Austin police say with more and more people moving to downtown Austin, it is now becoming a popular target for bike thieves.
Surveillance video shows a brazen bike thief walking up to an unlocked bike in the rack outside Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop near 4th and Nueces streets and riding away.
"You feel your heart go into your stomach, because anybody who has ever ridden a bicycle, I mean, your bicycle is so close to you," said Craig Staley, the General Manager of Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop.
"I have parked my bike there many, many times without a lock or any care in the world," said Clark Simensen, a downtown Austin resident. "I just hook it up to the bike rack and walk away from it, which is something I probably won't be doing any more."
Simensen is referring to his professional racing road bike that lists for $8,500. Austin police say it's bikes likes these that are attracting the thieves.
"Now, you have thieves that are looking at the higher end models because they obviously get more money off of them when they do sell them," said Sgt. Keith Bazzle, Public Information Officer with the Austin Police Department.
The rise in bike thefts is enough of a concern that some downtown condos are making their residents aware of the problem. Some bikes have even been stolen from second and third floor balconies. Michael McKee was traveling back to Austin after being snowed in on the East Coast when he first learned of the thefts via e-mail.
"Sure enough, I went to check on my car, not thinking of the bikes, and then I realized that the bikes weren't there," said McKee.
He went to his condo office and got some good news. His wife's bike never made it off the property. An alert security guard saw the theft taking place on a surveillance camera.
"So she actually grabbed the bike by the handlebars and the guy is trying to fight it off," said McKee. "She told him, 'You are not leaving with this bike,' and the guy took off running."
Whether it is locked or not, Austin police say just about any bike can be stolen. They recommend keeping bikes inside your home, and not on a balcony.
Also, be sure to record the bike's serial number. Police say just knowing the make and model will not help them track it down. They also suggest you register your bike with the National Bike Registry.
