How long does it take for valuables to be taken if left unattended? In San Francisco? On a busy street? In the Mission?

How quickly will the lure gather a passerby’s interest? Do they look to be stolen? Does a call into the wild say take me PLEASE!

Quite often, I bike without a lock, betting that I will not stop anywhere that requires my bike to be locked outside. Ever since the “accident” 2 weeks ago, I am forced to use my more expensive bike—the super-light Cannondale that is priced at over 1k.

Today unexpectedly, Sashimi and I stopped for ice cream and burritos. However, neither us had a lock that could encompass both bikes. One of us stood outside in the (pseudo-freezing) SF cold with the bikes—carelessly watching the bikes as the other went inside to procure the food.

As I was standing next to my Cannondale, a clear non-biker gave me a look and said, “That is a beautiful bike.”

He didn’t look like a bike enthusiast but I thanked him anyway, standing there warily.

But of course, there were a few times that our mind was fully distracted with something inside, with our backs turned for a full 30 seconds. But the bikes remained out there where it always was. And everything was ok.