A string of bike shop robberies has owners all over Utah worried to leave their stores at night.
Three shops were broken into within a few weeks of each other and thousands of dollars worth of bikes and other merchandise have been taken.
Trek Bicycle of American Fork was robbed two separate times this month. The first time a couple of weeks ago a single bike was stolen worth more than $3,000. Then September 17th his alarm company called him once again and he rushed to his store to find windows broken and another bike worth the same amount gone. Mad Dog Cycles in Orem was hit the day before and a single bike worth $6,500 was taken. The shop hit the hardest was broken into a few weeks ago, Timpanogos Cyclery in Pleasant Grove. The thieves stole over $18,000 worth of bikes and equipment.
The thieves knew exactly what to take and when to take it and the owner of Timpanogos Cyclery in Pleasant Grove believes this means they had been staking out the shops they robbed for a while beforehand. In most of the robberies they took only a single bike but it was always one worth several thousand dollars.
Authorities are cautioning people to pay close attention when they are buying bikes from private owners. They said it is important to check serial numbers with their local police before paying for a bike because if it is one that was stolen, the police can confiscate it.
The frequency with which actual stores are being robbed only shows how easily a bike could be taken from your own home or any other place it is locked up. This is why it is increasingly important to consider purchasing bicycle insurance. Separate insurance is imperative for serious cyclists whose bikes are worth more than what is covered under standard homeowner’s insurance.
The bicycle attorneys at Christensen Law Firm are on the cutting edge of the needs and developments pertaining to the cycling community. For information on bicycle insurance and more go to http://www.utahbicyclelawyers.com/.