UPDATE, 3:15pm: Found my bike. Stole it back. Here’s the story.
My Cielo is gone. Someone grabbed it from outside my office building at the corner of SW 4th and Stark this morning around 9:00 am. Please help me find it.
I was not thinking straight and left it unlocked. I know it sounds crazy. But it happened. I feel horrible. I had ghost-ridden it to work this morning alongside my city bike (like I usually do at the beginning of the week, so it can stay in my office for lunch rides) and I set it against the rack next to my other bike. I locked my city bike and then walked up to the fourth floor, only to realize — several hours later — that I left it just sitting there. (I’ve had lots of heavy stuff on my mind lately and was just not thinking clearly.)
Without getting too emotional, I will just say that I love this bike. I got it two summers ago and have told many of you privately that it’s the bike that has inspired me to start riding again. It’s been on so many awesome adventures with me. I got it because it completed a life story of sorts: I used to work for Chris King (makers of the bike) back in college in Santa Barbara and my favorite epic road to ride was the bike’s namesake: Camino Cielo Road.
Please keep your eyes peeled.
Here are some distinguishing characteristics:
- — Cielo Sportif
— Pearl white with orange lettering
— “BikePortland.org” logo on the top tube
— Mango orange Chris King hubs
— Fenders
And here are more photos:
If you see this bike, please text or call me at (503) 706-8804.
Thanks for your help. Hopefully it will turn up. Hard to imagine otherwise.
CORRECTION, 11/5 at 9:23 am: I initially wrote that I felt this incident was my fault. But upon reflection and consideration of your comments below, I have deleted that. Thanks.
Thanks for reading.
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Definitely will be on the look out!
aaarrrrggggh! Also keeping an eye out.
Death to bike thieves.
I’d start by looking under the bridge near the Esplanade at SE Salmon Street. Every time I’ve been there I’ve seen so many stolen bikes and bike parts all over the place.
Got a serial number? And do Cielos with steel forks have a serial # on the steerer, too?
Oh man Jonathan so sorry to hear! I’ll keep an eye out.
Take a spin around the waterfront
Oh man, what a bummer mistake to make. Best of luck getting recovering it, at least it’s distinctive.
Bout to ride down to PSU… I’ll have my eyes-peeled (particularly around the Esplanade).
List it in BikeIndex right now! It could change hands any time, and the buyer might look there.
Where are the posses assembling?
Here’s the listing https://bikeindex.org/bikes/34308
Thanks! I searched ‘cielo’ just before I posted and it wasn’t there. (There is another stolen one, though.)
“For what it’s worth, it was completely my fault. I was not thinking straight and left it unlocked.”
Actually, I think it’s the fault of whoever stole it.
Exactly right Neil! A very similar thing happened to me awhile back after an especially stressful morning and I was running late to work.
Yep, if you left a car unlocked and someone stole it, would you say that it was your fault? If you left your door unlocked, and someone robbed you, would you say it was your fault? Theft is theft, the person that took it knew it didn’t belong to them and took it anyway. If everyone just didn’t take stuff that they knew belonged to someone else, we’d all be much happier.
For what its worth it is absolutely NOT your fault! If people would respect other peoples property and keep their sticky little fingers to themselves it would still be sitting there unmolested!
But because so many people have no respect for others property you can’t make a simple mistake without paying (big) for it!
The optimist in me hopes someone (another bikey person) grabbed it to keep it safe and will find you asap!
Maybe with a big old BikePortland.ORG logo on it the “borrower” thought it was one of those free city bikes. Accidents happen…
I will definitely keep an eye out. Think good thoughts, Jonathan.
Good luck, Jonathan. Like the others here, I will keep an eye out for it and I bet with enough eye balls we will find it.
Forgetting to lock happens. I’ll be passing through the SE Salmon/I-5 homeless camp slash bike chopshop later on – I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
Ugh. So sorry to hear this, Jonathan. I will definitely keep an eye out.
Agreed, there is a huge difference between “it’s to be expected” and “totally my fault”. Don’t kick yourself too hard on that one. I did the same thing a few months ago in SW Portland and left the bike “locked” (“locked” with my bike helmet) to a bike rack outside Raven & Rose while I went to a play at Keller auditorium. Fortunately and miraculously, it was still there 3 hours later when we returned to R&R for drinks.
