My new lock will prevent crooks from stealing…my new lock

Somebody stole my bike lock; not the bike itself, just the lock.

I’m assuming the perp was a master thief of some kind, probably of the cat burglar variety, the sort that dons a black stocking cap and leather gloves before scaling the sides of an office building using only suction cups.

The lock was swiped while I sat nestled inside a nice little pub, celebrating the completion of my recent cross-state bicycle tour. The bike was locked securely (or so I thought) to the rack on the back of the Bonneville.

In deference to the good taste of the thief, I must admit the lock was probably worth more than the bike and car put together. The bike is an ancient Fuji I purchased for $25 several years ago at a Lion’s Club charity auction in Lakeview, then my hometown.

As to the Bonneville, the kindest thing one might say is that—despite all odds—it continues to run.

The lock, on the other hand, was brand new, purchased just prior to my tour at an upscale bike shop in Ada Village. It was made of case-hardened steel, fused to a thick, barely-flexible cable of braided metal thicker than my index finger.

According to the girl at the bike shop, it was the best lock the store offers, guaranteed to resist all but the most diligent assault by a phalanx of bicycle burglars armed to the teeth with state-of-the-art bolt cutters, welding torches and battle axes.

Also a plus, it was one of those locks that let you set your own combination. This, I now suspect, was my downfall.

Apparently I’m not the first knucklehead to choose 1-2-3-4 as my “secret” unlock code.

At the time I set the thing, I said to myself, “What are the odds a crook is going to try that combination? Surely, no self-respecting thief would go for such an obvious code.”

Wrong. My guess now is that it’s the first combination the thief tried.

I didn’t even notice it was gone until I arrived home and made to unpack the bike from its rack. Even then I figured I had just forgotten to lock it up and that the lock was buried in one of the bike’s Pannier bags. It wasn’t until later that I recalled distinctly having locked the thing up before going in the pub.

And so I found myself back at the bike store yesterday, shelling out another $30 for a replacement lock, identical to the one that was stolen, with one notable exception: my combination is now far more difficult for a crook to cipher.

Surely nobody would ever try 4-3-2-1, right?

More Reality Check online at http://mtrealitycheck.blogspot.com or www.mlive.com. Email Mike Taylor at mtaylor325@gmail.com.