he was 4 years old.

“My grandpa used to find trashed bikes in dumpsters and put them back together,” Michael said. “He would take frames that were bent and straighten them out or weld them together to make one solid frame. We used to take them apart and learn how to put them back together.”

“It wasn’t ours, but we took it because it was broken,” he said of one of his bikes. “It wasn’t locked and it was against a rack. I find things that are missing pieces and have obviously been abandoned, but I take them and use them for parts.”

“The things I have taken have all been sitting in the same spot, unridden, for long periods of time,” Michael said. “You can tell when the wheel is bent, or the tires are flat for months that no one is coming back for it, and otherwise it will just sit there.”

Michael said he feels like people don’t seem to care for stuff like they used to because he has seen so many bikes abandoned for reasons that could easily be fixed.

“People ditch (bikes) because they have a flat or have an out of true rim, or the break arm got severed off,” Michael said. “They’re easy fixes and it doesn’t even require that much knowledge to do it, if you take the time or interest to learn how. People treat them like they are so disposable.”

When he acquires bikes, if they are fixable, Michael said he generally tries to get it back to good working condition and pass it along to someone who needs it to get around.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that its justifiable to take something that’s not yours, I still feel some guilt when it comes to that, I know its being idealistic, but I always feel like, if I could take better care of it, I might as well, its like adopting a bike,” Michael said.

The idea that something that has lost its usefulness to one person, could be useful to another is a major theme in the justification of bike theft for those who do it for the love of bikes, not the money that can be made from them. But this tendency to bring “worthless” bikes to school, then ditch them when they break only perpetuates the cycle of bike theft.

Krueger said he believes that rather than promoting biking as an efficient mode of transportation, the University scares students out of investing in good bikes.

“It’s this almost fatalistic attitude they have,” Krueger said. “They say ‘don’t bring a nice bike to school because it will just get stolen,’ when they should be teaching kids how to protect their bikes from being stolen.”

The proper way to protect a still usable bike from cut-and-go thieves is to take care of it, and use a lock that takes more than a little cleverness or force to defeat, Krueger said.

“You can effectively protect your bike with a U-lock, but you must use it and use it properly. You can’t leave the bike outside intending to run in the house to get something to eat, then answer the phone, then watch T.V., then fall asleep, and come out to wonder, ‘Where’d my bike go?'” Krueger said. “It will only work if you use it.”

Krueger also said he feels that the University should educate students early about how to prevent bike theft. He said that demonstrations about how easy it is to break a cheap lock, and the proper way to secure a bike at freshman orientation could effectively help the situation.

Published reminders and signs in bike parking areas could also help, Krueger said.

U-Locks with holder brackets and a short cable are available starting at $28 and are the most effective method locking a bike frame and wheels, while a $4 seat lock cable can prevent an expensive seat from being uprooted.

“It’s just a matter of taking a few simple precautions that will save you from the people who can come by and swipe a bike in the blink of an eye,” Krueger said. “If you make it just that much more difficult, they will move on and our bike will still be there.”