It’s certainly a cautionary tale to us all to be aware and mindful, but it certainly isn’t your *fault*. It’s entirely the fault of the thief.
I hope you get it back!
Man, that is a shame! I have always loved that bike and will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for it. Hope it finds its way back to you quickly.
I’m really sorry to hear this. I’ll be on the lookout.
When my bike was stolen last month, I got it back by putting an ad out on Craigslist. Within 15 minutes I got a reply from a guy who had “bought it from a kid I buy bikes from”…PPB turned out to be very helpful in this case.
Such a pretty bike. I hope you get it back.
what color were the fenders?
They are black:
https://twitter.com/BikePortland/status/529767845006036992/photo/1
Glad you recovered it, Jonathan!
I am so sorry to read this. You run a most informative bike site. I’ve learned so much by following your postings over the years. Rest assured that you have a hundred thousand eyes looking out for your bike.
Jonathan, I’m in Spokane, WA and will keep an eye on our Craigslist and around town.
Beautiful bike and a sad story, but no doubt one of Portland’s many fine homeless folks are in the process of stripping this thing down right now.
UPDATE: just saw on twitter that he found it and although a bit worse for wear it is pretty much intact.
what size? looks like a 58cm frame. Its likely cruising on the west bank under the burnside bridge. Itd be worth a tip to NW 18th under the 405 as well. if i see it, it’ll come back to you
“Totally my fault” = one of the biggest problems with average American culture.
Thieves justify their entire profession with this thinking. They tell themselves that anyone who didn’t bolt down, lock up, and set an alarm on anything “deserves” to have it stolen—and the rest of American society has eaten it up and believes it to be true as well. It is the same thing bicyclists and pedestrians tell themselves (sometimes) when they get hit by cars, “I should have been more careful; it was totally my fault for getting in your way.” Like thieves, lots of careless car drivers justify their careless driving by telling themselves that anyone that they hit “deserved” it for not watching out carefully enough, or was “asking for it” by being where they “didn’t belong”.
Yes, you made it really easy for someone who was already looking to do evil to choose you as their target, but it is far from “your fault”.
Hope the report is right and Jonathon has recovered his bike!
A month ago, I got to work and was so tired or preoccupied that I locked the U-lock to the rack while completely missing the bike itself. I was lucky.
Found it! Literally under a rock under I-5. Stole it back. Posting story now.
I don’t think it’s stealing if it’s your bike. 😉
I hope the story includes a phrase similar to “PPB recovered a complete fingerprint of the thief.”
Congratulations on the recovery. That’s great news!
Glad you got it back!
For what it’s worth, I disagree with this:
“For what it’s worth, it was completely my fault.” [due to leaving bike unlocked]
If I leave my home unlocked, and someone walks away with my laptop, it isn’t completely my fault. Sure, I could have taken better precautions, but the thief is the one completely at fault.
In my old home town, my parents used to leave their car keys in the ignition, every night. That’s what everyone did. And many places in this country, people leave bikes out on their porch every night, unlocked, with no problems. People even do this in parts of Portland!
I do recommend always using a U-lock in Portland, but let’s leave the fault with the crooks.
Wow… you must have had some serious Karma points saved up for that one!
I’d go play the lotto if I were you 🙂
Glad you recovered it, and it was smart of you to go looking for it!
Congrats!
happens to the best of us, glad you got it back!
Yeah! This news brightens my day!
You just started rolling around looking and you just happened to come across your stolen and extremely expensive bike? Weird story.
yes that’s exactly what happened. I know. It does seem weird doesn’t it?
FYI – It’s still showing stolen in bikeindex: https://bikeindex.org/bikes/34308
So glad this story had a happy ending, great bloodhound work!
I’m so happy you have your bike back. I hope you don’t continue to blame yourself. Your bike was stolen. Locked up or not, someone willfully took something that didn’t belong to them.
Mazel tov, Maus-man. Glad to hear of the bike’s return!
Could you bring your bicycle in your office?