‘Strange’ bike-lock theft mystifies truck owner
A Vancouver man is still trying to decide whether he’s the victim of a theft or the recipient of a gift after a bike-lock thief left behind a pretty nice bike.
Adam Henderson, who works in the Vancouver craft-beer industry, said he woke up Wednesday to news from his roommate that someone had gone into the covered bed of his pickup, opened the tailgate and stolen a 10-foot length of braided cable Henderson used to lock up his bike.
Behind the truck, they’d left a mountain bike and an open umbrella.
In a post to Facebook, Henderson referred to the scene as a “daring yet ironic theft/art installation.” The truck was parked directly outside his house on a dead-end street in Kerrisdale. Other than the bike and umbrella, no clues were left behind.
“It was just a very strange situation to wake up to,” Henderson said.
The copper-coloured Raleigh mountain bike is about the right fit for a teen, he said. It’s in very good shape and was left with a full Aquafina in its water-bottle cage.
“The bike was fully up on its kickstand like someone had placed it there,” he said.
Henderson has theories about the bike: Perhaps the thief was caught in the act, chased off by a good Samaritan and then left the bike behind. Maybe the bike belongs to one of the kids who lives down the street. A neighbour might have just forgotten to bring it inside.
“But that’s a super-weird spot to leave your bike,” Henderson said. “It’s one of those things where you’re like, ‘What is the situation here? How did this come to be?’”
Henderson said he found the situation hilarious, but is now determined to track down the rightful owner of the bike — and umbrella. He has made posters and plans to canvas the neighbourhood before contacting Vancouver police.
Meanwhile, the bike is stored securely in Henderson’s garage, though he wishes he still had his trusty piece of cable.