Taking the law into his own hands. A Portland man tracks down a bike thief, confronts him, has him arrested, and gets his bike back. It's an entertaining story that's become a good reminder for bike owners everywhere.
Here in salt lake, no matter where you are a bicycle is probably not far from you. That just means more opportunity for thieves. So we found out what you need to know... So you don't end up like Jake Gillum.
"This is a Fuji team world bicycle, it originally cost me $2000," Gillum said.
And that's not chump change, so Gillum was bound and determined to get his bike back. He found it on Craig’s List in Seattle, hundreds of miles away from where it was stolen in Portland. So Jake and his friends took a road trip where they found his bike and the thief.
Gillum is not alone. Online video shows some office workers tackling a thief. While seeing this kind of justice is sweet, police say it's not smart. They say a good defense is the best offense. So we went to Salt Lake City Bicycle Company to find out what you can do to keep your bike safe. Owner Brent Hulme breaks down the different types of locks starting with the cable lock.
"It’s pretty simple I would probably only recommend it for really short trips only," Hulme said.
If you want to step up your protection, he says go with a u-lock.
“More popular have been u-locks which are a big u-shaped bar they're made out of hardened steel," Hulme said.
If you want to be extra safe, he said try the cable/u-lock combo. You wrap the cable through your wheels and seat then through the u-lock that’s attached to your frame.
There aren't always going to be bike racks available, so if you lock up to something else, Hulme said to make sure it's tall enough that a thief can't just pull the lock over the top. And, make sure it's buried into the ground well so their thief can't just knock the pole down and get away.
