Electricity bikes in DC broken into 6/24/20 a dozen Tern GSD/HSD ebikes were stolen

Dewey

Dewey

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
City
Arlington, Virginia
Kyle Waller who has appeared in several video reviews with Court on this site reported on Facebook this morning Wednesday June 24, 2020 about 3am his store Electricity Bikes in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, DC, was broken into and at least a dozen Tern GSD/HSD ebikes were stolen. Please report if you notice these come up on OfferUp, Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.
 
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Marcela said:
A good reason for manufacturers to put VIN's or serial numbers on their bikes.
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Tern presumably stamp a serial number on the frame. GSD/HSD models use Bosch motors loaded with DRM firmware, I know the Gen 4 motors stop working if they detect someone has attempted to change the performance with a tuning dongle, I wonder if it's possible for Bosch to detect if a registered stolen battery/motor is plugged into their diagnostic system at a shop and brick the system or at least notify the shop tech, do you know if this is the case @Chris Nolte , @Stephen - Bosch Team or @William - Bosch Team ?
 
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Dewey said:
Kyle Waller who has appeared in several video reviews with Court on this site reported on Facebook this morning Wednesday June 24, 2020 about 3am his store Electricity Bikes in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, DC, was broken into and at least a dozen Tern GSD/HSD ebikes were stolen. Please report if you notice these come up on OfferUp, Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.
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AFAIK, it’s been Charlie McCormick (owner of Electricity/CityBikes) in the videos. That said, I’d be surprised if no person or camera In the vicinity didn’t see “at least” 10 ebikes getting loaded into a truck or a group of 10 riding away at that location. Even at 3am.

Security is a major ebike weakness. My non-e bikes have a serial# stamped on the frame and are much easier to lock up, although I did have the unpleasant experience of retrieving a stripped bike after being locked up overnight in DC. But I did get the frame back up undamaged ....
 
dblhelix said:
AFAIK, it’s been Charlie McCormick (owner of Electricity/CityBikes) in the videos.
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Oops, thanks duly noted. Electricity Bikes occupy an old car dealership and I don't know if their storage entrance faces the street.
Sorry you had a bike stripped, so far I've been lucky leaving my DIY converted ebike on campus (GW) in the rack outside my workplace, bike rooms are best of course, but I thought public parking garages in DC have a bike rack I think that's a District requirement.
 
Dewey said:
Oops, thanks duly noted. Electricity Bikes occupy an old car dealership and I don't know if their storage entrance faces the street.
Sorry you had a bike stripped, so far I've been lucky leaving my DIY converted ebike on campus (GW) in the rack outside my workplace, bike rooms are best of course, but I thought public parking garages in DC have a bike rack I think that's a District requirement.
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I’ve been there several times but as an ebike enthusiast, not to case the joint 😂. The building on the right has glass windows and doors but is the non-e side of things. The two-story bldg on the left is ebikes, and I’ve always had to go up the stairs to get to ebikes, both display and storage (which appeared to span several rooms). Of course, things may have changed, and perhaps there’s a rear entrance not visible from Wisconsin Ave. Still, with ebikes being so cumbersome, I’m wondering if the thieves put a lot of planning into this, including a visit or two.

The bike incident was a long time ago, perhaps 2012. I’d stopped by Terrapin Trader in CP and picked up a nice Specialized (Rockhopper, Stumpjumper, one of those) for $70. It wasn’t my size, but I couldn’t pass it up. I rode it downtown to visit a friend, tied it up, and boom! Quick hit. I ldonated the frame to a bike co-op next day. Easy come, easy go.
 
Dewey said:
Tern presumably stamp a serial number on the frame. GSD/HSD models use Bosch motors loaded with DRM firmware, I know the Gen 4 motors stop working if they detect someone has attempted to change the performance with a tuning dongle, I wonder if it's possible for Bosch to detect if a registered stolen battery/motor is plugged into their diagnostic system at a shop and brick the system or at least notify the shop tech, do you know if this is the case @Chris Nolte , @Stephen - Bosch Team or @William - Bosch Team ?
Click to expand...
I know if your Valentine radar detector is stolen, you report it to Valentine, and if it is ever presented for upgrades you are notified. Mine hasn't been recovered yet:(
 
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