SCENE OF THE CRIME : Your Merlin or Your Life

Conceived of as idyllic, care-free avenues of recreation, local bicycle paths are becoming just another place where Angelenos have to watch their backs. Bike-jackings, city officials say, are a new urban anxiety.

Several bike paths are becoming notorious, including the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River trails, which start in Maywood and El Monte, as well as parts of the beach path in the South Bay. Along the San Gabriel River Trail, thieves have placed wires and broken glass to slow cyclists riding along isolated stretches. Parts of the trail are out of sight of roads or houses and some routes have gates that trap riders in dead ends.

“Thieves will hide out next to bathrooms along beach paths and then push riders off their bikes,” says Sean Collinsworth, a team leader of the L.A. County sheriff’s bicycle patrol unit. “Sometimes they’ll just stand there with baseball bats and whack people in the head or torso as they speed by. But they’re discerning. They’ll scrutinize the value of a bike before making a hit.”

Bike thefts have become more lucrative as the number of expensive bikes on the paths increases. Many bikes are worth $3,000 or more. Titanium bicycles, such as Merlins or Litespeeds, can be resold for large sums. As for a bike with an aluminum frame, “it’s like an aluminum can to them; they’ll just take the bikes to recycling centers,” says Paul Tay, Los Angeles’ Bicycle Program Coordinator.

In the city of Los Angeles last year, about 6,300 bikes were stolen, but police keep no separate statistics on how many are bike-jacked. (Countywide statistics are quake victims; they’re stuck in a red-tagged county facility.) Many cyclists prefer to ride in packs to avoid confrontations. Even then, showdowns happen. “Four of us were riding on the San Gabriel Trail when three guys on mountain bikes chased one of us down to the river bottom,” says Bud Plochere, a member of the L.A. Wheelmen bicycle club. “They blocked the ramp and circled him, but he rode up the side of the bank--almost impossible to do--and got away. It happens all the time. When you’re alone or get separated from the group, it’s dangerous.”