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(image via: Eyeweekly)
So what does one do with thousands of bicycles? Igor Kenk’s record-setting collection have sparked myriad theories, ranging from the obvious: that he was planning to resell them all eventually in his used bicycle shop, to the eccentric: that he was saving them to melt them down during the next spike in scrap metal prices or was hording them for the eventual energy apocalypse.
(Images via The New York Times and The National Post)
Igor’s operation alone might explain most of Toronto’s reputation for being the capital of bike theft in North America. His shop was so filled with bicycles that police had to take out second floor windows and lower the bikes out them. Clearly this collection has been growing for a very long time. His shop even had a reputation as the place to go to buy back your stolen bike - but no one knew for sure that he was the one stealing them. Rumor has it he was waiting for a big energy crisis where the world as we know it would come to an end and he could make a killing reselling the rest.
(Image via: Photoshop Talent)
Over ten thousand frustrated bicycle theft victims have perused Igor’s reclaimed collection of stolen goods but only a few hundred bycles have been returned. He is now facing dozens of counts relating to the thefts alone, but the story doesn’t end there: raids on Igor Kenk’s house and myriad storage places revealed crack, cocaine and pounds of marijuana … as well as a stolen bronze statue of a centaur and snake in the heat of battle. How that fits in is anyone’s guess.
So how hard is it, really, to steal a bike in a public downtown place like Toronto? Well, two brothers - using their own bike and tools - set out to find out just that in the heart of New York City. Starting small they use a bolt cutters in Union Square but by the end they are using power tools and full protective gear to steal (their own) bikes in broad daylight - all without being stopped.There is one concerned citizen throughout the whole film however … Hector, who stops to offer his advice on potentially better tools to speed up the operation.
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29 Comments
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Clearly the man had a serious addiction.
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bicycle_Thief
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I wonder what would’ve happened if they had used a black dude in the video.
That guy looks like he’s a locksmith, specially on the last one with all the protection and shit.
I’ve gotten 2 bikes stolen already in Bedford Ave, in Brooklyn, no matter what chain you use, just don’t let your bike out there overnight, even it its the shitiest bike ever,
it won’t be there the next day.
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Well, duh, he looks like he owns the bike. Would any serious thief purposefully lug around his tools for thievery as your bold as your subject in the video does? Plus, there’s also the factor of White Privilege; only in America is this such a pervasive thought.
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I always thought about how sickening it is that people in New York are so passive when it comes to things happening around them. Always gives a nice refreshing sense of hope for human kind..
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
That’s one hell of a collection
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I agree with the point that people will just “look away” when this kind of crime is happening–nobody cares enough to say anything and really, what would they do?
But as a commentary on the ease of defeating a bike lock, I think it falls short. Sure it’s easy to cut through everyday hardware store chain, but what about a real bike lock that is made with something more resilient? I use a hardened steel U-lock and you would spend a lot more time and energy trying cut through that.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I agree to the below opinions… If you look like you know what you’re doing and you own the bike… no one cares. I don’t really think its a matter of being black or white or any other race. If in the middle of the day someone was doing that I wouldn’t pay much attention either.
August 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
So who’s up for my next social experiment: steal my own bike in Phoenix, and then have a mexican or black friend repeat the process: whoever gets caught first wins the race war!
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Good video but here are some of the issues I find:
A. As “a watcher” said - he looks very purposeful like a locksmith. I won’t get into the racial discussion
B. I wonder if you can see the cameraman. If you someone taping someone else in NY, the instant impulse is “artist / stupid NYU film student.” and you keep walking
C. They do it at 3 places. I don’t think many people would be surprised to know that say only 1 in 6 bike thiefs are caught etc… I’d like to see a larger sample size.
All in all, though, its a good example of social engineering and interesting.
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
That might have been the most retarded series of tests I have ever seen. If I was walking down the street, I would just assume that you were freeing your own bike from a lock with a lost key… (AND THATS WHAT YOU WERE DOING..)
Even if anybody asked you, you could just say “It’s my bike, and I lost the key!” Nobody, in ANY town in America, will ask you for proof of ownership..
There is a team of black dudes that go around my neighborhood stealing bikes with a van, I broke out my binoculars one night, and got their plate number.. I called the police, and boom, arrested.
People like you make videos like this to TRY and PROVE something. In reality, all you proved was that people don’t suspect the worst when they see a clean looking white man breaking a lock on their bike in broad daylight.
Nice tips for thieves though. Good going.
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
P.S. Nobody gets caught at the scene of the crime. More likely, victims of stolen bikes would report them to the police, who would mark the serial numbers as stolen, and possibly set up a steak-out on a hot block.
I repeat, you are FAIL.
August 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Heard about this, it’s very unfortunate that most of the bikes will never be reunited with their owners because you need to provide proof of ownership - I wonder if a photo of you with the bike really constitutes as proof.
August 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Interesting comments. Some quite savage in defense of the circumstances and profile of the person doing it.
I think the video is quite effective at demonstrating that this profile introduces the least risk when conducting a bike theft. Thereby answering the question we must have all asked after reading the beginning of the article.., how the hell did one guy (or his operation) steal 2,396 bikes without getting caught.
So from this perspective I think the video is very interesting and the experiment was valid as a test to answer the question of ‘how could it happen’.
However the video also challenges me to ask myself the question of ‘what’. What would I do if I saw this happening? And to be honest I don’t know for sure, but I think I would be the same as all of those other citizens and assume the best case scenario rather than the worst.
So does the author have a suggestion as to what should be done in this circumstance?
How would you verify that the person is the owner of the bike? Do you call the police? Or take cameraphone snaps of the person and submit them to the some website about suspicious behavior ? (How scary is that big brother idea!).
I actually don’t know what to do. But I would like to do better.
If the author is not sure either, perhaps you have a suggestion?
August 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Sounds like this guy MIGHT just be a few fries short of a happy meal!
RD
August 25th, 2008 at 12:16 am
the guy looked as if he was working legitimately, when plugged his power tool
into the City power supply. Especially because he was wearing all that protective
gear. I wouldn’t have thought nothing of it either.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I had a motorcycle stolen in broad daylight once. the the week after that i saw a nicer motorcycle parked on bourbon street in new orleans during mardi gras and nobody was touching it!
August 25th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
It’s curious that the thread is more interested in the video than the lunatic/genius the article profiles.
August 26th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Here’s more food for thought: Are you going to stop a man from “stealing” a bike when he has bolt cutters in his hands?
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:11 am
Priceless. I guess I know what my green collar job will be. I’ll start a bike mafia. Move over Italians
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 am
The most steep online plays. Honored online plays.
There is possibility to win the greater money.
Plays for amateurs and professional.
November 12th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
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