Bye Bye, Bikes!

We got a nice little surprise this morning as we headed into town for breakfast and found that BOTH our bikes had been stolen. They were locked up together on the bike rack right here at the marina too. It must have happened sometime between Sunday night and early this morning, and whoever took them was prepared. I found our lock tossed on the ground with a clean slice through the lock rope, meaning they must’ve have had a bolt cutter with them and were in the mindset to steal some bikes.

The ironic thing is that we normally take our seats with us when we lock them up at night to deter theft. I mean, it’s pretty difficult to make a quick get away on a bike with no seat, right? This time we didn’t, and poof, they’re gone. We’d been warned that bike theft is the #1 crime on the island and it seems that we’re the latest statistic. Bummer.

Honestly, I’m surprised that they weren’t stolen earlier… we’ve definitely left them locked up in some pretty shady back alleys of Duval Street before.

We called the cops and filed a police report, but with the number of bikes being reported stolen everyday, I doubt that they’ll find ours. They’re probably in the back room of a pawn shop somewhere or in someone’s yard getting a nice spray paint job to make them unrecognizable to find.

After filing the report, we spent the morning walking around town doing our own PI work, checking every bike rack in town and peeking into side alleys and backyards to see if we could find them. Obviously with no luck. Let me tell you, it really sucks walking when you’re used to zipping around town on a mountain bike. The fresh blisters on our feet can attest to that.

I guess everything happens for a reason, and we’re taking this as a sign that it’s time to leave Key West and get over to the Bahamas. We’ve gotten too soft here. Time to move on… sans our bikes.